Current:Home > reviewsMan pleads guilty to charges related to 'General Hospital' actor Johnny Wactor's killing -NextGenWealth
Man pleads guilty to charges related to 'General Hospital' actor Johnny Wactor's killing
View
Date:2025-04-24 16:02:52
One of the four people charged in connection to the death of "General Hospital" actor Johnny Wactor has entered a guilty plea in the case.
Leonel Gutierrez, 18, on Wednesday pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and grand theft, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced Thursday. Gutierrez, who is free on $120,000 bond, is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 1.
According to the Los Angeles Times and CBS News, Gutierrez faces up to four years and eight months in prison with his current charges.
Wactor, who was best known for his role as Brando Corbin on "General Hospital," died from a gunshot wound to the chest in downtown Los Angeles on May 25. He was 37.
The cases against alleged conspirators Robert Barceleau, 18; Sergio Estrada, 18 and Frank Olano, 22, are pending. They have all pleaded not guilty to felony charges and are scheduled for a preliminary hearing setting on Oct. 16.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
The four men were arrested on Aug. 14. Barceleau – who allegedly shot Wactor in the chest, per investigators – and Estrada were each charged with one count of murder, one count of attempted robbery and one count of grand theft.
Olano was charged with one count of accessory after the fact to murder, one count of receiving stolen property and three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
If convicted under the current charges, Barceleau faces life in prison without parole. Estrada faces a maximum of life in prison. Gutierrez faces four years, eight months in prison, and Olano faces five years, eight months in prison.
Johnny Wactor's mom: 'Grief is my constant companion'
Wactor was shot around 3 a.m. May 25 during an attempted catalytic converter theft in the 1200 block of Hope Street, per LAPD's May 28 news release. Officers "began to render aid" to Wactor, who was later transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
"Based on witness statements, Wactor had ended his shift as a bartender at a local bar and walked to his vehicle. When Wactor arrived at his vehicle, he was confronted by three individuals who had Wactor's vehicle raised up with a floor jack and were in the process of stealing the catalytic converter," LAPD reported. "Without provocation, the victim was shot by one of the individuals."
During a news conference in downtown Los Angeles last month, Wactor's mother, Scarlett Wactor, said “Grief is my constant companion,” according to The Associated Press.
"I can’t wish him happy birthday on Aug. 31 — he would have been 38," she continued. "I can’t ask if he’s coming home for Christmas. I can’t ask how his day went.”
veryGood! (32)
Related
- Small twin
- More than 85,000 highchairs that pose a fall risk are being recalled
- Every Real Housewife Who Has Weighed in on the Ozempic Weight Loss Trend
- Acuña 121 mph homer hardest-hit ball of year in MLB, gives Braves win over Dodgers in 10th
- Your Wedding Guests Will Thank You if You Get Married at These All-Inclusive Resorts
- Vanessa Bryant Shares Sweet Photo of Daughters at Beyoncé’s Concert With “Auntie BB”
- Northwestern AD Derrick Gragg lauds football team's 'resilience' in wake of hazing scandal
- Jimmy Buffett remembered by Elton John, Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson: 'A lovely man gone way too soon'
- Elon Musk’s Daughter Vivian Calls Him “Absolutely Pathetic” and a “Serial Adulterer”
- The Black Lives Matter movement: Has its moment passed? 5 Things podcast
Ranking
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- Biden heads to Philadelphia for a Labor Day parade and is expected to speak about unions’ importance
- LSU football flops in loss to Florida State after Brian Kelly's brash prediction
- Sweet emotion in Philadelphia as Aerosmith starts its farewell tour, and fans dream on
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- A second person has died in a weekend shooting in Lynn that injured 5 others
- Minnesota prison on emergency lockdown after about 100 inmates ‘refuse’ to return to cells
- 1881 Lake Michigan shipwreck found intact with crew's possessions: A remarkable discovery
Recommendation
Michigan lawmaker who was arrested in June loses reelection bid in Republican primary
USA advances to FIBA World Cup quarterfinals despite loss to Lithuania
Horoscopes Today, September 2, 2023
LSU football flops in loss to Florida State after Brian Kelly's brash prediction
Blake Lively’s Inner Circle Shares Rare Insight on Her Life as a Mom to 4 Kids
A sea of mud at Burning Man, recent wave of Trader Joe's recalls: 5 Things podcast
Jimmy Buffett remembered by Elton John, Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson: 'A lovely man gone way too soon'
The Turkish president is to meet Putin with the aim of reviving the Ukraine grain export deal