An arrest has been made in the slaying of “General Hospital” star Johnny Wactor.
The LAPD announced last Thursday that the Central Homicide Bureau executed search warrants related to the Wactor case at several locations in Los Angeles, leading to the arrest of four people and the recovery of evidence.
Three individuals – Robert Barcelau, 18; Leonel Guiterrez, 18; and Sergio Estrada, 18 – were booked on an arrest warrant for Murder. The fourth man, Frank Olano, 22, was arrested on a warrant as an accessory.
Wactor’s mother, Scarlett Wactor, also spoke to Fox News Digital about the arrest, saying she would be given more information Monday morning.
An arrest has been made in the slaying of “General Hospital” star Johnny Wactor. (Gilbert Carrasquillo / GC Image)
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“This is good news, I’m glad,” he said, noting that he also hoped for serious prison terms for the perpetrators. “I know some people don’t make it that far, but I’m very happy,” he added.
Wactor was shot and killed early May 25 in downtown Los Angeles while leaving his bartender job with a co-worker.
In a press release obtained by Fox News Digital, the LAPD said Wactor was “confronted by three individuals” after realizing his car had been “raised with a floor jack and they were stealing the catalytic converter.” Wactor was shot and killed by one of the three.
“Los Angeles Police Department, Central Area officers responded to a radio call of an Assault with a Deadly Weapon-Shooting in the 1200 block of Hope Street,” according to the release. “Once officers arrived, they found the victim, identified as 37-year-old John William Wactor, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Officers began rendering aid to the victim and requested emergency medical services response.”
Wactor later died at the hospital.
The 37-year-old actor was shot and killed in downtown Los Angeles in the early hours of May 25 by a suspect who allegedly tried to steal a catalytic converter from his car. (Scott Kirkland/ABC via Getty Images)
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Scarlett told Fox News Digital that Wactor and his co-workers were asked to stay at the rooftop bar where he worked and were returning to their car when they were killed.
“He walked to his car, and when he got there, Johnny’s car, which was parked in front of a co-worker, looked like it was pulled over on one side, and from what I understand, he said, ‘Hey, man. , are you towing my car?’ … And the guy looked up and he had a mask on, so I think he knew he didn’t do it, so he walked in front of his co-worker and he stepped back and raised his hand or both, and someone shot him,” Scarlett said.
He noted that the workplace does not have dedicated parking for employees.
“In my thought process … if he had been two minutes earlier or two minutes later, he would have lived,” Scarlett said.
Scarlett Wactor, the actor’s mother, told Fox News Digital that her son and a co-worker were leaving the bar where he worked when they encountered the suspects. (Craig Sjodin/ABC via Getty Images)
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“And the crazy thing is, he didn’t try to stop them from taking it. They could have just left it or taken it, which would probably just give them a car,” he added. “He’s such a coward… I hope he catches him, and I hope there’s justice for Johnny. That’s all I can hope and pray for. I’ll see him again. But on Earth, it’s going to be a long road without him to me and his brothers.”
Wactor’s co-worker, Anita Joy, spoke in the days after his death, sharing harrowing details of the incident.
“In my thought process … if he had been two minutes earlier or two minutes later, he would have lived.”
“I had to take some time to gather myself and my thoughts. I was with Johnny at the last moment, and I’m here to be the voice after such an unimaginable event,” he wrote in an Instagram post.
“She was killed senselessly by a coward who reacted without caring about her beautiful life,” he wrote in the post. “I’m angry, I’m sad, and I feel all the same, but above all, I’m here for justice Johnny.”
“Johnny was between me and the guy who shot him,” he continued. “It was too close, the wound was too much for him to survive, but my god, he was fighting to stay,” she wrote. “I’m very sad and very angry. My only peace is that I’m with him and this didn’t happen just for him – the only other peace is to see these evil people brought to justice.”
The day after Wactor was shot and killed, his co-worker, Anita Joy, who caught him in his final moments revealed new and shocking details about the series of events that led to his death. (Instagram Getty/Anita Joy)
The unsolved murder of ‘GENERAL HOSPITAL’ STAR JOHNNY WACTOR is the latest tragedy in soap opera’s dark history.
Friends and family gathered in Los Angeles on June 12 to hold a press conference and march, seeking answers for Wactor, with the hashtag #JusticeforJohnny.
His brother, Grant Wactor, told the crowd, “We want something to do. My family and I, we don’t live here. But Johnny’s friends – Johnny has roots here. Johnny still has roots here and will continue to have roots here. . here. So we want to be a safer city for them … We want it to be available sooner rather than later.”
On August 4, the LAPD released a community alert with photos of the suspects believed to be responsible for Wactor’s death.
Police described the stolen vehicle as a 2018 black four-door Infiniti Q50 with a tan interior.
LAPD detectives have released images of suspects they believe are connected to the May 25 killing of “General Hospital” star Johnny Wactor. (LAPD)
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Following the release of the suspect’s photo, family and friends of Scarlett and Wactor asked for the public’s help in the search at an event held Tuesday.
“I’m asking anyone who knows anything to please come forward,” Scarlett said, according to The Associated Press.
“My only peace is that I am with him and this is not the only thing that happened to him – the only other peace is to see these evil people brought to justice.”
“It will help me and his brothers to know that he has been arrested and convicted.”
“Suka is my constant friend. I can’t wish her a happy birthday on August 31. She must be 38. I can’t ask her if she’s home for Christmas. I can’t ask her how her day was,” she said.
Johnny Wactor’s mother, Scarlett, is asking for the public’s help in finding her son’s killer. (Damian Dovarganes)
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Wactor portrays Brando Corbin on “General Hospital” for 164 episodes from 2020-22. Other credits include “Animal Kingdom,” “Criminal Minds” and “Westworld.”
A funeral was held for Wactor at Summerville Baptist Church in Summerville, South Carolina, his home state, in June. The service was hosted by Wactor’s family, including his mother, Scarlett, and his brothers, Grant and Lance.
Scarlett previously told Fox News Digital that her son’s death was “not in vain.”
“The city needs to change, which I can’t choose or do anything about, of course, but just keep pushing and keep the pressure on during that time to change,” he said. from his home in South Carolina.
Wactor’s funeral was held in his home state of South Carolina in June. (Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)
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“I mean, it’s sad, but I want it to be safe for the other people who live there. No one else has to die, even though I know I can’t stop everything. I want to see change. made because of this.”
