GENERAL Hospital star Johnny Wactor’s alleged killers have been hit with more charges related to “street gang” activity in the actor’s horrific murder.
According to court records exclusively obtained by The U.S. Sun, an amended complaint was filed against 18-year-olds Robert Barceleau, the alleged gunman, and Sergio Estrada, with an additional gang enhancement charge on top of their murder charges for the killing of the General Hospital actor.
According to the documents, the LA district attorney’s office has added the gang-related offense to Barceleau and Estrada’s cases stating Wactor’s murder “was committed for the benefit of, at the direction of, and in association with a criminal street gang with the specific intent to promote, further and assist in criminal conduct by gang members.”
Barcleau is facing the possibility of life in prison.
A gun enhancement was also added for a third defendant, Frank Olano, 22, who is charged with one count of accessory after the fact to murder.
Olano was accused of owning a firearm after being convicted of a felony.
A fourth defendant, Leonel Gutierrez, previously pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and one count of grand theft.
The other defendants have thus far pleaded not guilty.
The gang enhancement charge is a win for Wactor’s family, who initially expressed disappointment that the alleged killers’ gang connections had not been made part of their son’s murder case.
Speaking to ABC 7 LA, in August, the actor’s mother Scarlett said: “I wish and don’t understand why he wouldn’t do gang enhancements.
“They are all clearly gang members of the same gang that will still be asked, and I am still hoping for a lot of stackable things on top of this.”
ROBBERY GONE WRONG
The 37-year-old General Hospital actor was shot and killed in Los Angeles on May 25, 2024, early in the morning after his shift as a bartender nearby.
Wactor’s Career
The actor from Charleston, South Carolina, starred in General Hospital between 2020 and 2022.
His first appearance on the show was on January 30, 2020, as Brando Corbin, but he was written out two years later after his character was stabbed by an unknown killer.
However, before playing Corbin, Wactor started his acting career in 2007 by starring in Army Wives.
He also featured in NCIS, Criminal Minds, Station 19, The OA, and West World.
In 2016, he landed a movie role in USS Indianapolis: Men Of Courage, starring Nicolas Cage.
Wactor is set to feature in a new movie by Luca Perito called American Sognare, which is currently in post-production, according to IMDb.
As Wactor and his co-worker walked toward his car, he saw three men tampering with the vehicle.
The men had his car up on a jack as they were allegedly attempting to steal his catalytic convertor.
When the actor tried to confront the masked men, he was shot by one of them. The group then bolted from the scene.
The star was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
His co-worker shared his painful last moments as she watched him die in her arms.
SUSPECTS ARRESTED
The defendants were arrested on August 15 after police obtained search warrants that morning.
The LAPD found fingerprints at the scene, which they are using in their case.
“Early this morning, the Los Angeles Police Department’s Central Bureau Homicide conducted search warrants relating to the John Wactor case at several locations throughout Los Angeles,” read a statement from the LAPD at the time.
“These warrants resulted in four people being arrested and evidence recovered.”
TMZ previously reported that the defendants were members of the Florencia 13 gang.
