Teen linked to shooting death of General Hospital actor Johnny Wactor pleads guilty to attempted robbery
A teenager linked to the shooting death of Johnny Wactor has pleaded guilty to charges of attempted robbery and grand larceny.
Leonel Gutierrez, 18, one of four suspects charged in connection with the General Hospital star’s death, pleaded guilty to the charges Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
But he is not believed to have been the one who shot and killed 37-year-old Wactor.
The teen was released on $120,000 bail and is expected to be sentenced on Nov. 1. He could receive a maximum sentence of four years and eight months in prison.
According to the Public Prosecution Service, the court will hear witness statements from victims before the judge’s verdict.
An 18-year-old man charged in connection with the shooting death of Johnny Wactor (pictured) has pleaded guilty to charges of attempted robbery and grand larceny
Los Angeles police previously released two images of the suspects and their getaway car (pictured above) while appealing for the public to help identify them.
Gutierrez was arrested last month along with two other people on suspicion of murder in Wactor’s May 25 shooting. An extensive investigation by Los Angeles police found DNA and fingerprints on a car jack that linked them to the shooting.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon has charged Robert Barceleau and Sergio Estrada, both 18, with Wactor’s murder.
Authorities said Barceleau shot the actor after Wactor confronted him and his two companions as they jacked up his car to steal its catalytic converter.
Frank Olana was also arrested on suspicion of complicity in murder.
Guttierez was only charged with attempted robbery and grand larceny, with the director accused of having a firearm.
The LAPD previously released two images of the suspects and their getaway car, appealing to the public to help identify them.
“Suspect one has a tattoo above his left eye and on his right cheek,” officers wrote in a community alert in early August, noting that the same suspect pulled the trigger on the shot that killed Wactor.
‘Suspects one through three fled in a suspect vehicle, identified as a stolen black 2018 Infiniti Q50 four-door with a tan interior.’
On Saturday, May 25, at approximately 3:25 a.m., Wactor left his after-hours job at a cathedral-style nightclub called Sinners y Santos in a notoriously criminal section of Downtown LA with co-worker Anita Joy.
They were walking to their cars when they saw three masked men standing near Wactor’s vehicle, which was on a jack.
As they approached the men, the suspects opened fire, with one bullet hitting Wactor in the chest.
The actor was taken to hospital by paramedics, where he was pronounced dead.
According to police, the three men fled in another vehicle.
Wactor died a hero, his family members previously told DailyMail.com that he had positioned himself to shield Joy from the gunfire.
Anita Joy was with Johnny Wactor when he was murdered. He reportedly stood in front of Joy to shield her from a gunshot.
Pictured: Wactor on the set of General Hospital
“They were wearing a mask and pulled out a gun,” Wactor’s friend Colin Flynn told ABC News.
“And as far as I know, Johnny was literally standing between himself and his colleague. And the shooter just pulled the trigger and ran.”
Joy shared his courageous final moments on social media, describing how her girlfriend of eight years “fought to stay alive” before dying in her arms.
“Everything happened in the blink of an eye,” she wrote of the attack.
‘I describe it as a glass of water tipping over and you try to pick it up as quickly as possible so it doesn’t spill all the way over the edge, but it slips through your fingertips and is gone.
“We approached the men cautiously, wondering what they were doing, and at first thought the car was being towed. We were no threat and Johnny remained calm as he always did, and simply said it was his car and that they had to leave. Open hands for him in peace.”
Joy said she asked him after the shooting if he was okay.
He could only answer, “No! Shot!”
“It was too close, too extreme injury to survive. But my God, he fought to stay,” she wrote.
Joy said a bouncer from the bar where they worked ran over to help them, but it was too late.
She said she takes comfort in the fact that she was with him and that Wactor did not die alone, but added that she is still “heartbroken and very angry.”
“The only other peace I can find is seeing these terrible men brought to justice.”
The actor played Brando Corbin on the ABC soap opera ‘General Hospital’ from 2020 to 2022.
He also appeared in several films and TV series, including ‘Station 19’, ‘NCIS’, ‘Westworld’ and the video game ‘Call of Duty: Vanguard’.