A judge refused Wednesday to dismiss charges against two men who are accused of murder and attempted robbery in connection with the killing of former “General Hospital” actor Johnny Wactor, who was shot as he came upon a group of people trying to steal the catalytic converter from his parked car in downtown Los Angeles.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Coen — who reviewed transcripts from a hearing in January before another judge in which the two men were ordered to stand trial — said he found “sufficient evidence” to allow the case against Robert Isaiah Barceleau and Sergio Estrada, now both 19, to move forward.
Barceleau and Estrada are charged with one count each of murder and attempted second-degree robbery stemming from the May 25, 2024, attack on the 37-year-old actor, and one count of grand theft involving the alleged removal of catalytic converter from another vehicle within two miles and less than a half-hour before Wactor’s killing.
Barceleau is also facing a special circumstance allegation of murder during the commission of a robbery, along with allegations that he personally and intentionally discharged a firearm causing great bodily injury and death to Wactor.
Barceleau and Estrada are also facing allegations that the crime was committed for the benefit of a criminal street gang, while Estrada is facing an allegation that someone involved in the crime personally and intentionally discharged a firearm causing great bodily injury and death.
Both men have pleaded not guilty and are due back in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom June 25 for a status conference.
During the hearing before Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo in January, Los Angeles Police Department Detective Justin Howarth testified that Barceleau said during a conversation with an undercover jailhouse operative shortly after being arrested last Aug. 15 that he had “shot Wactor once.”
Barceleau told the undercover operative he had fired because Wactor was “going after the homie,” referring to an alleged accomplice, the detective said.
In a separate jailhouse sting, Estrada told an undercover jailhouse operative that he yelled “No” when he saw Barceleau pull out a gun, Howarth testified.
Estrada described Barceleau as being “hot-headed” and said he didn’t want to go with him that night, according to the detective. Estrada also told the undercover operative that Wactor had “rushed” him and that he wasn’t concerned about a female witness being able to identify him because they were wearing masks, the detective testified.
Both men were photographed — with Barceleau holding a semi-automatic weapon and Estrada holding a stack of cash — about five hours after the killing, Howarth said.
Two men charged with lesser crimes in connection with Wactor’s killing were sentenced in January to state prison.
Frank Olano, now 23, was sentenced to the maximum term of five years and eight months behind bars as a result of his no contest plea last October to one count each of being an accessory after the fact and receiving stolen property, and three counts of possession of a firearm by a felon.
Leonel Gutierrez, 19, was sentenced to four years in prison — eight months less than the maximum term — for his guilty plea last September to one count each of attempted robbery and grand theft.
According to testimony from Howarth, Olano said during a separate jailhouse investigation last August that he had obtained six catalytic converters from the suspects on the day Wactor was killed.
A forensic print specialist from the LAPD testified that fingerprints found on a floor jack that had been used in the effort to steal Wactor’s catalytic converter and left at the scene were matched to Barceleau, Estrada and Gutierrez.
Under cross-examination by Estrada’s attorney, another forensic print specialist said that it couldn’t be determined when the fingerprints were left on the jack. She acknowledged that they could be on an item for a year.
Another LAPD homicide detective, Keith Gonzales, testified that investigators found the floor jack next to the driver’s side door of Wactor’s black 2013 Toyota Prius near Hope Street and Pico Boulevard in downtown Los Angeles.
Wactor was shot shortly before 3:30 a.m. last May 25 while walking with a co-worker toward his parked car after finishing his bartending shift at the Level 8 bar/restaurant.
One of Wactor’s co-workers told police that they spotted his vehicle and believed it was being towed, but that she then saw someone crouched down next to the jack and unsuccessfully tried to surreptitiously take a photo of the vehicle double-parked next to Wactor’s Prius, Gonzales testified.
She said Wactor took two to three steps toward the suspects and told them it was his car and asked what they were doing, according to the detective.
“She said she heard a loud snap,” Gonzales testified, noting that the woman said Wactor fell back toward her and told her, “I’ve been shot.”
Wactor was taken to California Hospital and pronounced dead at 3:39 a.m. that day from a gunshot wound to the chest.
The actor had appeared in nearly 200 episodes of “General Hospital” from 2020-22. His other credits included “Westworld,” “The OA,” “NCIS,” “Station 19,” “Criminal Minds” and “Hollywood Girl.”
Barceleau, Estrada, Gutierrez and Olano were arrested last August in a series of raids carried out by Los Angeles police.