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Teenager charged with murder of 'General Hospital' actor Johnny Wactor

On Monday, prosecutors charged two teenagers with the murder of actor Johnny Wactor. Wactor was shot dead in Los Angeles in May as he escorted a colleague to her car.

Robert Barceleau and Sergio Estrada, both 18, were charged in a Los Angeles court, District Attorney George Gascon said.

They were also charged with aggravated theft and attempted robbery.

Mr. Barceleau shot at the General Hospital The actor was attacked and killed without provocation, police said. He was charged with murder during an attempted robbery and personal use of a firearm, which could result in a life sentence without parole. Estrada faces a life sentence.

“Two of them have to go to prison for life, one lives without any prospect of [of parole]”, said Mr Gascon.

“One of them fired a gun, the other was there.”

He described Wactor’s murder as a “senseless shooting.”

Mr. Barceleau and Mr. Estrada were said to have been associated with a notorious street gang called Florencia 13 in South Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Times reported.

Johnny Wactor was shot in May
Johnny Wactor was shot in May (AP)

Wactor, 37, was shot and killed near Pico Boulevard in the early hours of May 25.

He and a colleague encountered a group of four men trying to steal his car's catalytic converter, which contains precious metals such as rhodium, platinum and palladium, police said. The actor confronted them and was killed.

Leonel Gutierrez, 18, and Frank Olano, 22, the other two men allegedly involved in the incident, were charged with lesser offenses including grand larceny and attempted robbery.

All four men had already been arrested in the past.

Los Angeles Police Department interim chief Dominic Choi said at a press conference on Monday that the investigation was an “ongoing and relentless pursuit” of a “very difficult case.”

Wactor's colleague Anita Joy said the actor saw his car being towed and told the men to drive away.

He was shot despite his open hands indicating he was not a threat, Ms Joy said.

When Mrs. Joy asked him if he was OK, Wactor replied, “No, no, I was shot.”

A group of family and friends calling themselves Justice for Johnny held a rally last week calling for a more urgent investigation and held another rally Monday morning calling for more aggressive prosecution.

“I ask anyone who knows anything to come forward,” his mother Scarlett Wactor said at a press conference.

“It will help me and his brothers to heal knowing that they were captured and condemned.”

Mr Barceleau is being held without bail, while Mr Estrada's bail has been set at just over $1 million (£769,865).

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