A man who prosecutors say was with two other gang members at the time of the shooting of actor Johnny Wactor has pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and grand larceny.
Leonel Gutierrez, 18, was arrested last month along with two others on suspicion of murder in the May 25 shooting death of Wactor after a lengthy Los Angeles police investigation revealed DNA and fingerprints on a car jack linking them to the shooting.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón has charged Robert Barceleau and Sergio Estrada, both 18, with murder in Wactor’s death. Authorities say Barceleau shot the “General Hospital” actor after Wactor confronted him, Estrada and Gutierrez as they were jacking his car to steal its catalytic converter. Gutierrez, also known as “Tripps,” was charged only with attempted robbery and grand larceny with allegations that the principal was armed with a firearm.
Gutierrez entered an open guilty plea in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Thursday, meaning his admission was made without any prior agreement with prosecutors over his possible sentence. When he is sentenced by Judge Kerry L. White on Nov. 1, he could face up to four years and eight months in prison.
It remains to be determined whether Gutierrez will face additional charges. Los Angeles Police Department interim Chief Dominic Choi said searches of the suspects' homes uncovered evidence linking them to robberies in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and the Inland Empire.
Wactor's killing sparked calls for justice from his friends and family and shed light on crime in downtown Los Angeles.
Wactor, who also worked as a bartender, had just finished his shift at the Level 8 bar when he and a colleague encountered the three men and thought they were about to tow the actor’s vehicle. But when they realized they had interrupted a robbery in progress, Wactor tried to defuse the situation, asking the men to leave and showing his open hands to indicate he was not a threat, according to the colleague, Anita Joy. Instead, he was shot at point-blank range, Joy said. A security guard at the bar said he found Joy and a mortally wounded Wactor and called 911.
Johnny Wactor was shot and killed after interrupting men trying to steal the catalytic converter from his car on May 25, authorities said.
(Willy Sanjuan/Invision/Associated Press)
Police launched an extensive search for the suspects, eventually focusing on members of a gang linked to catalytic converter thefts in the region. Witnesses said one of the men had a distinctive tattoo of the letter “F” on his face, which police linked to the Florencia 13 gang.
Barceleau, Estrada and Gutierrez were arrested after police said their fingerprints matched those taken from a used jack left by the would-be burglars. All three were arrested on suspicion of murder, while a fourth man, Frank Olano, 22, was arrested on suspicion of being an accessory to murder.
According to two law enforcement sources who spoke to The Times on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case publicly, Barceleau and Estrada made incriminating statements about their roles in the killing in jail after their arrests.
Barceleau, also known as “Smallz,” was charged with murder with special circumstances during an attempted robbery with personal use of a firearm, attempted robbery, grand larceny and circumstances aggravated by the use of a firearm. If convicted, he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. Estrada, also known as “Prieto,” was charged with murder with use of a firearm, attempted robbery and grand larceny with a firearm.
Olano was charged with one count of accessory to murder, one count of receiving stolen property and three counts of being a felon with a firearm.
Barceleau is being held without bail and Estrada is being held on $2.07 million bail. Olano's bail was set at $1.08 million.
The Los Angeles Police Department is continuing to investigate the men's possible ties to robberies in Los Angeles, the unincorporated Lennox area, Beverly Hills, Rialto and Ontario, Choi said. The chief said more than 50 search warrants were carried out in the Wactor case, culminating in the arrests of the four men with known associations to the notorious South Los Angeles street gang.
