One man charged in connection with the murder of General Hospital star Johnny Wactor has entered a guilty plea, according to ABC-Los Angeles.
Plea entered in General Hospital star murder case
Leonel Gutierrez, who was charged with attempted robbery and grand theft, has pled guilty and is currently out on bond. His sentencing is scheduled for November 1, 2024, when victim impact statements will be read.
Wactor was killed in the wee hours of the morning on May 25 when he was leaving a downtown Los Angeles nightspot where he had been bartending. As Wactor and his co-worker Anita Joy approached Wactor's car, they noticed several young men trying to steal his catalytic converter.
One of the men shot Wactor, and he fell onto Joy, who described the moment in an Instagram post.
"We toppled onto the street where I pushed my legs under him and tried to hold his body up while screaming for help and screaming for him to stay with me," Joy wrote. "My only peace is that I was with him and this didn't happen to him alone — my only other peace will be seeing these two men brought to justice."
Other arrests made
In August, Gutierrez was one of four men charged in connection with the murder. 18-year-olds Robert Barceleau and Sergio Estrada were charged with murder. 23-year-old Frank Olano was charged with accessory to murder after the fact, receiving stolen property, and three counts of possessing a firearm as a felon.
After the arrests were made, Wactor's mother, Scarlett Wactor, spoke out.
"I feel that they would not have made the arrest had they not felt like they had good evidence, strong evidence," she told NBC4 Los Angeles.
Wactor was a part of the General Hospital cast from 2020 to 2022. During that time, Wactor made his mark as Sonny Corinthos' cousin, Brando Corbin, thanks to his pairing with Sofia Mattsson's Sasha.
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