2024-08-17 22:55:02
LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Family and friends of Johnny Wactor say even though arrests have been made in connection with the murder of the former “General Hospital” actor, that doesn’t mean there’s closure.
“No, not yet,” said Micah Parker, a close of Wactor and one of the leaders of the #JusticeForJohnny movement. “We’ll keep fighting.”
The arrests of four suspects were announced Thursday.
Three suspects, all 18, were booked on an arrest warrant for murder, police said: Robert Barceleau, of Huntington Park; Leonel Gutierrez, of Los Angeles County; and Sergio Estrada, of Los Angeles County.
A fourth suspect — Frank Olano, 22, of Inglewood — was booked on an arrest warrant for accessory, the LAPD said. The four were arrested after officers executed search warrants at several locations throughout L.A. earlier Thursday, police said.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said Friday that LAPD has not yet presented the DA with the case to decide on charges.
Parker said everyone who loved Wactor had been praying his killers would be caught, but there’s still a mix of emotions.
“We’ve been waiting on this day for so long that you’d think there would be a sense of relief, but when this day comes, it’s sort of a reminder that no matter what happens, Johnny is gone,” said Parker. “Nothing can bring him back.”
Wactor was shot “without provocation” around 3:25 a.m. on May 25, after he ended his shift at a bar and walked to his car, according to police.
He was confronted by three people who had his car “raised up with a floor jack and were in the process of stealing the catalytic converter,” police said in a statement.
“If they would have just left, Johnny probably wouldn’t have even called the police,” said Parker. “He would have been like, ‘Oh, that’s weird,’ and he would’ve gone on his way. But no, because of this culture and worldview of lawlessness and death and violence, in an instant, that’s the instinct.”
Just before he was shot, Wactor had been with a female co-worker, and he immediately stepped in front of her to try to protect her, according to his family and friends.
“We’re thankful for LAPD for working so hard to capture them, but I hold the criminals responsible, but I’m also going to lay the blame at these soft-on-crime policies,” said Parker.
Wactor played a recurring character in “General Hospital” from 2020 to 2022. He also appeared in other TV series, including “Criminal Minds,” “Siberia” and “Westworld.” He was called “one of a kind” in a statement on the official Instagram account for “General Hospital.”
ABC News contributed to this report.
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