LOS ANGELES (AP) — Amid the hustle and bustle of a Los Angeles courtroom, two eighteen-year-olds, Robert Barceleau and Sergio Estrada, stood resolute as they pleaded not guilty to the heinous charges of murder, grand theft, and attempted robbery in the tragic killing of former "General Hospital" star, Johnny Wactor. The courtroom echoed with their solemn declarations, conveyed through their attorneys, as the weight of the accusations hung heavy in the air.
Frank Olano, a 22-year-old, who faced charges of being an accessory to the crime after the fact, likewise proclaimed his innocence, echoing the sentiment of his younger co-defendants. Meanwhile, a fourth suspect, Leonel Gutierrez, accused solely of grand theft and attempted robbery but not directly linked to Wactor's murder, awaits his turn to enter a plea next month.
Efforts to elicit comment from the men's legal representatives, via emails sent to the LA County Public Defender's Office, met with silence, leaving the public to speculate amidst the unfolding drama.
The tragic tale of Wactor's demise unfolded on May 25, when the 37-year-old actor, fresh from a nightcap with a colleague atop a downtown LA rooftop bar, stumbled upon a nefarious trio attempting to steal the catalytic converter from his vehicle. In a sudden and senseless act of violence, one of the perpetrators, without provocation, pulled the trigger, ending Wactor's life in an instant.
Months of meticulous police work, punctuated by public appeals for information, culminated in the arrests of the four suspects on August 15, with formal charges laid against them on August 19. Barceleau's charges carry particularly grim implications, including the special circumstance of murder during an attempted robbery and personal use of a firearm, which, upon conviction, could seal his fate with a life sentence without the glimmer of parole. Estrada, too, faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, underscoring the severity of their alleged crimes.
