Scarlett Wactor is searching for justice for her son Johnny Wactor after the “General Hospital” actor was murdered in a brazen 3 a.m. shooting on the streets of Los Angeles in May.
“True Crime News” host Ana Garcia sat down with Scarlett for “Extra,” ahead of the new syndicated crime show’s premiere on September 9.
Ana asked, “When was the last time you spoke to your son?”
She shared, “Maybe a couple weeks before he was shot. He just called to chat… Always said I love at you at the end of the conversation, so I did at least get to tell him that. I think he knew it. We always said it. And we're a very close family… The last time I saw him was in January for my surprise 60th birthday party. He flew in. That was nice. That was one of my last hugs. I will miss that.”
She’s taking her heartbreak and grief and turning it into action. Still reeling from the shooting, Scarlett was emotional telling Ana, “If they were to catch them, it would just be so much easier to have closure.”
Johnny's mom is on a mission, coming from South Carolina to L.A. making a desperate plea to find out who killed her beloved son.
She said of the authorities, “They do say, ‘We're going to get them.’ And I have no choice but to believe them.”
Ana commented, “It must be very difficult for you to be in the same city where your son was murdered.”
Scarlett agreed, “It is. I wanted to go see where he took his last breath, because he only lived about three minutes after he was shot.”
Johnny was just 37 when he was killed after he and a co-worker finished their bartending shift downtown.
She explained, “He and Anita Joy were walking to their cars. They were laughing and talking.”
Scarlett continued, “He noticed them and thought he was being towed. And so they were down at the wheel and he thought that's what they were doing. And he asked them... ‘Are you towing my car?’ And when the guy looked up and had a mask on, he immediately stepped back in front of Anita and put his hands down and out and the guy shot him point-blank in the heart.”
Ana asked, “He didn't get a chance to say anything?”
Scarlett said, “Nope. Anita, she heard the pop and he fell back against her with all his force and she's like, ‘Are you okay?’ He said, ‘Nope, shot.’ And those were his last words. He died there in her arms.”
Ana noted, “It's been described as if your son tried to stop the thieves from taking his catalytic converter.”
Scarlett clarified, “He did not. He did not do that.”
The LAPD just released surveillance images of three suspects believed to be tied to Johnny's murder.
Garcia asked, “Did the police tell you they were going to release this information ahead of time?”
Scarlett said, “Hmph, no. It was the media that first alerted me and wanted to know what comments I had. I wish they had given me just two minutes heads-up, ‘Hey, we're releasing this.’ I do believe they are working, but they're not going to tell me anything. If anything is leaked, then it blows whatever lead they have. And that's what they constantly reiterate, constantly tell me.”
As for her and others trying to keep the story in the media and visible to everyone, Scarlett said, “This community needs safety. They should be guaranteed safety.”
Looking to the future, she said, “I do want to change what is happening in this city and I want it to spill over into other cities like this.”
Ana asked, “What would justice look like in this case for you?”
Scarlett replied, “Life without parole. No chance of parole.”
As for how to crack the case, Scarlett shared, “I think someone's going to have to come forward or we're going to have to have some discovery. Whether it's an investigative journalist, a detective, part of the community. Somebody knows something. They just need to do the right thing. Johnny would've done the right thing.”
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