Johnny Wactor's Mom and Co-Worker Speak Out After 4 Arrested For Murder

ABC

On Thursday, search warrants were issued pertaining to the murder of General Hospital alum, Johnny Wactor, who was shot to death when he happened upon some men stealing his catalytic converter. NBC4 in Los Angeles revealed the names of the four who were arrested in connection with the crime:

Robert Barceleau of Huntington Park, age 18
Leonel Gutierrez of Los Angeles County, age 18
Sergio Estrada of Los Angeles County, age 18
Frank Olano, of South Los Angeles, age 22

His mother, Scarlett Wactor, spoke out about the arrests after to NBC4 saying, “I feel that they would not have made the arrest, had they not felt like they had good evidence, strong evidence,” she said.

Johnny Wactor had worked late the night of May 25 and was walking back to his car with his co-worker on that shift, Anita Joy, at around 3 a.m., when they came upon three men at his car. He thought he may have parked in a bad spot and was getting towed but he quickly realized that wasn't what was happening. He tried to keep things calm and stepped in front of Joy to protect her, but he was shot and died soon after.

Joy wrote a tribute to her friend and hero a few days later on her Instagram account, wanting people to understand what she knew about her dear friend. "Johnny had this incredible ability that was truly just his genuine nature – to make anyone and everyone feel so special in his eyes. No matter how well you knew him, he treated everyone like he truly cared about you. He lit up any room – you couldn’t not smile around him. His energy was magnetic and pulled you in so effortlessly – you were safe with him."

She also pushed for justice for Wactor. After hearing the news of the arrests, Joy took to Instagram again . "I’m so overwhelmed and [relieved] that the suspects have been arrested and are of age to be convicted," she wrote. "The relentlessness and persevering strength that his family and friends have shown is nothing short of incredible and exactly the reason we are getting this news today! I woke up this morning to a flood of texts and articles about the warrants, arrests and ACTION taken by LAPD. As we figured, Johnny’s murderers are involved in a very brutal gang and I’m sure this is why it was so tactical for police to proceed with caution and collect any and all evidence and information before closing in. They took down a major part of this gang today and that brought us some serious relief."

Joy pointed out that it's not over though. "There’s a long road ahead, still much more to come before we can truly rest and begin to heal, but today was big. It doesn’t end here though - our mission has been to CHANGE the system, change the acceptance of crime in LA. We want no more Johnnys to happen, no more families, friends and communities suffering over senseless killing and crime that goes unpunished. We love you Johnny, your mom is a freaking FORCE and we are not done yet!! I know you would be so proud of everything we have done in your name and we lead with love and justice as we ask ourselves, What Would Johnny Do ❤️."