Police say there is evidence that the men connected with the shooting death of Johnny Wactor may also be connected to other crimes. Eric Leonard reports for the NBC4 News I-Team at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024.
Detectives said they found items stolen from pharmacies and clothing stores around Southern California while arresting the men now facing charges in connection with the murder of soap opera actor Johnny Wactor.
"Our personnel have been able to link the evidence seized to multiple recent commercial burglaries that occurred in the city," LAPD Chief Dominic Choi said Tuesday.
"These same suspects have also been identified as engaging crimes in the City of Lennox, Beverly Hills, Rialto and Ontario," Choi said, but declined to provide additional detail citing the ongoing investigation of Wactor's murder.
The LA County District Attorney's Office charged two men Monday with Wactor's murder, Robert Barceleau and Sergio Estrada, both 18, and two other men with crimes related to the killing.
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Actor murdered in Downtown LA
All four appeared in court Monday and entered not guilty pleas.
Other law enforcement sources told the I-Team detectives identified the four men charged more than a month ago, and had been working in recent weeks to find additional evidence establishing their alleged roles in the crime.
Choi said that now includes fingerprint and DNA evidence.
“They reviewed hundreds of hours of video and authored over 50 search warrants, which significantly contributed to identifying the four suspects involved in this senseless murder," he said.
Wactor was shot to death May 25 as he returned to his car parked in Downtown LA and confronted thieves who were trying to steal his catalytic converter, police said.
