Gilgo Beach trial: DA says his office lacks funds to meet judge’s ‘ambitious’ deadlines

(LOS ANGELES) — One of the four suspects charged in connection to the shooting death of “General Hospital” actor Johnny Wactor has pleaded guilty, a spokesperson for Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón’s office told ABC News.

Leonel Gutierrez, 18, pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges of attempted robbery and grand theft. He was not alleged to have been the one who actually shot Wactor.

He was released on $120,000 bond, and is expected to be sentenced Nov. 1.

Ahead of sentencing, the court will hear victim impact statements, the district attorney’s office said.

Gutierrez could face up to four years and eight months in prison.

Wactor, 37, was fatally shot “without provocation” in the early morning hours of May 25, after he ended his shift at a bar and was walking to his car, according to police. Police said the suspects had his car “raised up with a floor jack and were in the process of stealing the catalytic converter.”

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.

“They had a mask on and they pulled out a gun,” Wactor’s friend, Colin Flynn, previously told ABC News. “And from what I understand, Johnny literally stood in between himself and his colleague. And the shooter just pulled the trigger and ran away.”

Gutierrez, along with three other suspects, were charged in August in connection to Wactor’s death. Two of the suspects were charged with murder and could face life in prison if convicted.

At a news conference where the charges were announced, Gascón said he was “committed to seeking justice for Mr. Wactor and ensuring that those responsible are held accountable for their actions.”

“The loss of this talented young actor, who was in the prime of his life and had so much to offer the world, is deeply felt by all of us,” Gascón said. “Mr. Wactor’s work and presence touched the lives of many, and our hearts go out to his family, friends and the entire community who mourn this devastating loss.”

All four suspects have “very lengthy criminal records” and were allegedly affiliated with a gang, Los Angeles Police Department Lt. Ryan Rabbett said at the press conference.

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(OAKLAND, Calif.) — Two suspects have been arrested in connection with a Michigan home invasion in which the perpetrators are believed to have gained entry by posing as utility workers.

Carlos Jose Hernandez, 37, was arrested on Saturday, according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office. He has been charged with murder, and law enforcement officials are seeking his extradition from Louisiana.

On Monday, the sheriff’s office said it had arrested the second suspect, but did not immediately release his identity. He was arrested without incident following a traffic stop in Plymouth Township, Michigan, according to the sheriff’s office.

A 72-year-old man was found dead Friday in the basement of his Rochester Hills home, according to the sheriff’s office. His wife, who called 911, had been tied up with her hands duct-taped.

It is not yet clear how the man, identified as Hussein Murray, was killed. 

“Because of the gruesome nature of the injuries, it was not immediately clear if he had been shot or bludgeoned to death,” the sheriff’s department said in a press release.

The woman told law enforcement officials that the night before the attack, the two suspects had also shown up to the home claiming to be responding to a gas leak, but they were not allowed inside.

When they showed up again on Friday, they were let into the home, and her husband went with them into the basement, “ostensibly to look for the leak,” according to the sheriff’s department.

When they came back upstairs without her husband, they tied her up and taped her hands, the woman said. She did not see him come out afterward and “assumed he had been kidnapped.”

In home security camera footage released by the sheriff’s department, the since-arrested suspect can be seen wearing a utility worker’s uniform and a mask while holding a clipboard. 

“We’re DTE. We’re checking for gas leaks,” the man can be heard saying in the video, naming the Michigan-based energy company.

In a statement after the incident, DTE urged customers to “be alert for DTE Energy impersonators.”

“If anyone arrives at your home or business claiming they are from DTE, please ask to see a badge with a photo ID. If the person refuses to show their badge, do not allow them entry into your home. If the person becomes agitated or acts in a strange manner, call 911 immediately,” the company said.

Sheriff Michael J. Bouchard described Murray as “a loving guy, owned a business, cared about his neighborhood and his community” in an interview with Detroit ABC affiliate WXYZ.

“[He] shouldn’t have been a target of this — no one should ever be a target of this,” Bouchard said.

Murray owned a jewelry and pawn shop, according to WXYZ.

Bouchard said they believe Murray’s killing was “very targeted.”

“It wasn’t random,” Bouchard said. “They’re not just knocking on doors and doing this.”

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(DELPHI, Ind.) — Delphi, Indiana, resident Richard Allen was found guilty on all charges on Monday in the double murders of best friends Abby Williams, 13, and Libby German, 14.

The jury’s verdict came on the fourth day of deliberations in the high-profile case that shocked the nation.

Allen was stoic in court and did not react to the verdict, but his mother and wife sobbed.

Allen was convicted of felony murder for the killing of Abigail Williams while attempting to commit kidnapping; felony murder for the killing of Liberty German while attempting to commit kidnapping; murder for knowingly killing Abigail Williams; and murder for knowingly killing Liberty German.

Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 20.

Abby and Libby were killed on a local hiking trail on Feb. 13, 2017. The girls’ throats were slit and they were dumped in a wooded area near the trail. Their bodies were found the next day.

As police hunted for a culprit, they released a clip of the unknown suspect’s voice — a recording of him saying “down the hill” — which was recovered from Libby’s phone. Police also released a grainy image of the suspect on the trail: a man who became known as “bridge guy.”

Allen, who was arrested for murder in 2022, admitted to police he was on the trail that day, but he denied any involvement in the crime.

Allen’s multiple confessions while in jail and his mental health at the time became a major focus of the trial.

The defense argues Allen was in a psychotic state when he made numerous confessions to corrections officers, his wife and a psychologist.

The prosecution’s key evidence is police analysis of Allen’s gun, which determined that a .40-caliber unspent round discovered by the girls’ bodies was cycled through Allen’s Sig Sauer Model P226. But the defense rejects the accuracy of that testing, calling it an “apples to oranges” comparison, because the technician compared the initial round — which had been cycled, not fired — to a bullet fired from Allen’s gun.

No DNA was found at the site to tie Allen or anyone else to the crime scene, a forensic scientist testified.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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