Teenagers charged with murder of General Hospital actor Johnny Wactor

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Prosecutors on Monday charged two teenagers with the murder of actor Johnny Wactor, who was shot dead as he walked a co-worker to her car in Los Angeles in May.

Robert Barceleau and Sergio Estrada, both 18, were charged in a Los Angeles court, district attorney George Gascon said.

They were also charged with grand theft and attempted robbery.

Mr Barceleau fired at the General Hospital actor without provocation and killed him, police said. His charges included murder during an attempted robbery and personal use of a firearm that could lead to a life sentence without parole. Estrada faces life in prison.

“There are two that are facing life in prison, one life without the possibility [of parole],” Mr Gascon said.

“One of them fired a weapon, the other one was there.”

He described Wactor's murder as a "senseless shooting".

Mr Barceleau and Mr Estrada were said to be associated with a notorious South Los Angeles street gang called Florencia 13, The Los Angeles Times reported.

Wactor, 37, was shot dead in the early hours of 25 May near Pico Boulevard.

He and a coworker came upon a group of four men attempting to steal his car’s catalytic converter, which contains precious metals like rhodium, platinum and palladium, police said. The actor confronted them and was killed.

Leonel Gutierrez, 18, and Frank Olano, 22, the two other men allegedly involved in the incident, were charged with lesser crimes, including grand theft and attempted robbery.

All four men had faced arrests in the past.

Los Angeles police interim chief Dominic Choi said at a news conference on Monday that the investigation was an "ongoing and relentless pursuit" in a "very difficult case".

Wactor's coworker, Anita Joy, said the actor saw his car being towed and asked the men to leave.

He was shot despite showing open hands to indicate he wasn't a threat, Ms Joy said.

When Ms Joy asked him if he was fine, Wactor responded: "Nope, no, I've been shot."

A group of family and friends calling itself ”Justice for Johnny" held a rally last week calling for more urgency in the investigation and another on Monday morning calling for aggressive prosecution.

“I’m asking that anybody that knows anything please come forward,” his mother, Scarlett Wactor, said at a news conference.

“It will help me and his brothers in our healing to know that they have been captured and convicted.”

Mr Barceleau will be held without bail while Mr Estrada's bail was set at just over $1m (£769,865).