The El Camino: Breaking Bad actor, Johnny Ortiz might be behind the bars for the rest of his life. He is currently facing attempted murder charges that could leave him locked up forever. Ortiz was arrested back in May 2020 for the same charges. At the time the judge set his bail at $1,120,000.
On 20 July 2020, Ortiz along with his 18-year-old co-defendant appeared in court in downtown Los Angeles on the felony charges. The duo are in the custody held by the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department. The court scheduled the preliminary hearing on 22 September 2020 at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center. Despite the ongoing testimonials, Johnny Ortiz has pleaded not guilty of the crime.
The reports suggest that if the 24-year-old actor is found guilty to the attempted willful, deliberate, and premeditated attempted murder” charges, he will have to serve 25 years to life in state prison under the California Penal Code. The complaint filed by the prosecutors cites that the actor will also face a decade more sentence in addition.
The legal docs describe the crime as attempted murder. It states that the McFarland, USA alum along with a man named Armando Miguel Navarro, tried to kill a man named Brian Duke. It was said that the duo tried murdering 'the benefit of, at the direction of, and in association with a criminal street gang with the specific intent to promote, further and assist in criminal conduct by gang members.'
It's still unclear what role Ortiz played at the crime where Navarro pulled the gun's trigger.
Who Is Johnny Ortiz?
Johnny Ortiz, age 24, is an American actor with a role in a well-known movie El Camino: Breaking Bad. He is also recognized for his portrayal of Jose Cardenas in the 2015 sports drama McFarland, USA, and on the 2015 TV series American Crime.
Johnny Ortiz in McFarland, USA (©: cinemovie.tv)
Besides, he appeared in several movies and tv series including Ali (2001), Southland (2011), The Visitors (2014), Children of the Dead (2014), American Crime (2015), Notorious (2016), Peppermint (2018), School of Puppets (2019), and many more.