The actor, who also appeared on ABC's anthology series 'American Crime', allegedly conspired with another man, Armando Miguel Navarro, to try to kill a man named Brian Duke.
- Jul 21, 2020
AceShowbiz - Johnny Ortiz's real life is as murky as the movie he starred in. The actor, who landed a role in 2019's "El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie", has been arrested for attempted murder. He reportedly has been charged with premeditated attempted murder in gang-related crime.
According to legal documents obtained by TMZ, the 49-year-old actor and another man, Armando Miguel Navarro, tried to kill a man named Brian Duke "for 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."
Armando is the one accused of pulling the trigger while it's still unclear what role Johnny had in the premeditated hit, but prosecutors felt it warranted the attempted murder charge. The actor's family insists he's not guilty and is crowdfunding to raise money for his jail. He has been in jail since his arrest in late May, with his bail being set at $120,000.
They wrote on the crowdfunding site, "Johnny is everything to our family. Johnny does everything to help the community and the Hispanic community especially ... he is in jail fighting for his case that he is innocent on."
Johnny has pled not guilty and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Monday, July 20. It's currently unknown who represents him in the case.
Johnny, whose parents hail from Mexico and Guatemala, began studying acting with his mentor and teacher, Edward Padilla, at Casa 0101 Theater when he was 11. He is known for his role in Kevin Costner's 2014 movie "McFarland, USA" and in the AFI Award-winning film "Nani", in which he took on a lead role. He also had a role on ABC's anthology series "American Crime" and appeared in 2001's film "Ali" as a Madison Square Garden reporter. According to his bio on ABC's website, Johnny continued his education by working on a college degree in the Los Angeles area while filming "American Crime".
