Woody Harrelson's dad was hitman who murdered judge and When the murder trial got underway in San Antonio, in exchange for a guilty plea to commit conspiracy to murder and a sentence of 10 years, Joseph Chagra testified against Harrelson, who he claimed was the hit man. Another juror collapsed in her chair after the verdict was read and had to be helped from the courtroom. Further, most of the evidence and testimony against Charles Harrelson had been gathered from prisoners who were offered reduced sentences in exchange for implicating Harrelson. Charles Harrelson & Jo Ann Harrelson Divorced, Joint Family Tree A portrait of Federal Judge John H. Wood, Jr. hangs at the Federal Courthouse. Crimes Charged: First-degree murder an, Murder According to the F.B.I. They werent taking no for an answer, defense lawyer Brown said. killed Judge Wood in exchange for a promised $250,000 payment by Jamiel Chagra. As each juror affirmed the vote of guilty on counts of conspiracy to murder, murder and conspiracy to obstruct justice, several had tears in their eyes and one woman shook visibly and broke into sobs. Charles Harrelson was a master at creating alibis, screens and layers between him and his crimes, according to retired federal prosecutor Ray Jahn, who with his wife, LeRoy Jahn, prosecuted Harrelson and his co-defendants. Mr. Chagra was a pivotal figure in a dramatic 1979 murder case, and his testimony helped convict Charles Voyde Harrelson, the father of the actor Woody Harrelson, of killing Judge John H. Wood Jr., an enemy of drug traffickers. He believed in the law. This synergistic environment allows all the nonprofits to operate more efficiently and better utilize their funding. Should you have information that conflicts with anything shown please make us aware by email. Florence ADMAX USP, Fremont County, Colorado, Colorado, U.S.A. View Charles Harrelson's Family Tree and History, Ancestry and Genealogy, Charles Harrelson's father was Voyde Harrelson Charles Harrelson's mother was Alma Glover Charles Harrelson's step-mother was Daisy Harrelson, Charles Harrelson's son is Woody Harrelson Charles Harrelson's son is Jordan Harrelson Charles Harrelson's son is Brett Harrelson, Charles Harrelson's wife was Jo Ann Harrelson, Charles Harrelson's former wife is Diane Harrelson, Charles Harrelson's brother was Leonard Humphrey Harrelson Charles Harrelson's brother was Claude Elegan Harrelson Charles Harrelson's sister was Sybil Nunley Charles Harrelson's brother was Edward Leon Harrelson, Charles Harrelson's grandfather was Joel Sparks Charles Harrelson's grandmother was Lemma Sparks Charles Harrelson's grandfather was Noah Harrelson Charles Harrelson's grandmother was Beckie Harrelson, Charles Harrelson's great grandfather was Jake Kimbro Charles Harrelson's great grandmother was Nannie Kimbro Charles Harrelson's great grandfather was Leander Sparks Charles Harrelson's great grandmother was Rebecca Sparks Charles Harrelson's great grandfather was Thomas Leonard Charles Harrelson's great grandmother was Sarah Ann Leonard Charles Harrelson's great grandfather was Bud Harrelson Charles Harrelson's great grandmother was Babe Harrelson Charles Harrelson's great great grandfather was Thomas Leonard Charles Harrelson's great great grandmother is Susan Leonard Charles Harrelson's great great grandfather was William Taylor Charles Harrelson's great great grandmother was Elizabeth Taylor Charles Harrelson's great great grandfather was Jesse L. Harrelson Charles Harrelson's great great grandmother was Eliza Ann Harrelson Charles Harrelson's 3x great grandfather was John Arnett Taylor Charles Harrelson's 3x great grandmother was Rebecca Taylor, Charles Harrelson's granddaughter is Deni Harrelson Charles Harrelson's granddaughter is Zoe Harrelson Charles Harrelson's granddaughter is Makani Harrelson, Charles Harrelson's aunt was Devilla Flournoy Charles Harrelson's uncle was Zan Harrelson Charles Harrelson's aunt was Ora Atkinson Charles Harrelson's uncle was William Harrelson Charles Harrelson's uncle was Noah Harrelson, Charles Harrelson's great aunt was Ella Mae Turner Charles Harrelson's great aunt was Missouri Buchanan Charles Harrelson's great uncle was Christopher Columbus Harrelson Charles Harrelson's great aunt was Emma Harrelson Charles Harrelson's great aunt was Berta Adams Charles Harrelson's great uncle was Herbert Harrelson Charles Harrelson's great aunt was Jesse Jean Maples Charles Harrelson's great aunt was Lena Williams Charles Harrelson's great aunt was Willie Price Charles Harrelson's great aunt was Minnie Ola Williamson Charles Harrelson's great uncle was Morgan Harrelson Charles Harrelson's great uncle was Jacob Leonard Charles Harrelson's great aunt was Anna Goodrum Charles Harrelson's great aunt was Martha Little Charles Harrelson's great uncle was Richard Leonard Charles Harrelson's great aunt was Georgia Little Charles Harrelson's great uncle was Thomas E. Leonard Charles Harrelson's great aunt was Sophia Jackson Charles Harrelson's great aunt was Ida Ora Toney Charles Harrelson's great uncle was Douglas Sparks Charles Harrelson's great uncle was Lee Sparks Charles Harrelson's great aunt was Mackey Hay Charles Harrelson's great uncle was Charles Sparks Charles Harrelson's great aunt was Julia Smith Charles Harrelson's great aunt was Emily Crowson Charles Harrelson's great aunt was Georgia Adler Charles Harrelson's great uncle was Martin Luther Kimbro Charles Harrelson's great uncle was Jasper Kimbro Charles Harrelson's great aunt was Gussie Gimon Charles Harrelson's great aunt was Annie Caldwell, Charles Harrelson's daughter in law is Laura Louie, Charles Harrelson's former father in law was Kenneth Oswald Charles Harrelson's former mother in law was Mary Lou Oswald Charles Harrelson's former grandfather in law was Dutch Oswald Charles Harrelson's former grandmother in law was Izora Oswald Charles Harrelson's former daughter in law is Nancy Simon, View Jo Ann Harrelson's Family Tree and History, Ancestry and Genealogy, Jo Ann Harrelson's step-son is Woody Harrelson Jo Ann Harrelson's step-son is Jordan Harrelson Jo Ann Harrelson's step-son is Brett Harrelson, Jo Ann Harrelson's husband was Charles Harrelson, Jo Ann Harrelson's father in law was Voyde Harrelson Jo Ann Harrelson's mother in law was Alma Glover Jo Ann Harrelson's step-mother in law was Daisy Harrelson Jo Ann Harrelson's grandfather in law was Noah Harrelson Jo Ann Harrelson's grandmother in law was Beckie Harrelson Jo Ann Harrelson's grandfather in law was Joel Sparks Jo Ann Harrelson's grandmother in law was Lemma Sparks Jo Ann Harrelson's brother in law was Leonard Humphrey Harrelson Jo Ann Harrelson's brother in law was Claude Elegan Harrelson Jo Ann Harrelson's sister in law was Sybil Nunley Jo Ann Harrelson's brother in law was Edward Leon Harrelson Jo Ann Harrelson's husband Charles Harrelson's aunt in law was Devilla Flournoy Jo Ann Harrelson's husband Charles Harrelson's uncle in law was Zan Harrelson Jo Ann Harrelson's husband Charles Harrelson's aunt in law was Ora Atkinson Jo Ann Harrelson's husband Charles Harrelson's uncle in law was William Harrelson Jo Ann Harrelson's husband Charles Harrelson's uncle in law was Noah Harrelson. H-E-Bs True Texas BBQ Restaurant Is Slipping, West Texans Are Learning What It Means to Live in Bear Country. The next morning, May 29, using a high-powered rifle fitted with a scope, that man fired a shot that would be heard around the world. Middle brother Jimmy, the proverbial bad penny, used Joe as a wedge against Lee in a sibling rivalry that consumed both brothers and eventually the entire family, and as the unwitting liaison in his drug operations. Bikers and other street toughs were dragged in on hold-over charges. New York Times (December 15, 1982). Kentucky man stops for breakfast, wins $50,000 lottery prize. It was just incredible, said Millsap, the former district attorney. Noah Harrelson{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Noah Harrelson", "gender": "Male" }, Beckie Harrelson{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Beckie Harrelson", "gender": "Female" }, Joel Sparks{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Joel Sparks", "gender": "Male" }, Lemma Sparks{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Lemma Sparks", "gender": "Female" }, Voyde Harrelson{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Voyde Harrelson", "gender": "Male" }, Alma Glover{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Alma Glover", "gender": "Female" }, Daisy Harrelson{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Daisy Harrelson", "gender": "Female" }, Leonard Humphrey Harrelson{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Leonard Humphrey Harrelson", "gender": "Male" }, Claude Elegan Harrelson{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Claude Elegan Harrelson", "gender": "Male" }, Sybil Nunley{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Sybil Nunley", "gender": "Female" }, Edward Leon Harrelson{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Edward Leon Harrelson", "gender": "Male" }, Woody Harrelson{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Woody Harrelson", "gender": "Male" }, with Diane Harrelson{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Diane Harrelson", "gender": "Female" }, Jordan Harrelson{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Jordan Harrelson", "gender": "Male" }, Brett Harrelson{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Brett Harrelson", "gender": "Male" }, born 1963, age 55 He called himself ''a card mechanic'' so talented with a deck that he could deal any hands requested around a table. Warren Burnett, the attorney for Mrs. Chagra, expressed ''bitter, bitter disappointment'' and said he would also appeal the verdict. Ive published three articles in this magazine about Wood and the Chagras, but Ive never written all I knowuntil now. circular of wanted people as a ''carpet salesman, professional gambler and narcotics trafficker.''. Mrs. Harrelson bought the rifle under a fictitious name, Fay King, or faking. When the government offered to try Jimmy separately in its desperation to nail Harrelson, Joe found himself in a predicament. He also testified that Mr. Kay borrowed his car, a gold-colored Oldsmobile Cutlass, similar to one seen speeding from the judge's apartment complex the morning of the slaying. '', It was at a pretrial hearing on April 2, 1979, as he listened to Judge Wood deny a score of defense motions, that Jamiel Chagra turned to Joseph Salim Chagra, his brother and attorney, and said, according to Joseph Chagra's testimony later, ''that he was never going to have a fair trial and if I thought he should have Judge Wood killed.''. Three years later, after moving to the Harrelson Center, we have a staff of 18 and are serving some 1500 people. Chagra made frequent trips to Las Vegas, arriving with suitcases stuffed with millions of dollars in cash. On another visit Jimmy told Joe, Youre the one who said, Do it, do it, do it. Joe tried to conceal his shock by talking tough, saying he never thought his brother would hire an asshole like Harrelson. It was the crime of the century, in San Antonio for sure, said local defense lawyer Alan Brown, who represented people who were rounded up during the investigation but never charged in the murder. https://www.encyclopedia.com/law/law-magazines/charles-harrelson-trial-1982-83, "Charles Harrelson Trial: 1982-83 The jury found Chagra guilty. How Florence ButtNot Her SonLaunched the H-E-B Empire. See FameChain's massive Trump family tree. Joseph Chagra, a Texas lawyer who admitted his complicity in the first assassination of a Federal judge in more than a century, died last Sunday in Thomason Hospital in El Paso. I testified at the hearing to determine if his law license should be restored, telling the same story Ive told here, yet the prosecution never offered any assistance and the judge ruled that restoring the license would not meet the ends of justice. Joe had to support himself by writing briefs for other lawyers. A convicted hit man's wife Monday won a first - UPI She had then given the rifle to George Kay. Jo Ann Harrelson Father of Woody Harrelson and killer of federal judge John H. Wood Jr. Charles Voyde Harrelson Age 68 Born Saturday 23 Jul 1938 Died 15 At the end of the hearing, Jamiel turned to his brother and attorney, Joseph Chagra, and said he would never have a fair trial. They shook down everybody in South Texas.. Jimmy Chagra, the high-stakes gambler who faced sentencing by Wood in a drug case shortly before the judge was killed, was cleared of conspiracy. CHAGRA: ASSASSINATION OF JUDGE JOHN WOOD AND LINKS TO CHARLES HARRELSON, FATHER OF WOODY. and court testimony, Jamiel Chagra was ''the highest of high rollers,'' a man who flew in private jets, gambled at roped-off tables in Las Vegas and thought nothing of betting half a million dollars on a roll of the dice. In an earlier trial, Mrs. Harrelson's husband, Charles Harrelson, was convicted of the 1979 assassination of U.S. District Judge John H. Wood Jr. in San Antonio, Texas, the only such killing of a sitting federal judge this century. People walk by the Judge John H. Wood Jr. Federal Courthouse in 2017. He was 50. This is a carousel. Chagra asked Harrelson if Wood could be bribed. As a matter of fact, when I got arrested, I thought I could buy Judge Wood off, and I tried through a family member by offering $5 million or $10 million. I know, of course, that on the witness stand Joe testified that he counseled his brother Jimmy to order the hit, and I know he did time in federal prison. "I truly appreciate the way you assisted me. Charles and Jo Ann Harrelson and Liz Chagra were convicted at trial. He gave us details that only he knew, Ray Jahn said. Probation can be given i, Charles Goodyear Discovers the Process for Creating Vulcanized Rubber, Charles I 16001649 King of Great Britain, Charles Jean Gustave Nicolas de la Valle Poussin, Charles Lyell Publishes The Principles of Geology (1830-33), in Which He Proposes the Actual Age of Earth to be Several Hundred Million Years, https://www.encyclopedia.com/law/law-magazines/charles-harrelson-trial-1982-83, John Francis Knapp And Joseph Jenkins Knapp Trials: 1830. British bus driver stops to give loose sheep a lift. with Diane Harrelson{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Diane Harrelson", "gender": "Female" }. I told him he should.. Editor's note: This story originally published in a 2017 series honoring the 300th anniversary of San Antonio.A man named Bill Bannister registered at the Town House motel on Loop 410 on Memorial Day 1979. On Feb. 26, 1979, he was indicted on five counts of trafficking in marijuana and cocaine. Jimmy Chagras separate trial moved to Jacksonville, Florida. A police officer stopped his car. All relationship and family history information shown on FameChain has been compiled from data in the public domain. The Center provides its nonprofit partners social and educational opportunities, marketing and promotions, volunteer recruitment and a place of collaboration for them to help those in need in our community. Prosecutors made a diorama of Woods condo complex to show how the murder occurred. Just after Judge Wood was killed, Joseph Chagra, then 31, said the slaying was the worst thing that could have happened to his other brother, Jamiel, 32, who was known as Jimmy. Defendants: Charles Voyde Harrelson, Jo Ann Starr Harrelson, Elizabeth Chagra, Jamiel ChagraCrimes Charged: Charles Harrelson: conspiracy to murder; murder of a federal judge; conspiracy to obstruct justice. Harrelson thought that was the day he had to kill the judge.. He built a marijuana and cocaine smuggling operation with connections to Colombia and Mexico. But it also spotlighted allegations that federal investigators and prosecutors treaded on constitutional rights such as attorney-client and marital privilege and the secret recording of private conversations. "Three Are Found Guilty of Assassination of Federal Judge." March 3 (UPI) -- A New Brunswick couple who initially thought a burglar had broken into their home discovered the invader was actually a panicked deer. Later, Chagra admitted to the judges murder and to the attempted murder of Kerr in an effort to free his wife from prison. Harrelson claimed that he was set up. Bobby Harrelson said it best in Crazy Like A Fox, an article in Wilmington Magazine. She, in turn, claimed she thought the payoff was for a gambling debt, and did not believe her husband when he claimed, "This is for the judge.". Elizabeth Chagra was convicted of conspiracy to The government efforts in the Wood case are not over. At a subsequent trial, held in Florida because of the publicity in Texas, Jimmy Chagra was The hearing was the first in which federal prosecutors have failed to obtain a contempt citation against people refusing to testify before the grand jury investigating the fatal shooting of U.S. District Judge John H. Wood Jr. Two of those people recently were released. Goodman made a six-hour final argument without a break. Investigators suspected that the murder was somehow connected to the growing drug trade in Texas. The evidence gathered against Harrelson was somewhat tenuous, and included testimony from Joseph Chagra in return for a reduced sentence, and a letter from Elizabeth Chagra that claimed she had delivered money to Harrelson as a payoff for the murder. After Monday's conviction, Sessions said he would be forced to postpone the March 18 sentencing in San Antonio of Mrs. Harrelson, her husband Charles and Mrs. Chagra for the earlier convictions. Wood died in 1979 when he was assassinated by Charles Harrelson. Having these additional resources in the same building for our families, as well as having the support of the Harrelson Center staff allows us to continue to ease the transitions of our local foster children. Assistant U.S. Attorney James Kerr, who had prosecuted several drug cases before Judge Wood, had barely escaped an assassination attempt some six months before Wood was killed. He believed in the justice system, but it didnt do right by him., Do I feel like he got robbed? Texas Lege Watch: A House Republican Fights for Chicken Freedom, Texas Monthly Recognized by ASME in the 2023 National Magazine Awards. But unknown to Harrelson, the trial had been postponed, Ray Jahn said. Find out more about his hitman father, Charles Harrelson, here. The trial is separate because Joseph Chagra, in exchange for a lighter sentence, made a deal with the Government to testify against all the defendants except his brother. It was a big deal; there was a lot of interest in the case, said Millsap, who later served as Bexar County district attorney. Wood was called 'Maximum John' for his tough sentencing policies. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. The evil sought to be avoided by pr, A sentence whereby a convict is released from confinement but is still under court supervision; a testing or a trial period. Charles Harrelson's son, the actor Woody Harrelson, later supported a motion for a retrial, based on both the inadequacy of the original defense and the federal government's methods of gathering evidence. Instead, that day he was shot as he was leaving for court. It's an amazing way to provide a warm handoff so that people have all of their needs served. 'Mrs. Then-FBI Director William Webster dispatched dozens of agents to San Antonio for a massive investigation that resulted in Harrelson and four others being charged in connection with Woods assassination a killing still etched in the citys lore. Fire Ants Have Unleashed Chaos in Texas for Decades. The center supports its partners with below-market rental rates that cover all utilities, parking and security. Elizabeth Chagra, the wife of Jamiel (Jimmy) Chagra, the drug dealer who is to be tried in a separate proceeding on charges of paying Mr. Harrelson $250,000 to murder the judge, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to obstruct justice. A short time later, Joe was arrested and held without bail, as were Jo Ann Harrelson and Liz Chagra, Jimmys wife, who was heard on another wiretap talking about delivering the payoff money. In an unsuccessful effort to try to free his wife early from her 30-year sentence, Chagra later admitted to his role in the conspiracy to murder Wood and agreed to testify against people who had tried to kill James Kerr, a federal prosecutor who had initially obtained drug-trafficking indictments against Jimmy Chagra and battled repeatedly in court with Lee Chagra. The Jo Ann Carter Harrelson Center Inc. is a North Carolina nonprofit corporation 501c3 (EIN 20-3598248) that supports and partners with other nonprofit organizations in the Wilmington community. Joseph Chagra refused to testify against his own brother Jamiel (Jimmy), however. The pressure (to solve the murder) was on us, Ray Jahn said. But Joe absolutely refused to testify against his brother as a matter of family honor. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Firefighters hoist horse stranded in backyard swimming pool. He asked if he should have Judge Wood killed. The casinos loved him, of course, and their dealers loved him, too, because he was a big tipper. They said no. Jimmy's trial was scheduled to begin on the day the judge died. Harrelson is drowning in a sea of evidence and she realizes it,' assistant U.S. Attorney Ray Jahn told jurors before the verdict Monday. Mr. Harrelson said Mr. Kay borrowed the car some days before the killing, but that he had it back and was in Dallas on the day of the killing. He was sentenced to life in prison. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. ''O.K., honey,'' Mrs. Chagra said she replied. Midland was in the jurisdiction of U.S. District Judge John Wood, known as Maximum John for his tough prison sentences in drug cases. Judge Sessions gave Chagra only 10 additional years on his sentence, making him eligible for parole in 2007. "Texas SniperThe Charge: Murdering a Judge." Charles, Jo Ann Harrelson and Elizabeth Chagra faced only the lesser charges. Jo Ann Harrelson Family Tree & History, Ancestry & Genealogy The prosecution produced no murder weapon or any eyewitnesses. Charles wife at the time, They also argued, unsuccessfully, that incriminating recorded conversations should not have been allowed because they were covered by attorney-client privilege or by spousal privilege. 'I have ordered the hearing continued and you can logically assume what that means,' Sessions said. By the time the first indictments came down in April 1982, the FBI had conducted more than 30,000 interviews and collected more than 500,000 pieces of information. Judge Woods 1979 slaying by Charles Harrelson was crime of the century, San Antonio Zoo has a long but spotty history with giraffes. March 3 (UPI) -- A Massachusetts library said a book was recently returned with a note apologizing for the tome being 56 years overdue. But theres a postscript: I feel certain that the youngest of three brothers in El Pasos infamous Chagra crime family knew nothing about Woods murder until months after the fact. 10- 6-1982 (L-R ) Leroy Jahn and Ray Jahn prosecutors in trial for muder of John H. Wood Jr. San Antonio Express-News file photo, JOSE BARRERA, STAFF / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS. All but Jimmy live in El Paso.