Charles Harrelson Biography

(American Hitman and Organized Crime Figure Who Was Convicted of Assassinating Federal Judge John H. Wood Jr.)

Birthday: July 23, 1938 (Leo)

Born In: Lovelady, Texas, United States

Charles Harrelson was an American criminal who was sentenced for the assassination of a federal judge. Born and raised in Texas, he served in the US Navy. He later worked as a salesman and subsequently turned a professional gambler. In 1960, he served a prison term for armed robbery, after which he moved back to Texas. He continued with his criminal activities, and was tried for murder of a Houston carpet salesman. He, however, hired a noted lawyer, and got acquitted. Though Harrelson got 15 years imprisonment in the murder case of a Texas grain dealer, he was released after 5 years due to good conduct. Next, he was paid $250,000 by a drug dealer to kill US District Judge John Wood. This was the first time in the 20th century that a federal judge was assassinated. He was sentenced for 2 life terms, though he denied having killed the Judge. As he tried to escape from prison, he was moved to a super-max prison in Colorado, where he died of heart-attack at 68. He had three sons, including actor Woody Harrelson.
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Quick Facts

Also Known As: Charles Voyde Harrelson

Died At Age: 68

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Nancy Hillman Harrelson, Diane Lou Oswald (m. Feb 1959; div. 1964), Gina Adelle Foster, Jo Ann Harrelson

father: Voyde Harrelson

mother: Alma Lee (née Sparks)

children: Brett Harrelson, Jordan Harrelson, Woody Harrelson

Born Country: United States

Murderers American Men

Height: 1.78 m

Died on: March 15, 2007

place of death: USP Florence, Colorado, United States

Childhood & Early Life
Harrelson was born Charles Voyde Harrelson on July 23, 1938, in Lovelady, Texas, to Alma Lee (née Sparks), and Voyde Harrelson. After his school education, he joined the US Navy and later moved to Los Angeles. Initially, he worked as an encyclopaedia salesman, but later turned to gambling.
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Life As a Criminal
Working as a professional gambler, he got involved in criminal activities. In 1960, Harrelson was found guilty and sentenced for armed robbery. Later, he tried to earn living by selling dental equipment. In 1964, he moved back to Texas.
In May 1968, Harrelson was arrested in the murder of Alan Harry Berg, a carpet salesman from Houston, Texas. Harrelson’s ex-girlfriend Sandra Attaway testified against him, stating she had seen Harrelson fire the gunshot. Harrelson engaged the well-known attorney Percy Foreman to represent him. In September 1970, he was acquitted of the murder charge.
In 1968, Harrelson was again tried for the murder of Sam Degelia Jr. He had allegedly accepted a contract (for $2,000) for killing Degelia, a grain dealer from Hearne, Texas. The man was assassinated in McAllen, Texas. The first trial was not conclusive as his attorney, Percy Foreman, brought in a witness who attested Harrelson’s innocence, but in the 1973 retrial, the witness refused to testify and Charles was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. His good conduct led to his early release and he was set free in 1978.
In May 1979, Harrelson, along with his then-wife, Jo Ann, was charged with the murder of US District Judge John H. Wood Jr. He was reportedly hired by an El Paso drug dealer Jamiel ‘Jimmy’ Alexander Chagra for $250,000 to eliminate the judge. Chagra was arrested for drug trafficking across the border and was slated to appear before Judge Wood, who was known as ‘Maximum John’ because of the heavy sentences he issued for drug offences.
The Judge was assassinated, (using a rifle and a scope), outside his home in San Antonio, Texas, while he was entering his car. He was shot in the back and died on the way to the hospital. This was the first incidence in American history, when a federal judge was assassinated while in the office. The law enforcement agencies initiated a hunt when they received an anonymous tip, and a recorded conversation between Jimmy Chagra, and his brother, Joe.
While trying to evade the investigation officials, Harrelson drowned himself in drugs but was soon stopped at a Texas interstate. He was in a deadlock with the police for 6 hours, during which he admitted that he had killed the Judge, and also stated that he had assassinated President John F. Kennedy.
During the trial, Harrelson repudiated killing Judge Wood, saying he had earlier admitted it only to get Chagra’s big payment. He got two life sentences, while Chagra was acquitted as his brother didn’t testify against him. He got 10 years prison term.
Later, in 2003, Chagra retracted his earlier statements and stated that Harrelson wasn’t the one who shot the Judge. Harrelson’s son, actor Woody Harrelson, tried to get a new trial on the basis of Chagra’s new statement, but didn’t succeed in it.
Harrelson, along with two others, tried to escape from the ‘Atlanta Federal Penitentiary’ on July 4, 1995. A warning shot made them surrender. Later, he was shifted to the ‘Supermax Prison ADX Florence’ in Florence, Colorado.
During his 6 hour standoff with the police in Texas, in 1980, Harrelson claimed that he was the one who had assassinated Judge Wood and President J. F. Kennedy. According to him, he was one of the three tramps at the grassy knoll, closer to the Presidential cavalcade. He also stated that the alleged assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, was at a far distance from the president to get an exact shot.
However, at the time of standoff, he was heavily under influence of drugs, and later retracted, saying, he had claimed it only to gain time. FBI also cleared that Harrelson had no connection with the President’s assassination.
Family &Personal Life
Harrelson married 4 times. He got married to Nancy Hillman Harrelson, Diane Lou Oswald (1959-1964), Jo Ann Harrelson, and Gina Adelle Foster.
He had three sons with Diane Lou - Woody, Brett and Jordan. Woody Harrelson is well-known actor known for TV sitcom ‘Cheers.’
Harrelson died of a heart-attack in Colorado prison on March 15, 2007.

See the events in life of Charles Harrelson in Chronological Order

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Article Title
- Charles Harrelson Biography
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URL
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/charles-harrelson-48527.php

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