I never knew this

[steve from amherst]

Charles Voyde Harrelson (July 23, 1938 – March 15, 2007)^[1] was an American organized crime figure who was convicted of assassinating federal judge John H. Wood Jr., the first federal judge to have been killed in the 20th century. He was the estranged father of actor Woody Harrelson.^[2]

 

Murder of Alan Berg[edit]

Defended by Percy Foreman, Harrelson was tried for the 28 May 1968^[5] murder of Alan Harry Berg (no relation to the Denver talk radio DJ Alan Berg, later murdered by white supremacists).^[6][7] On September 22, 1970, he was acquitted by a jury in Angleton, Texas.^[8] The murder is chronicled in the memoir Run Brother Run by the victim's brother, David Berg.^[9]

Murder of Sam Degelia[edit]

Harrelson was tried for the 1968 murder-for-hire killing of Sam Degelia Jr., a resident of Hearne, Texas. Harrelson was paid $2000 ($14,100 today) for the murder of Degelia, a grain dealer and father of four who was killed in McAllen, Texas.^[10] His first trial ended with a deadlocked jury,^[10] although Pete Scamardo was also tried in the case, found guilty of being an accomplice to the murder,^[11] and sentenced to seven years probation.^[12][13] Harrelson was retried in 1973, convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison.^[14] In 1978, after serving 5 years, he was released early for good behavior.^[14]

 

Murder of Judge John H. Wood Jr.[edit]

Shortly after Harrelson was paroled in 1978, he and his then-wife, Jo Ann, were implicated in another murder. On May 29, 1979, U.S. District Judge John H. Wood Jr. was shot dead in the parking lot outside his San Antonio, Texas, townhouse.^[15] Harrelson was convicted of killing Judge Wood after being hired by drug dealer Jamiel Chagra of El Paso. Wood — nicknamed "Maximum John" because of his reputation for handing down long sentences for drug offenses — was originally scheduled to have Chagra appear before him on the day of his murder, but the trial had been delayed.^[16]

Harrelson was apprehended with the aid of an anonymous tip and a tape recording of a conversation that occurred during a visit from Joe Chagra to his brother Jamiel Chagra in prison. Harrelson claimed at trial that he did not kill Judge Wood, but merely took credit for it so he could claim a large payment from Chagra.

Harrelson was sentenced to two life terms based largely on Chagra's conversation with his brother from prison. Both Harrelson and Joe Chagra were implicated in the assassination, and Chagra received a ten-year sentence. Jamiel Chagra was acquitted of the murder when his brother Joe refused to testify against him. Chagra was represented by future mayor of Las Vegas, Oscar Goodman, then a public defender. In a plea bargain, Jamiel Chagra admitted to his role in the murder of Judge Wood and to the attempted murder of a U.S. Attorney. Harrelson's wife, Jo Ann, was sentenced to consecutive terms of 20 years total on multiple convictions of conspiracy and perjury related to the assassination.^[17]

In 2003, Chagra recanted his previous statements, stating that someone other than Harrelson had in fact shot Judge Wood.^[18] His son, Woody, then attempted to have his father's conviction overturned in order to secure a new trial, though without success.^[19] Chagra died in July 2008 of cancer.^[20]