Elizabeth Chagra admitted she delivered the money but said she did not know what it was for. The gun rap seemed routine until Harrelson was arrested following a cocaine-induced standoff near Van Horn, at which time his motive became clear. The 5th U.S. On the morning of May 29, 1979, Judge Wood, 63, was slain in the driveway of his town house in San Antonio, struck in the back by a bullet from a high-powered rifle. Talented With Cards. Jo Ann got a 25-year sentence. ", Anne Best, Executive Director, Family Promise, The truest measure of love is revealed by how we respond to the needs of others. Instead, that day he was shot as he was leaving for court. Joseph Chagra, 50, Lawyer Linked to Assassination, Dies, https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/15/us/joseph-chagra-50-lawyer-linked-to-assassination-dies.html. Guillermo has been with the Express-News for 20 years, and has covered federal court and its investigative agencies for most of that time. To cut costs, Amazon delays completion of second headquarters, closes retail stores. The three had risen from an unremarkable middle-class upbringing to live among El Paso's wealthiest residents. He spent more than 35 years defending some of the most notorious alleged Mob figures, including Meyer Lansky, Frank Rosenthal, Anthony Spilotro and Jimmy Chagra. Jack Sheehan has been living and writing in Las Vegas for 40 years. But they would have had leaves on them at the time of the murder, rendering the witness testimony not credible. May 29, 1979: Wood was shot to death outside his San Antonio condo. Lee and Jimmy were gangsters, whereas Joe was just a kid who liked to snort coke and talk tough. Whats Up With All the Kangaroos on the Loose in Texas? He set up his family on a farm in Kansas. In a recent interview with the San Antonio Express-News, Joe Chagras widow, now known as Patty Chagra Russell, defended her husband, saying the prison recording showed that Jimmy Chagra was a bully toward her husband. It was a once-in-a-lifetime moment, the kind of drama that usually took place only in an episode of Perry Mason, John L. Smith wrote. He was sentenced to two life sentences. Mrs. Harrelson, 42, a small, blond woman who was once a known 'card counter' at Las Vegas blackjack tables, collapsed moments after hearing the verdict Monday. The first giraffe in San Antonio was part of a traveling circus that stopped here in 1901. Though he and his wife, Patty, divorced, they remained close. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. SIGNIFICANCE: Charles Harrelson was convicted for a hit-man killing of Judge John H. Wood, the only federal judge to be assassinated in the twentieth century. 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. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. JERRY LARA, Staff / San Antonio Express-News. He gave us details that only he knew, Ray Jahn said. Meanwhile, the drug trial was held before Woods replacement, U.S. District Judge William Sessions. The trial grew out of one of the largest FBI investigations in history, taking three years and over $5 million. Liz got a 30-year sentence. Newsweek (June 22, 1981). Governor of Philippine province, 5 others killed in gun attack. WebJo Ann Harrelson, Charles Voyed Harrelson and Elizabethnichols Chagra, Defendants-appellants, 754 F.2d 1153 (5th Cir. Mr. Harrelson's wife, Jo Ann, was found guilty of conspiracy to obstruct justice, the only charge against her in this case. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. See the article in its original context from. Jo Ann Starr Harrelson: conspiracy to obstruct justice. I work for a non-profit and it is encouraging to know when I refer clients to you that they will feel cared for and not judged. Charles Harrelson arrives at Federal Court 11-8-82 for his trial in the slaying of federal judge Wood. Once he paid off a cocktail waitress $50,000 mortgage when he heard she was raising three kids on her own. Elizabeth Chagra died in prison of ovarian cancer in September 1997 at age 43. But his wife was not released and died of ovarian cancer at age 41. 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 Bobby Harrelson said it best in Crazy Like A Fox, an article in Wilmington Magazine. According to the Jahns, Harrelson offered to kill people suspected of killing Jimmys older brother, attorney Lee Chagra, who was murdered in his El Paso law office two days before Christmas in 1978. It was the first time someone assassinated a sitting federal judge. Rob Condon, Executive Director, Young Scientists Academy, "We have been at the Harrelson Center for 3 years and it's been a dream come true! He believed in the justice system, but it didnt do right by him., Do I feel like he got robbed? Daniel Vaughn is the countrys first barbecue editor, and he has eaten more barbecue than you have. Anyone can read what you share. "Three Are Found Guilty of Assassination of Federal Judge." The government efforts in the Wood case are not over. Judge Woods 1979 slaying by Charles Harrelson was crime of the century, San Antonio Zoo has a long but spotty history with giraffes. Everybody got hurt in this. However, the date of retrieval is often important. Elizabeth Chagra was convicted of conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Jo Ann Harrelson was found guilty of conspiracy to obstruct justice. 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. Prosecutors made a diorama of Woods condo complex to show how the murder occurred. In a series of videotaped interviews after his release from prison, Chagra told Las Vegas author Jack Sheehan that his prosecution was the result of a beef Wood had against his older brother Lee. He has said he is a key suspect in Wood's slaying on May 29, 1979. Chagra also was a prime suspect in the attempted murder of Assistant U.S. Attorney James Kerr of San Antonio. Investigators questioned several long-term convicts, offering reduced sentences for information about the judge's killing. They did a full-court press. From online or printed In the letter, Elizabeth relayed conversations about plans to kill Wood and told of her own delivery of the payoff money to Las Vegas. Without Joe Chagras testimony, Jimmy Chagra was acquitted of murder and conspiracy to murder but convicted of lesser obstruction of justice and drug charges. The verdicts concluded an 11-week trial that grew out of one of the most extensive Federal investigations in the nation's history, involving every one of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's 54 offices in the United States at varying times over more than three years. Goodman faced a monumental task to win the case. He agreed to testify against Mr. Harrelson and pleaded guilty to conspiracy in return for a 10-year prison sentence and relief from having to testify against Jimmy. Jimmy Chagra, who was facing numerous narcotics charges, would become a suspect in the killing. It was the day after (Memorial) Day, the day Chagras trial was to start, Ray Jahn said. By September 1982, five suspects were under indictment: Joseph and Jimmy Chagra; Jimmy's wife, Elizabeth, and Mr. Harrelson and his wife, Jo Ann. 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. 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. Over time, we became friends. At the end of the hearing, Jamiel turned to his brother and attorney, Joseph Chagra, and said he would never have a fair trial. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Reports suggest Prince Charles will live "in a flat above the shop" when he becomes king. Great American Trials. Because Joe was simultaneously representing Jimmy, who was serving thirty years without parole on a drug charge at the federal prison in Leavenworth, Kansas, Harrelson had to assume that sooner or later Joe would learn the truth. Almost immediately, investigators turned to Mr. Chagra's plush law offices. "The Judge Wood Murder Case." He won the first ever Nevada Screenwriters Award in 1988 and the Lowell Thomas Award for outstanding travel writing in 1991. Russian defense minister visits front lines as Ukraine's hold on Bakhmut slips. Our incoming donations used to be 70% used items. At least 5 dead following year's first severe spring weather outbreak. As of mid-2001, the appeal remained postponed. Elizabeth Chagra: guilty of conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to obstruct justice, tax evasion, conspiracy conviction overturned February 15, 1985, on appealSentences: Charles Harrelson: two life sentences plus five years. Someone could have done a movie not only on the case, but on the people who got the reward.. Yes, Chagra Russell continued. 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. SHREVEPORT, La. Jo Ann had purchased the rifle under a false name, Mrs. "Fay King." Jimmy was upset about that because he thought it put him under suspicion right away, Ray Jahn said. 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. The reward was eventually paid out to a handful of people who included a horrible creton bankrobber who shared a jail cell with Charles Harrelson, a woman who delivered the $250,000 payout for the hit to Harrelson, and a kid who found a piece of the murder rifle in a creek bed, said Sam Millsap, who chaired the reward committee. 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. You cant imagine the shock when Jimmy Chagra was acquitted.. Mr. Harrelson also said that Mr. Kay had $135,000 to $150,000 delivered to him as part of the ''scam.'' 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. 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 asked him if he was the one who murdered Judge Wood, and he said he was,'' Mr. Chagra testified in a San Antonio Federal Court. This synergistic environment allows all the nonprofits to operate more efficiently and better utilize their funding. The unlawful killing of another human being without justification or excuse. Goodman is one of the nations best criminal defense attorneys and was named one of the 15 Best Trial Lawyers in America by the National Law Journal. On May 29, 1979, Judge John H. Wood was killed in San Antonio, Texas, by a shot from a high-powered rifle to the back of the head. Wood was shot in the back with a high-powered rifle while leaving his north San Antonio townhouse for work. Jimmy Chagra was granted a separate trial. The Center works with its partners to meet the needs of the community in areas such as safe and affordable housing, education, employment, health care and family support. Consequently, they got a bunch of bad stories, a bunch of bad information.. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. To form an opinion after evaluating the facts and applyi, A second prosecution for the same offense after acquittal or conviction or multiple punishments for same offense. 23 Feb. 2023 . WebTo provide a humanitarian services campus of nonprofit organizations that offer hope, opportunity, and empowerment. When the government offered to try Jimmy separately in its desperation to nail Harrelson, Joe found himself in a predicament. Joe Chagra ended In 1995, he appeared as himself in the movie, Casino.. Together we create higher quality programs, were better able to remove barriers, and we have more space to provide instruction with positive adult role models. Chagra told Sheehan that he offered to plead guilty to having Judge Wood murdered, if theyd release my wife. ', Jahn, who has spearheaded the prosecutions resulting from the Wood investigation, said, 'I'm a firm believer in the system and I'm in full agreement with the verdicts reached today.'. Defendants: Charles Manson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, Leslie Van Houten On This Day: Frances Perkins sworn in as first female Cabinet member. Prosecutors said Mrs. Harrelson lied to FBI agents, to a grand jury and in her previous trial. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. Joe Chagra ended up serving 6 years of his 10-year sentence, and he died in a car crash in El Paso in 1996 after his release. The Harrelson Center has provided us with affordable rent, a safe and comfortable space to host volunteers, board meetings and support groups, and a wonderful event space to host larger events. . When Chagras former drug-smuggling partner Henry Wallace turned and became a witness, the charges against Chagra were increased and he faced the prospect of life in prison without parole. The only other person in the world who knew that Harrelson did the hit on Judge Wood was Jimmy, who ordered it. Tips poured in. We mesh and balance each other., - Jerri Holliday, Executive Director, Philippians 3 Ministries, 20 North 4th St. STE 214 Wilmington, NC 28401, But the Partner benefit with the greatest impact to us and our families. Retrieved February 23, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/law/law-magazines/charles-harrelson-trial-1982-83. February 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? USAA wants some remote employees in the office three days Jury takes an hour to reach verdict over deal at Port S.A. Texas Vista owner has threatened hospital shutdown before, Rosie Castros appointment much more than a 3-month council stint, Access to Bexar County Courthouse just got easier, Man and adult stepdaughter accused of sexual assault on children, Man suspected of serial arson in far south Bexar County area. Woody Harrelson, the actor who played the part of the affable bartender in the television series Cheers, and also the lead in The People vs. Larmy Flynt, mounted an appeal in 1998, hiring famed criminal attorney Alan Dershowitz. The visiting room was bugged to gather information from mobster Nick Civella, also a Goodman client. He enjoyed a high-rolling lifestyle at Caesars Palace and Binions Horseshoe but he was not a very good gambler. 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. Years later, the trial of Charles V. Harrelson revealed that Bill Bannister was a pseudonym Harrelson used to help track the judge, who was shot in the back outside his Alamo Heights townhome less than 2 miles from the motel as he was leaving for work. There was a lot of internal pressure.. 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. CHAGRA: LIFE IN LAS VEGAS ANDMARIJUANA KINGPIN. The Chagras said they were convinced that Judge Wood, who was scheduled to preside over Jimmy's case, had a bias against them. She also said that when she had demurred about delivering the money, thinking it was a gambling payoff, he had hissed, ''This is for the judge.'' We report on vital issues from politics to education and are the indispensable authority on the Texas scene, covering everything from music to cultural events with insightful recommendations. 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. ." Eventually, the evidence pointed to Harrelson, in particular a taped conversation Chagra had with another brother who was a lawyer, Joe Chagra, in Leavenworth federal prison about the assassination. Joseph testified as well against his own sister-in-law Elizabeth Chagra, and Harrelson's wife, Jo Ann. Jamiel Chagra was acquitted of murder and conspiracy to murder but convicted of conspiracy to obstruct justice and conspiracy to possess marijuana; he was later convicted of tax evasion. The collaborations and friendships are blessings to me and to our organization. Charles Harrelson under arrest in 1982 for the slaying of federal judge John Wood. The prosecution charged that Harrelson, who had earlier served five years before being paroled of a 15-year sentence for killing a man for a $2,000 fee, Ive published three articles in this magazine about Wood and the Chagras, but Ive never written all I knowuntil now. The government indicted Harrelson, the Chagra brothers, Jo Ann Harrelson and Jimmy Chagras wife, Elizabeth, who delivered the $250,000 payoff for Charles Harrelson. Should you have information that conflicts with anything shown please make us aware by email. Joseph Chagra refused to testify against his own brother Jamiel (Jimmy), however. Harrelson also testified that Kay had borrowed his own distinctive gold-colored Oldsmobile, similar to one seen near the judge's apartment on the day of the killing. Judge Sessions gave Chagra only 10 additional years on his sentence, making him eligible for parole in 2007. He was sentenced to life in prison. ." Space-X continues to reach for the stars. Jimmy Chagra was released from federal prison in 2003 and entered the witness-protection program. March 2 (UPI) -- A Florida woman earned a Guinness World Record when she completed 23 ultra-marathon runs -- 31.1 miles -- in a 23-day period. By the time the trial came around in 1983, Jimmy Chagras case had been severed from his co-defendants and Joe Chagra had taken a plea deal in which he pleaded guilty to the conspiracy to murder Wood. 'I have ordered the hearing continued and you can logically assume what that means,' Sessions said. It was a big deal to a lot of people, concurred lawyer Charles Campion, who defended Harrelsons wife, Jo Ann Harrelson, the woman who bought the murder weapon. 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. Allegations arose that Chagra hired Harrelson, the actor Woody Harrelsons father, to commit the murder. Even though every partner is Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. The FBI hauled in just about anyone if agents believed that they had information, and the agency threw the book at them to make them talk. He has also covered immigration, minority affairs and legal affairs as part of the projects team here and for other print, TV and radio outlets. And, indeed, Joe found out who shot Judge Woodand who hired himduring an attorney-client interview he conducted with Harrelson after his arrest at the Harris County jail. Chagra was a prolific marijuana smuggler and spent his ill-gotten fortune on casinos in Las Vegas, where he moved in 1978. 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. Harrelson was sentenced to two consecutive life terms plus five years, while Jo Ann Harrelson got a combined 25 years for obstruction of justice. 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. In 1979, a federal grand jury in Midland, Texas, indicted Chagra on drug smuggling charges. After Joe was killed, the bad publicity inevitably returned, so Patty took their daughter, Samantha, a seventeen-year-old high school honor student, to all the television stations in El Pasojust so they could see her face and know what they had put her through. After that, Patty told me, the flavor of the stories softened. Joe had no idea he was being pulled into the Wood conspiracyor even that there was a conspiracywhen Charles Harrelson hired him to represent him on an old gun charge in Harris County in February 1980. "Texas SniperThe Charge: Murdering a Judge." In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. But as his lawyer, Harrelson reasoned, anything Joe discovered about Woods murder would have to be kept confidential because of attorney-client privilege. One, Jerry Ray James, befriended Jamiel Chagra in prison and allowed his conversations to be secretly taped. Released in 1978, he married for a third time the next year, this time to Jo Ann Starr. Mr. Harrelson also said that a high-powered Weatherby hunting rifle, the kind the Government said killed the judge, purchased by his wife 12 days before the slaying, was actually given to Mr. Kay. I got to know Joe well in the two years I was writing my book on the Wood assassination, Dirty Dealing, and I watched the sordid story unfold through his eyes.