40 Days of Trial Testimony, In the course of 40 days of trial testimony from 130 witnesses and introduction of more than 300 exhibits, the Government developed what Mr. Jahn described in opening remarks and a closing argument as ''a story of fear, a story of greed and a story of murder. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, carrying a sentence of up to life in prison; murder of a Federal judge, mandatory life, and conspiracy to obstruct justice, up to five years. ." Harrelson claimed that he was set up. He was 63. 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. Harrelson's jury found him guilty of murder of a federal employee, and he was also convicted on the charges of conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to obstruct justice. 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. In his testimony over more than five days on the witness stand, Mr. Harrelson said he had gone to lure Jamiel Chagra into a crooked card game. 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. The desire to give and serve others stems from a place of earnest compassion. The government indicted Harrelson, the Chagra brothers, Jo Ann Harrelson and Jimmy Chagras wife, Elizabeth, who delivered the $250,000 payoff for Charles Harrelson. Daniel's 5th outing as Bond gets bums back on seats in the cinema. The prosecutors alleged that Jimmy, who was serving a 30-year term as a drug trafficker, had paid Mr. Harrelson $250,000 to kill the judge. 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. March 4 (UPI) -- Three children are dead and two others remain hospitalized Saturday after a domestic incident in a North Texas town, authorities said. Joseph Chagra accepted a plea bargain. Mrs. Harrelson, who had said she was '99 percent sure' she would be jailed Monday, is the wife of convicted hit man Charles V. Harrelson, who is imprisoned in Houston on state charges. 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. Adding further to their indignation, the trial was presided over by then-federal Judge William Sessions, who was a pallbearer at Woods funeral and delivered a eulogy, Campion said. 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. Lee, his eldest brother, brought Joe into his law partnership largely to enhance his own self-esteem as patrn of the Chagra family. The pair wed in 2001 and share four children, but their political differences during the Trump administration took a toll on their relationship. Among other points, Woody said that his father had spent only $7,000 on his defense, compared to the $5 to $10 million spent by the federal government in marshalling evidence. National Park Service: 'Never push a slower friend down' in a bear encounter, March 2 (UPI) -- The National Park Service offered some sage advice for park visitors who encounter bears: "Never push a slower friend down. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. 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. https://www.encyclopedia.com/law/law-magazines/charles-harrelson-trial-1982-83, "Charles Harrelson Trial: 1982-83 They werent taking no for an answer, defense lawyer Brown said. Livestreaming available the night of the event by clicking here. 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. In exchange for agreeing to testify against The citys first zoo featured animals from Texas and Mexico but no giraffe. Depen, Chicago Mobsters Convicted of Decades-Old Murders Anyone can read what you share. At least 10 people have died in the wake of a severe weather system bringing fierce winds, damaging tornadoes and flash flooding to the U.S. South and Midwest. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. But he had some luck when the prosecutors decided to put criminal Jerry Ray James on the stand to testify against Chagra. ", Missy Bennett, Executive Director, Operation Pretty Things, "The Harrelson Center really provides a unique opportunity to serve people holistically. Since much of the wiretapping was inadmissible in court, the government had a major problem with its case: The only witness who could connect Jimmy with Harrelson was Joe. The feds indicted Jimmy Chagra, Charles Harrelson, Joe Chagra, Liz Chagra and Jo Ann Harrelson in the judges murder. On the basis of the wiretaps, the FBI searched Joes home, turning up not only his private stash of drugs but also the map Harrelson had given him. Thats how one former friend described the convicted killer. Over time, we became friends. . 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. ''O.K., honey,'' Mrs. Chagra said she replied. 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. separate, there is cohesiveness. But in the interviews, Chagra described himself as a megalomaniac.. He was very good at what he did, Ray Jahn said. Now, perhaps due to our improved stature, our incoming donations are 80% new! Joe was a genuinely nice guy who was congenitally unable to say no. Joes testimony put Harrelson in prison for life; ironically, in his separate trial, Jimmy was acquitted, thanks largely to Joes unwillingness to testify against him. February 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? His wife received a total of 25 years on the conspiracy and perjury charges; Elizabeth received 30 years on the conspiracy and tax evasion charges. U.S. District Judge John H. Wood was assassinated in San Antonio May 29, 1979, by Charles Harrelson. Chagra asked Harrelson if Wood could be bribed. In a plea agreement, Joe Chagra got a 10-year sentence. Jo Ann Harrelson was summoned before a federal grand jury in the Western District of Texas investigating her husband's complicity in the murder. 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 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. If I'm not the expert in one area, I know already that somebody is within the Harrelson Center. Wood died in 1979 when he was assassinated by Charles Harrelson. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. At one point in a rambling dialogue, Jimmy warned Joe that he was up to his neck in the murder plot. Here, we have shared resources, funding, and space with the Center just bringing it all together. The defendants were charged under Federal statutes governing the killing of a Federal employee. Jamiel Chagra's trial moved to Jacksonville, Florida. Since arriving, our vision has become reality. . 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. Encyclopedia.com. The case has prompted Mrs. Harrelson to attempt suicide and caused her to temporarily disown her two daughters for having affairs with Harrelson during their marriage. Joe was stunned. Bobby Harrelson said it best in Crazy Like A Fox, an article in Wilmington Magazine. He was sentenced to two life sentences. Judge Wood denied any impropriety and refused to remove himself from the case. It was a big deal; there was a lot of interest in the case, said Millsap, who later served as Bexar County district attorney. 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. Harrelson).'. Jack Sheehan calls him the Pablo Escobar of weed. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). ', 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.'. In real life, it highlighted the criminal acts of those accused in Woods killing a drug lord, an actors father and some of their relatives. WebJo Ann Harrelson, Charles Voyed Harrelson and Elizabethnichols Chagra, Defendants-appellants, 754 F.2d 1153 (5th Cir. In the investigation, which cost at least $5 million, the Government recorded more than 1,000 conversations, most of them by telephone, that Jamiel Chagra was involved in at various prisons, particularly the United States Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kan. To provide a humanitarian services campus of nonprofit organizations that offer hope, opportunity, and empowerment. Even though every partner is 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. Elizabeth Chagra was convicted of conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to obstruct justice. 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. After invoking the Though he and his wife, Patty, divorced, they remained close. But Chagra and Harrelson werent immediate suspects, and it took thousands of man-hours before they were identified as such. All but Jimmy live in El Paso. British bus driver stops to give loose sheep a lift. Space-X continues to reach for the stars. Jo Ann got a 25-year sentence. The trial of Jamiel Chagra was set for May 29, 1979, but Judge Wood was shot as he left his apartment in Alamo Heights for court. She said she had not believed him. I mean I had so much money, so much power, Chagra said. But as his lawyer, Harrelson reasoned, anything Joe discovered about Woods murder would have to be kept confidential because of attorney-client privilege. 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. King, Wayne. Then, in the eight years after his release, Joe stayed clean and became a health nut. Elizabeth Chagra was convicted of conspiracy to Defendants: Charles Manson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, Leslie Van Houten Judge Wood hated my brother Lee so much that he wanted a Chagra any way he could get him, Chagra said, according to a clip of the interviews posted on the internet. From online or printed The seven-woman, five-man federal jury returned guilty verdicts on five counts of perjury after deliberating 2 hours. However, U.S. District Judge William S. Sessions ordered the hearing continued at a later date, indicating Mrs. Harrelson still faces possible imprisonment. Thats not the problem I have, Ray Jahn quoted Jimmy Chagra as telling Harrelson. Liz got a 30-year sentence. Charles and Jo Ann Harrelson and Liz Chagra were convicted at trial. 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. 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. Great American Trials. Can College Sports Get More Absurd Than SMU Joining the Pac-12? Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. The trial grew out of one of the largest FBI investigations in history, taking three years and over $5 million. Consequently, they got a bunch of bad stories, a bunch of bad information.. 'Justice Did Not Die'. Judge Wood, known as "maximum John" because of the heavy sentences he had imposed on drug dealers, had presided over the pretrial hearing of Jamiel Chagra, denying 20 defense motions. According to the F.B.I. But Joe absolutely refused to testify against his brother as a matter of family honor. 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. While awaiting trial, Chagra came into contact with career criminal Charles Harrelson, father of actor Woody Harrelson, in Las Vegas. Woody Harrelson is a beloved actor, but he has a troublesome legacy. Tips poured in. SHREVEPORT, La. The trial for Jimmy Chagra, meanwhile, was moved to Jacksonville, Florida, and his lawyer, former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, dealt the government a defeat. Wood was shot in the back with a high-powered rifle while leaving his north San Antonio townhouse for work. On Feb. 26, 1979, he was indicted on five counts of trafficking in marijuana and cocaine. Midland was in the jurisdiction of U.S. District Judge John Wood, known as Maximum John for his tough prison sentences in drug cases. He asked if he should have Judge Wood killed. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Charles Harrelson arrives at Federal Court 11-8-82 for his trial in the slaying of federal judge Wood. WHEN FIFTY-YEAR-OLD JOE CHAGRA flipped his Toyota Landcruiser on Interstate 10 west of El Paso in December, killing himself and two passengers, it was a sad final chapter in the life of a man best known as one of the conspirators in the 1979 murder of San Antonio federal judge John Wood. 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. 'Mrs. Prosecutors said Mrs. Harrelson lied to FBI agents, to a grand jury and in her previous trial. Sessions, who ordered a majority of the contempt hearing closed to the public, said during an interview with the news media in his chambers that Mrs. Harrelson's claim of marital privilege was the reason forpartial dismissal of the government's request. 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. killed Judge Wood in exchange for a promised $250,000 payment by Jamiel Chagra. In effect, he was being tried for murder, when he claimed that his only involvement was in a con-game to get the murder pay-off money for a killing performed by someone else. They tortured her for no (reason). 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. By Wayne King, Special To the New York Times. 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. A portrait of Federal Judge John H. Wood, Jr. hangs at the Federal Courthouse. Judge Woods 1979 slaying by Charles Harrelson was crime of the century, San Antonio Zoo has a long but spotty history with giraffes. 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. Copyright FameChain 2023, All rights reserved. Charles got double life sentences. He called himself ''a card mechanic'' so talented with a deck that he could deal any hands requested around a table.
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