Joseph Chagra did not testify. When he went to Las Vegas, he went to offer his talents as a murderer.''. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. By that time the FBI investigation into the judges assassination was more than two years old. "Charles Harrelson Trial: 1982-83 The feds indicted Jimmy Chagra, Charles Harrelson, Joe Chagra, Liz Chagra and Jo Ann Harrelson in the judges murder. To cut costs, Amazon delays completion of second headquarters, closes retail stores. As a result, people used him. I promised Samantha that I would write that Joe was a good father, and I know damn well he was. ", Cindy Moore,Quality Services Director, GHA Autism Supports, "The Center has been such a big part of our growth and development providing us with a solid home base and a network of valuable partners.". The first giraffe in San Antonio was part of a traveling circus that stopped here in 1901. In addition to the testimony of Joseph Chagra, the government had evidence drawn from more than 1,000 recorded telephone and face-to-face conversations, most of them involving Jamiel Chagra in various prisons. 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. The sensational case resulted in a book, Dirty Dealings, by the late journalist Gary Cartwright, television crime dramas and a mention at Las Vegas Mob Museum. Charles wife at the time, But his wife was not released and died of ovarian cancer at age 41. However, the date of retrieval is often important. If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. The defense sought a change of venue, but the requests were denied. A police officer stopped his car. Anyone can read what you share. Another juror collapsed in her chair after the verdict was read and had to be helped from the courtroom. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. It was the day after (Memorial) Day, the day Chagras trial was to start, Ray Jahn said. The Chagras were known as key members of a so-called Dixie Mafia, heavily involved in drug smuggling. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. If I'm not the expert in one area, I know already that somebody is within the Harrelson Center. Support is He built a marijuana and cocaine smuggling operation with connections to Colombia and Mexico. 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. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. Released in 1978, he married for a third time the next year, this time to Jo Ann Starr. In addition to his son and brother, Mr. Chagra is survived by his mother, Josephine, and two sisters, Samantha and Patsy. 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. 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. The trial grew out of one of the largest FBI investigations in history, taking three years and over $5 million. On Express-News.com: Judge Sarah Garrahan-Moulder, who helped prosecute hit man Charles Harrelson in San Antonio, dies at 84. Whats Up With All the Kangaroos on the Loose in Texas? Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. -- Jo Ann Harrelson, a former Las Vegas gambler and wife of the hitman convicted of killing a federal judge, was found guilty of perjury -- the TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Jo Ann had purchased the rifle under a false name, Mrs. "Fay King." Once he paid off a cocktail waitress $50,000 mortgage when he heard she was raising three kids on her own. Mrs. Harrelson bought the rifle under a fictitious name, Fay King, or faking. The only other person in the world who knew that Harrelson did the hit on Judge Wood was Jimmy, who ordered it. The jury found Chagra guilty. 10/19/1981 - Charles V. Harrelson, charged in the murder of U.S. District Judge John H. Wood, in court. At one point in a rambling dialogue, Jimmy warned Joe that he was up to his neck in the murder plot. 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. But unknown to Harrelson, the trial had been postponed, Ray Jahn said. 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. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Harrelson said that Kay had about $135,000 of the payoff money delivered to him by Elizabeth Chagra as part of the scam. 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. 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. 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. 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. Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. 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. 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. 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. March 4 (UPI) -- Three children are dead and two others remain hospitalized Saturday after a domestic incident in a North Texas town, authorities said. 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. 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. ." Elizabeth Chagra was convicted of conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Jamiel Chagra: guilty of conspiracy to obstruct justice, drug charges, and tax evasion. Elizabeth Chagra: 30 years for conspiracy to murder, two concurrent five year sentences for obstruction of justice and tax evasion. One, Jerry Ray James, befriended Jamiel Chagra in prison and allowed his conversations to be secretly taped. ''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. In a plea agreement, Joe Chagra got a 10-year sentence. Harrelson argued that Kay's wife had purchased a Weatherby hunting rifle of the type used to kill the judge some 12 days before the killing. The center supports its partners with below-market rental rates that cover all utilities, parking and security. 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. Less than a year before Judge Wood was slain, Lee Chagra, Joseph's older brother, who had defended numerous narcotics suspects in Judge Wood's court, was killed in his office by armed robbers. Charles Harrelson under arrest in 1982 for the slaying of federal judge John Wood. Great American Trials. 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. 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. A short time later, Joe was arrested and held without bail, as were Jo Ann They pulled out all the stops. 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. 1985) Annotate this Case US Court of Appeals for the Charles, Jo Ann Harrelson and Elizabeth Chagra faced only the lesser charges. In death as in life, El Paso crime family scion Joe Chagra is getting a bad rap. '', The fear, the Government asserted, was that of Jamiel Chagra, once described on an F.B.I. 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. 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. She was previously convicted of using a false name to buy a rifle, believed to be the murder weapon, and sentenced to three years. Even though every partner is Charles Harrelson was the last of the classic American hitman. In exchange for agreeing to testify against "Texas SniperThe Charge: Murdering a Judge." TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. The trial for the Harrelsons and Elizabeth Chagra took place in the newly named John H. Wood Jr. courthouse over objections from defense lawyers. Chagra asked Harrelson if Wood could be bribed. '', 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.''. The $450,000 they took from the office safe was money Jimmy owed to mob boss Joe Bonanno, Sr., for a busted drug deal. He asked if he should have Judge Wood killed. He was very good at what he did, Ray Jahn said. It was such an iconoclastic case, because it was believed a federal judge could not be touched.. 'She has reached a point where the evidence is up to her ears and she's floundering in it. Jo Ann Harrelson was convicted of conspiracy to obstruct justice and later convicted of five counts of perjury. But the judge could not be corrupted. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Jimmy Chagra was sentenced to 30 years for his original drug-trafficking charges, plus 10 years for the lesser charges he was convicted of when he was tried for the Wood murder. Jimmy Chagra broached the matter again in early May 1979 as the brothers walked on the lawn of Jimmys Las Vegas home, Joe Chagra testified. Prosecutors said Mrs. Harrelson lied to FBI agents, to a grand jury and in her previous trial. You cant imagine the shock when Jimmy Chagra was acquitted.. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the conspiracy conviction February 15, 1985, on the grounds that the prosecution failed to show premeditation and malice. March 2 (UPI) -- A Minnesota police officer came to the rescue of a raccoon he spotted running around with a jar stuck over its head. Former U.S. serviceman sentenced to 45 years for planning attack on fellow soldiers.