An appeal was expected. Jo Ann, convicted of conspiracy to obstruct justice and perjury, was later paroled. March 3 (UPI) -- A sheep spotted wandering loose on a British highway was given a lift back to its owner by a concerned bus driver on her first day on the job. However, the date of retrieval is often important. Time (October 25, 1982). They talked about assassinating Judge Wood. James had a deal to receive $250,000 from the government if Chagra was convicted. March 3 (UPI) -- A 7-year-old Louisiana boy with a firm grasp of baseball rules is seeking a Guinness World Record as the world's youngest umpire. Joe accepted a ten-year plea bargain in the Wood conspiracy, with the understanding that prosecutors would help him recover his law license. The government efforts in the Wood case are not over. 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. In 1995, he appeared as himself in the movie, Casino.. Chagra made frequent trips to Las Vegas, arriving with suitcases stuffed with millions of dollars in cash. 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). Mrs. Harrelson faces up to 25 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. 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. On Feb. 26, 1979, he was indicted on five counts of trafficking in marijuana and cocaine. Donald asks the courts to let him tweet. And You Thought Feral Hogs Were Bad. I visited him several times, once with my wife, Phyllis. I told him he should.. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. 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. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Thats how one former friend described the convicted killer. He said that Mr. Kay had bilked Jamiel Chagra by telling him that it was he, Charles Harrelson, who had shot the judge and should collect the $250,000 payoff. 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. https://www.encyclopedia.com/law/law-magazines/charles-harrelson-trial-1982-83, "Charles Harrelson Trial: 1982-83 According to newspaper stories citing trial testimony, a drug trafficker and flamboyant gambler originally from El Paso, Jamiel Jimmy Chagra, paid Harrelson $250,000 to kill Wood because Chagra feared a trial and sentencing by Maximum John. Wood earned the moniker for his reputation of giving tough sentences to drug traffickers. A portrait of Federal Judge John H. Wood, Jr. hangs at the Federal Courthouse, Monday, August 7, 2017. Judge Wood, known as ''Maximum John'' because of the sentences he had given drug dealers, set May 29, 1979, as the day the trial was to begin. Harrelson is drowning in a sea of evidence and she realizes it,' assistant U.S. Attorney Ray Jahn told jurors before the verdict Monday. It was a David vs. Goliath battle. A police officer stopped his car. In 1979, a federal grand jury in Midland, Texas, indicted Chagra on drug smuggling charges. People walk by the Judge John H. Wood Jr. Federal Courthouse in 2017. Jimmy told me he was never going to get a fair trial and asked if I thought he should try having Judge Wood killed, Joe Chagra testified, according to newspaper stories at the time. The real shock, however, was yet to come: The FBI was bugging Harrelsons celland also the visitors room at Leavenworth, where Joe was routinely subjected to Jimmys abuse. Bring on the Shiplap. All relationship and family history information shown on FameChain has been compiled from data in the public domain. Jo Ann Harrelson was found guilty of conspiracy to obstruct justice. Elizabeth Chagra: 30 years for conspiracy to murder, two concurrent five year sentences for obstruction of justice and tax evasion. Judge Wood was the first Federal judge to be assassinated in this century. By September 1982, five suspects were under indictment: Joseph and Jimmy Chagra; Jimmy's wife, Elizabeth, and Mr. Harrelson and his wife, Jo Ann. On May 29, 1979, Wood was shot dead in the parking lot outside his San Antonio townhouse. Sessions gave Chagra 30 years on the drug charges, and he was sent to Leavenworth. Judge Woods 1979 slaying by Charles Harrelson was crime of the century, San Antonio Zoo has a long but spotty history with giraffes. Elizabeth Chagra, the wife of Jamiel (Jimmy) Chagra, the drug dealer who is to be tried in a separate proceeding on charges of paying Mr. Harrelson $250,000 to murder the judge, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to obstruct justice. May 29, 1979: Wood was shot to death outside his San Antonio condo. ', 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.'. 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. He claimed that a fellow gambler, George (Pete) Kay had bilked Jamiel Chagra by claiming that Charles Harrelson had killed the judge and should collect the $250,000 fee. On This Day: Frances Perkins sworn in as first female Cabinet member. Woody Harrelson's dad Charles Voyde Harrelson was a career criminal who died in prison while serving two life sentences for murdering a judge in a contract 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. Over time, we became friends. Talented With Cards. See the article in its original context from. Livestreaming available the night of the event by clicking here. Joseph agreed that he should. It was the huge stepping stone we needed to be able to increase our impact on the community and really do right by our clients. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. Patricia Sharpe writes a regular restaurant column, Pats Pick, for Texas Monthly. Wood died in 1979 when he was assassinated by Charles Harrelson. 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. Charles Harrelson arrives at Federal Court 11-8-82 for his trial in the slaying of federal judge Wood. March 3 (UPI) -- In a cost-saving move, retail giant Amazon announced Friday that it will delay construction on a planned second corporate headquarters dubbed "HQ2" in Arlington, Va. President Joe Biden thanks German chancellor for his nation's help in Ukraine. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. He was 63. Assistant United States Attorney Ray Jahn, the chief prosecutor, expressed his thanks for the verdict, saying, ''When Judge Wood died on May 29, justice did not die.''. Yes, Chagra Russell continued. Crimes Charged: First-degree murder an, Murder Since arriving, our vision has become reality. He was very good at what he did, Ray Jahn said. Kentucky man stops for breakfast, wins $50,000 lottery prize. The center supports its partners with below-market rental rates that cover all utilities, parking and security. Not wanting to put his family through a trial, Joe pleaded guilty to something he didnt do, Chagra Russell said. March 4 (UPI) -- Roel Degamo, the governor of the Philippines province of Negros Oriental, was assassinated and five others also died Saturday in an attack by gunmen, officials said. Jo Ann Harrelson was summoned before a federal grand jury in the Western District of Texas investigating her husband's complicity in the murder. On March 4, 1933, Frances Perkins was sworn in as U.S. labor secretary, becoming the first female member of the Cabinet. 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. The only other person in the world who knew that Harrelson did the hit on Judge Wood was Jimmy, who ordered it. Depen, Chicago Mobsters Convicted of Decades-Old Murders 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. Joseph Chagra refused to testify against his own brother Jamiel (Jimmy), however. She died of ovarian cancer in prison because she wouldnt testify against me., But when reminded that he nonetheless confessed to bankrolling the judges killing, Chagra replied: Well, I said I did it to get paroled, so Ill stick to that story right now., He added: Personally, I dont know if Charlie Harrelson killed Judge Wood or not.. Jo Ann Harrelson tried for perjury, and Jamiel and Elizabeth Chagra tried for tax evasion in Shreveport, Louisiana.Dates of Trials: October 7, 1982-December 14, 1982 (Charles Harrelson, Jo Ann Harrelson, Elizabeth Chagra); January 10, 1983-February 7, 1983 (Jamiel Chagra); March 1983 (Chagra trials for tax evasion and Jo Ann Harrelson trial for perjury)Verdicts: Charles Harrelson: guilty of murder of federal judge, conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to obstruct justice. Jimmy Chagra, who was facing numerous narcotics charges, would become a suspect in the killing. 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. Harrelson, a card gambling felon and accused hit man with ties to organized crime, was the father of actor Woody Harrelson and met Jimmy Chagra in Vegas in 1979 after being paroled in an unrelated murder case. Wood was called 'Maximum John' for his tough sentencing policies. 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. Encyclopedia.com. Thats not the problem I have, Ray Jahn quoted Jimmy Chagra as telling Harrelson. The pressure (to solve the murder) was on us, Ray Jahn said. In 2006, he did some videotaped interviews with Las Vegas journalist Jack Sheehan. But as his lawyer, Harrelson reasoned, anything Joe discovered about Woods murder would have to be kept confidential because of attorney-client privilege. 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. Great American Trials. Editor's note: This story originally published in a 2017 series honoring the 300th anniversary of San Antonio.A man named Bill Bannister registered at the Town House motel on Loop 410 on Memorial Day 1979. British bus driver stops to give loose sheep a lift. Former U.S. serviceman sentenced to 45 years for planning attack on fellow soldiers. 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. She was previously convicted of using a ." Mrs. Chagra was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to obstruct justice. 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. Jo Ann had purchased the rifle under a false name, Mrs. "Fay King." At one point in a rambling dialogue, Jimmy warned Joe that he was up to his neck in the murder plot. Now, perhaps due to our improved stature, our incoming donations are 80% new! . Mr. Harrelson's wife, Jo Ann, was found guilty of conspiracy to obstruct justice, the only charge against her in this case. Click here to Start FameChaining. One of his many screenplays details the life of notorious drug smuggler Jimmy Chagra. The government also taped other conversations, including some between Charles Harrelson and his attorney, and others between Joseph and Jamiel Chagra. ''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. 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. Image of Jimmy Chagra in handcuffs courtesy of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. '', 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.''. 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. Harrelson thought that was the day he had to kill the judge.. Whats Up With All the Kangaroos on the Loose in Texas? Leave them blank to get signed up. 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. Sessions will preside over the March 14 trial in Shreveport of Chagra, Mrs. Chagra, and Mrs. Chagra's father, Leon Nichols, on tax evasion charges. Wood died in 1979 when he was assassinated by Charles Harrelson. But his wife was not released and died of ovarian cancer at age 41. Explore how the celebrity world connects. 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. Harrelson claimed to have killed 50 All but Jimmy live in El Paso. March 3 (UPI) -- Firefighters in Britain responded to a home to rescue a horse that had fallen into its owner's swimming pool and was unable to get itself out. He believed in the justice system, but it didnt do right by him., Do I feel like he got robbed? Harrelson).'. 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. See FameChain's massive Trump family tree. In exchange for agreeing to testify against This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. 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. 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. Overdue book returned to Massachusetts library after 56 years. Another juror collapsed in her chair after the verdict was read and had to be helped from the courtroom. Firefighters hoist horse stranded in backyard swimming pool. The three had risen from an unremarkable middle-class upbringing to live among El Paso's wealthiest residents.
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