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. CHAGRA: ASSASSINATION OF JUDGE JOHN WOOD AND LINKS TO CHARLES HARRELSON, FATHER OF WOODY. Goodman faced a monumental task to win the case. Federal authorities claimed that attorney-client privileges did not protect conversations between Joseph and Jamiel Chagra, because Joseph (the attorney) was himself a suspect in the conspiracy to conceal the crime. May 29, 1979: Wood was shot to death outside his San Antonio condo. Charles Harrelson, arrives at the U.S. US based Meghan and Harry.. FameChain has their amazing trees. The Jo Ann Carter Harrelson Center Inc. is a North He lost millions at the craps tables as well as in gin rummy games and on golf courses. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the conspiracy conviction February 15, 1985, on the grounds that the prosecution failed to show premeditation and malice. Our incoming donations used to be 70% used items. U.S. District Judge John H. Wood was assassinated in San Antonio May 29, 1979, by Charles Harrelson. Mrs. Chagra was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Texas Lege Watch: A House Republican Fights for Chicken Freedom, Texas Monthly Recognized by ASME in the 2023 National Magazine Awards. "Charles Harrelson Trial: 1982-83 Five months later Wood was dead, slain May 29, 1979, on his way to work. Copyright FameChain 2023, All rights reserved. Prosecutors said Mrs. Harrelson lied to FBI agents, to a grand jury and in her previous trial. Jamiel Chagra was tried separately, in Jacksonville, Florida and received a sentence of 15 years and was fined $120,000 on the charge of conspiracy to obstruct justice and conspiracy to possess marijuana. It was just incredible, said Millsap, the former district attorney. The $450,000 they took from the office safe was money Jimmy owed to mob boss Joe Bonanno, Sr., for a busted drug deal. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Thank you for helping me and our community. At a subsequent trial, held in Florida because of the publicity in Texas, Jimmy Chagra was acquitted of murder and conspiracy to commit murder but convicted of conspiracy to obstruct justice and conspiracy to possess more than half a ton of marijuana with intent to sell. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Fire Ants Have Unleashed Chaos in Texas for Decades. Click here to Start FameChaining. 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.. 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. Mr. Chagra returned to El Paso in 1988 from a Federal prison in Stafford, Ariz., where he had served six and a half years of a 10-year sentence for conspiracy. SHREVEPORT, La. Joe was stunned. They pulled out all the stops. Judge Woods 1979 slaying by Charles Harrelson was crime of the century, San Antonio Zoo has a long but spotty history with giraffes. Defendants: Charles Manson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, Leslie Van Houten Goodman made a six-hour final argument without a break. . WebJo Ann Harrelson, Charles Voyed Harrelson and Elizabethnichols Chagra, Defendants-appellants, 754 F.2d 1153 (5th Cir. The case was unique in that the courts all the way up the line blessed the decisions below, Campion said of appeals that followed. Harrelson).'. 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. Elizabeth Chagra: 30 years for conspiracy to murder, two concurrent five year sentences for obstruction of justice and tax evasion. Because he was a model prisoner Joe ended up spending only six and a half years behind bars. Depen, Chicago Mobsters Convicted of Decades-Old Murders Harrelson claimed to have killed 50 '', The fear, the Government asserted, was that of Jamiel Chagra, once described on an F.B.I. Time (October 25, 1982). (February 23, 2023). 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. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. British bus driver stops to give loose sheep a lift. Talented With Cards. He enjoyed a high-rolling lifestyle at Caesars Palace and Binions Horseshoe but he was not a very good gambler. Image of Jimmy Chagra in handcuffs courtesy of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. As a result, people used him. If I'm not the expert in one area, I know already that somebody is within the Harrelson Center. He told Joe about the contract and drew a map showing where he had hidden the murder rifle. Lee and Jimmy were gangsters, whereas Joe was just a kid who liked to snort coke and talk tough. Chagra was a prolific marijuana smuggler and spent his ill-gotten fortune on casinos in Las Vegas, where he moved in 1978. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. 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. Charles Harrelson under arrest in 1982 for the slaying of federal judge John Wood. Former U.S. serviceman sentenced to 45 years for planning attack on fellow soldiers. New York Times (December 15, 1982). 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. In a plea agreement, Joe Chagra got a 10-year sentence. If he didnt concoct a lie about how he was really part of the conspiracy, thus allowing him to testify against Harrelson, he believed he would face a total of thirty-five to forty years on drug charges. But do note that it is not possible to be certain of a person's genealogy without a family's cooperation (and/or DNA testing). His court-appointed attorney, Thomas G. Sharpe, who defended him on two previous murder-for-hire charges, one ending in acquittal and the other in a 15-year sentence, said the verdict would be appealed. 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. See the article in its original context from. 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. The trial grew out of one of the largest FBI investigations in history, taking three years and over $5 million. The Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a mission to advance the public understanding of organized crime's history and impact on American society. Mr. Harrelson also said that Mr. Kay had $135,000 to $150,000 delivered to him as part of the ''scam.'' And You Thought Feral Hogs Were Bad. March 3 (UPI) -- A Massachusetts library said a book was recently returned with a note apologizing for the tome being 56 years overdue. Ive published three articles in this magazine about Wood and the Chagras, but Ive never written all I knowuntil now. As of mid-2001, the appeal remained postponed. Elizabeth Chagra was convicted of conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to obstruct justice. 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. The only other person in the world who knew that Harrelson did the hit on Judge Wood was Jimmy, who ordered it. 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. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. Harrelson thought that was the day he had to kill the judge.. Former mayor of Las Vegas, Oscar Goodman is credited with the revitalization of downtown Las Vegas including The Smith Center for the Performing Arts and our very own The Mob Museum. March 4 (UPI) -- Three children are dead and two others remain hospitalized Saturday after a domestic incident in a North Texas town, authorities said. One of his many screenplays details the life of notorious drug smuggler Jimmy Chagra. Thursday, May 28: Oscar's "Case of the Century": The Life 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. Probation can be given i, Charles Goodyear Discovers the Process for Creating Vulcanized Rubber, Charles I 16001649 King of Great Britain, Charles Jean Gustave Nicolas de la Valle Poussin, Charles Lyell Publishes The Principles of Geology (1830-33), in Which He Proposes the Actual Age of Earth to be Several Hundred Million Years, https://www.encyclopedia.com/law/law-magazines/charles-harrelson-trial-1982-83, John Francis Knapp And Joseph Jenkins Knapp Trials: 1830. 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. 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. 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. The UK's supply crisis puts extra pressure on Prime Minister Boris. - Steve Spain, Executive Director, Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity. ." Joseph Chagra did not testify. But in the interviews, Chagra described himself as a megalomaniac.. 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. The jury started deliberating on Feb. 3, 1983. Charles and Jo Ann Harrelson and Liz Chagra were convicted at trial. Charles got double life sentences. 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. The investigation cost more than $11 million, at the time the most extensive investigation in the bureaus history. SHREVEPORT, La. 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. 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. You cant imagine the shock when Jimmy Chagra was acquitted.. 23 Feb. 2023 . He won the first ever Nevada Screenwriters Award in 1988 and the Lowell Thomas Award for outstanding travel writing in 1991. Charles wife at the time, 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.