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. Elizabeth Chagra: 30 years for conspiracy to murder, two concurrent five year sentences for obstruction of justice and tax evasion. Defendants: Charles Manson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, Leslie Van Houten Kathryn Wood, the widow of the slain judge, provided a five-page handwritten letter from Elizabeth Chagra, apologizing for her involvement in the murder. '', 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.''. Chip Gaines Bought Larry McMurtrys Historic Texas Bookstore. 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. Throughout, Charles Voyde Harrelson, the man convicted of killing the judge May 29, 1979, with a single shot in the back from a highpowered rifle, appeared at ease, leaning back in his chair and offering the jury faint smiles. 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. "I truly appreciate the way you assisted me. 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. ', 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.'. Thats not the problem I have, Ray Jahn quoted Jimmy Chagra as telling Harrelson. I visited him several times, once with my wife, Phyllis. 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. Joseph Chagra accepted a plea bargain. The UK's supply crisis puts extra pressure on Prime Minister Boris. 3 ARE FOUND GUILTY IN ASSASSINATION OF FEDERAL JUDGE, https://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/15/us/3-are-found-guilty-in-assassination-of-federal-judge.html. 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. From online or printed sources and from publicly accessible databases. 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. The three had risen from an unremarkable middle-class upbringing to live among El Paso's wealthiest residents. 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. Wood was called 'Maximum John' for his tough sentencing policies. 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 government indicted Harrelson, the Chagra brothers, Jo Ann Harrelson and Jimmy Chagras wife, Elizabeth, who delivered the $250,000 payoff for Charles Harrelson. Anyone can read what you share. Guillermo has also worked in Central America, Mexico, New Mexico, Arizona and California and his work has appeared in various publications, including the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, New York Post, Newsday, Denver Post and the Albuquerque Journal. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. He was a cheat, he was a con man and he was a murderer. . As a result, people used him. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. But I believe Joe made up those stories as part of a deal with the prosecution, and so do many others close to the case. Courthouse in San Antonio, Texas, Tuesday morning, September 28, 1982, to begin the trial for the May 1979 murder of Federal Judge John H. Wood, Jr.( AP PHOTO/ STEVE KRAUSS). Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. 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. It's an amazing way to provide a warm handoff so that people have all of their needs served. Anyone can read what you share. 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. Then, in the eight years after his release, Joe stayed clean and became a health nut. 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. 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. He was 63. The casinos loved him, of course, and their dealers loved him, too, because he was a big tipper. Charles Campion, the attorney for Mrs. Harrelson, did not say whether she would appeal. On Express-News.com: Judge Sarah Garrahan-Moulder, who helped prosecute hit man Charles Harrelson in San Antonio, dies at 84. Elizabeth Chagra was convicted of conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to obstruct justice. After invoking the By the time the first indictments came down in April 1982, the FBI had conducted more than 30,000 interviews and collected more than 500,000 pieces of information. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Mrs. Harrelson bought the rifle under a fictitious name, Fay King, or faking. This synergistic environment allows all the nonprofits to operate more efficiently and better utilize their funding. 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. On May 29, 1979, Wood was shot dead in the parking lot outside his San Antonio townhouse. He gave us details that only he knew, Ray Jahn said. Joe Chagra also testified that Jimmy Chagra later told him he had hired Harrelson to kill the judge and that Harrelson himself told Joe Chagra that he had carried out the hit, according to the newspaper stories. All relationship and family history information shown on FameChain has been compiled from data in the public domain. 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. Chagra also was a prime suspect in the attempted murder of Assistant U.S. Attorney James Kerr of San Antonio. Jo Ann Starr Harrelson: conspiracy to obstruct justice. 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. The Jo Ann Carter Harrelson Center Inc. is a North Carolina nonprofit corporation 501c3 (EIN 20-3598248) that supports and partners with other nonprofit organizations in the Wilmington community. Mrs. Chagra was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to obstruct justice. 23 Feb. 2023
. He has said he is a key suspect in Wood's slaying on May 29, 1979. Retrieved February 23, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/law/law-magazines/charles-harrelson-trial-1982-83. But Im sure the Wood family feels like they were robbed, too. The case was unique in that the courts all the way up the line blessed the decisions below, Campion said of appeals that followed. Jimmy Chagra, who was facing numerous narcotics charges, would become a suspect in the killing. Charles Manson Trial: 1970-71 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. Jos R. Ralat is Texas Monthlys taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food. At one point in a rambling dialogue, Jimmy warned Joe that he was up to his neck in the murder plot. Kentucky man stops for breakfast, wins $50,000 lottery prize. May 29, 1979: Wood was shot to death outside his San Antonio condo. Almost immediately, investigators turned to Mr. Chagra's plush law offices. Harrelson was sentenced to two consecutive life terms plus five years, while Jo Ann Harrelson got a combined 25 years for obstruction of justice. At trial, the Jahns put on a parade of star witnesses that included Harrelsons cellmate and Joe Chagra, both of whom had been told by Harrelson that he carried out the hit. I promised Samantha that I would write that Joe was a good father, and I know damn well he was. Elizabeth Chagra was convicted of conspiracy to Joseph Chagra, 50, Lawyer Linked to Assassination, Dies In 2019, we had a staff of three and were serving maybe 150 individuals. She, in turn, claimed she thought the payoff was for a gambling debt, and did not believe her husband when he claimed, "This is for the judge.". 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 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. Prosecutors said Mrs. Harrelson lied to FBI agents, to a grand jury and in her previous trial. 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. 1985) Annotate this Case US Court of Appeals for the But Chagra and Harrelson werent immediate suspects, and it took thousands of man-hours before they were identified as such. 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.