The Tale of Charles Harrelson, Woody Harrelson's Father: A Story of Allegations and Convictions
Updated: Apr 26
In the realm of Hollywood, tales of family history often carry a mystique of their own. One such story revolves around the father of acclaimed actor Woody Harrelson, whose life was marked by both controversy and tragedy. From allegations of criminal activity to eventual convictions, the story of Charles Harrelson offers a glimpse into a world fraught with intrigue and uncertainty.
Born in 1938, Charles enrolled in the US Navy after he left school but was kicked out after a short time due to his fondness of crime. In 1959 he was working as an Encyclopaedia salesman and a professional gambler, it was during this period he was charged with robbery.
In Woody's account, his father vanished from their Houston home in 1968, leaving his mother Diane to single-handedly raise Woody and his two brothers. It wasn't until 1981, with the news of Harrelson's arrest for U.S. District Judge John Wood Jr's murder, that Woody reconnected with his father. Reflecting on this tumultuous relationship during a November 1988 interview, Woody disclosed that he made regular visits to his father in federal prison, despite harbouring conflicting emotions towards him.
my father is one of the most articulate, well-read, charming people I've ever known. Still, I'm just now gauging whether he merits my loyalty or friendship. I look at him as someone who could be a friend more than someone who was a father.
In 1968 Charles was tried for the murder of Alan Harry Berg, he was acquitted of this crime in 1970. David Berg, the brother of the victim, writes about the murder in his book, 'Run, Brother, Run' and he's firmly convinced that Charles was responsible for the death of his brother.
After this trial Charles was tried for the 1968 murder-for-hire killing of Sam Degelia Jr, Harrelson was paid $2,000 (about $18,000 in 2024) for the murder of Degelia, a grain dealer and father of four, Charles was lucky again because the trial ended in a deadlock. He was retried in 1973, finally convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was released early in 1978 for good behaviour.
Shortly after his release on parole in 1978, Charles and his then-wife, Jo Ann, found themselves implicated in another homicide. On May 29, 1979, U.S. District Judge John H. Wood Jr. was fatally shot in the carpark outside his San Antonio, Texas, townhouse. Harrelson was later convicted of Judge Wood's murder, having been hired by drug dealer Jamiel Chagra from El Paso, Texas. Judge Wood, nicknamed "Maximum John" for his penchant for issuing lengthy sentences in drug cases, was originally slated to preside over Chagra's trial on the day of his assassination, but the proceedings had been postponed.
Charles had used a high-powered rifle and a scope to kill Wood as he went to get into his car. It was the first time in U.S. history that a sitting federal judge had been assassinated.
Following an intense manhunt, the FBI apprehended Charles Harrelson in September 1980, charging him with murder. The arrest followed a six-hour standoff characterised by Harrelson's cocaine-induced state and escalating threats before ultimately surrendering. With the aid of an anonymous tip and a tape recording of a conversation that occurred during a visit from Joe Chagra to his brother Jamiel Chagra in prison, Charles was charged with Judge Wood's murder. However, Charles claimed at trial that he did not kill Judge Wood, but merely took credit for it so he could claim a large payment from Chagra.
Harrelson received two life sentences primarily based on evidence gathered from Chagra's communication with his brother while incarcerated. Both Harrelson and Joe Chagra faced implications in the assassination plot. Chagra agreed to a ten-year sentence as part of a plea deal, agreeing to testify for the prosecution but refraining from incriminating his brother. Without Joe's testimony, Jamiel Chagra was acquitted of the murder charges. Jamiel, represented by Oscar Goodman, who would later become the mayor of Las Vegas, admitted guilt to the murder of Judge Wood and the attempted murder of a U.S. attorney as part of a plea arrangement. Harrelson's wife, Jo Ann, received consecutive sentences totalling 25 years for multiple convictions related to conspiracy and perjury concerning the assassination.
During the standoff after the shooting of Judge Wood, Charles threatened suicide and stated that he had killed both Judge Wood and President Kennedy. In a television interview after his arrest, Charles said:
At the same time I said I had killed the judge, I said I had killed Kennedy, which might give you an idea to the state of my mind at the time." He said that the statements made during the standoff were "an effort to elongate my life."
During Harrelson's trial, Joseph Chagra testified that Harrelson purportedly confessed to shooting Kennedy and even provided maps indicating his whereabouts during the assassination. However, Chagra expressed scepticism about Harrelson's claim, and the Associated Press stated that the FBI "seemingly dismissed any notion of Harrelson's involvement in the Kennedy assassination." As mentioned in Jim Marrs' 1989 book Crossfire, many conspiracy theorists speculate that Harrelson could be the youngest and tallest among the "three tramps."
In 1982, Harrelson told a Dallas TV station "Do you believe that Lee Harvey Oswald killed President Kennedy, alone, without any aid from a rogue agency of the U.S. government or at least a portion of that agency? I believe you are very naïve if you do."
On July 4, 1995, Harrelson, along with fellow inmates Gary Settle and Michael Rivers, made an attempt to escape from the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary by fashioning a makeshift rope. However, their plan was thwarted when a warning shot was fired from the prison's tower, prompting the trio to surrender. Harrelson was subsequently transferred to the supermax prison ADX Florence in Colorado. In a letter penned to a friend, Harrelson expressed contentment with his life in the maximum-security facility, noting, "there are not enough hours in a day for my needs as a matter of fact ... The silence is wonderful."
Despite their estrangement for much of his life, Woody made efforts to establish a relationship with Charles starting in the early 1980s. Rather than viewing the convicted assassin as a father figure, Harrelson sought to connect with him as a friend.
Woody would visit his dad in prison at least once a year visited him in prison. According to the Guardian, he even went as far as spending around $2m in legal fees to try and secure a release for his dad.
Charles Harrelson died of a heart attack in prison in 2007 having never regained his freedom.
In 2024, Woody Harrelson shared ‘proof’ that Matthew McConaughey could be his brother.
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