Charles Voyde Harrelson
Charles Voyde Harrelson
Harrelson declared several times (the first time being when he had been apprehended for the Wood shooting) that he had been involved in John F. Kennedy's assassination. Some think he was one of the three tramps arrested on November 22, 1963 in a train near Dealey Plaza, but Dallas Police Department documents made public in 1992 reveal that the three men really were transients with no connection to the assassination. Harrelson declared several times (the first time being when he had been apprehended for the Wood shooting) that he had been involved in John F. Kennedy's assassination. Some think he was one of the three tramps arrested on November 22, 1963 in a train near Dealey Plaza, but Dallas Police Department documents made public in 1992 reveal that the three men really were transients with no connection to the assassination.
Exerpt from following article....
A man who has more dealings than most with Charles Harrelson is retired Captain Jack Dean, United States Marshall and Texas Ranger. Charles harrelson was brought to Edinburg, Texas in September 1970 to stand trial for the hired killing of Sam Degilia Jr. The case had been worked by two Rangers Tod Dawson and Skippy Rundell until Jack entered the service in 9-1-70 and inherited the case as he put it "I did the leg work on this case". Harrelson had just been in court in Palcious texas for another hired killing and was found to be innocent, during the next four years he came to know Harrelson very well. The first trial was a hung jury as a nightclub singer came forward and claimed to have been with Harrelson at the time although the second trial resulted in his conviction as the singer feared perjury charges and did not turn up and instead went to Aruba. Harrelson was sentenced to 15 years in prison but was let out in five due to a new state law passed allowing him credit due to jail time served.
During Harrelsons time in prison he wedded a nurse who worked in the penitentiary. He also attempted to escape from prison and was sent down on a gun charge in Kansas for a year or two after he had served his time. The next dealing Jack had with Harrelson was when Judge John Wood was murdered outside his San Antonio condo by a shot in the back by a high-powered rifle. A few days after the murder Jack received a phone call from an unknown source, "How are doing, Jack", "Who is
this", "You know who this is", "I don’t think so", "Charles Harrelson was in San Antonio the day Judge Woods was Killed", Jack asked "Did Charlie kill the judge", "Charles Harrelson was in San Antonio the day judge Woods was killed", the caller then hung up and Jack was never sure who the caller was. In an operation of this size one would assume that people would be tight lipped as to who was responsible for such a serious crime, someone would only tip off the authorities if they had themselves something to gain, perhaps a rival to Chagra/ Binion.
During Harrelsons time in prison he wedded a nurse who worked in the penitentiary. He also attempted to escape from prison and was sent down on a gun charge in Kansas for a year or two after he had served his time. The next dealing Jack had with Harrelson was when Judge John Wood was murdered outside his San Antonio condo by a shot in the back by a high-powered rifle. A few days after the murder Jack received a phone call from an unknown source, "How are doing, Jack", "Who is
this", "You know who this is", "I don’t think so", "Charles Harrelson was in San Antonio the day Judge Woods was Killed", Jack asked "Did Charlie kill the judge", "Charles Harrelson was in San Antonio the day judge Woods was killed", the caller then hung up and Jack was never sure who the caller was. In an operation of this size one would assume that people would be tight lipped as to who was responsible for such a serious crime, someone would only tip off the authorities if they had themselves something to gain, perhaps a rival to Chagra/ Binion.
Exerpt from following article....
Jack Dean also knew Harrelsons father who ironically was a prison guard
and his
Uncle who was a prison warden. Jack has also said that Charlie liked to
gamble which ties in with his involvement of things at the Horseshoe
casino and
with other figures who used to be involved in gambling. Jack stated
that to his
knowledge Harrleson was not involved with the mafia but was involved
with the
Dixie Mafia who he described as "a bunch of Texas and L.A. bad guys" he
also
said that "He did do some collecting for some people related to
organized
gambling?…at one time he supposedly had a cocaine habit", this
could be
relating to McWillie and Matthews who were heavily involved in these
rackets.
Harrelson had a reputation of getting the job done according to Jack
but when he
got caught he took everyone else with him, which is something that I
think any
of us would do to save our own hides. Capt. Dean was in charge of
security at
the court hearings presided over by judges Beiery and Garcia and during
this
time he let Harrelson see his grandchildren, jack received a note of
appreciation afterwards, he also at another point told Jack that when
he got out
he would buy him a beer to which Jack responded that HE would buy the
Beer IF
Harrelson did get out.
and his
Uncle who was a prison warden. Jack has also said that Charlie liked to
gamble which ties in with his involvement of things at the Horseshoe
casino and
with other figures who used to be involved in gambling. Jack stated
that to his
knowledge Harrleson was not involved with the mafia but was involved
with the
Dixie Mafia who he described as "a bunch of Texas and L.A. bad guys" he
also
said that "He did do some collecting for some people related to
organized
gambling?…at one time he supposedly had a cocaine habit", this
could be
relating to McWillie and Matthews who were heavily involved in these
rackets.
Harrelson had a reputation of getting the job done according to Jack
but when he
got caught he took everyone else with him, which is something that I
think any
of us would do to save our own hides. Capt. Dean was in charge of
security at
the court hearings presided over by judges Beiery and Garcia and during
this
time he let Harrelson see his grandchildren, jack received a note of
appreciation afterwards, he also at another point told Jack that when
he got out
he would buy him a beer to which Jack responded that HE would buy the
Beer IF
Harrelson did get out.
Here's the whole article.....
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My Research into Charles Voyde Harrelson
Charles Harrelson has been accused as being one of the three tramps. I
have
investigated Harrelsons links quite thoroughly and wrote this seminar.
I have
corresponded with Mr. Harrelson and he denies the claims. Read the
evidence and
make your own conclusion
Charles Voyd Harrelson
Charles Voyd Harrelson is known mostly because of the fact that he was
convicted
in 1982 of murdering Judge John Wood, but, What has sparked a lot of
controversy
is the fact that Harrelson is suspected of being one of the three
tramps that
were arrested on the day of the Kennedy Assassination.
Harrelson was indeed involved with some very dirty people in his
criminal life
but was he involved with the assassination?
Harrelson was born in Huntsville Texas in 1939 although he did not plan
on
staying there long and was drawn to the more attractive sights of
Houston. In
Houston Harrelson made a living selling dental equipment and was also
believed
to have sold encyclopaedias.(1) Harrelson wished to earn money at a
quicker rate
and soon became involved in criminal activities.
Harrelson was fingered by Chauncey Holt as being one of the three
tramps taken
from a train hours after the assassination "so I scooted under the
train, went
under to the other side, encountered Harrelson and Montoya"(2) said
Holt in a
Newsweek interview with John Craig, Philip Rogers and Gary Shaw. Holt
states
that he did not know Harrelson that well but said, "Im confident thats
who
it was". Lois Gibson a forensic artist and facial expert for the
Houston Police
Department compared the photos of the tramps with those of Holt,
Harrelson and
Charles Rogers and came up with a match for all three(3). It is said
that
Harrelson once while high on cocaine exited the Corvette he was driving
and shot
it full of holes as it made too much noise(4). Harrelson was wanted for
the
contract murder of Judge John Wood and was stopped by police, a six
hour stand
off ensued when the police found him, and he allegedly held a .44
magnum to his
head and confessed to the murder of both Judge John Woods and President
John F.
Kennedy(5).
A reporter for the Dallas morning news by the name of Chuck Cook
interviewed
Harrelson on the judge Wood case and subsequently asked him about his
claims of
murdering the President, Cook said that Harrelson got this sly little
grin on
his face, Harrelson is very intelligent and has a way of not answering
when it
suits him(6). At a later interview Cook brought the subject up again
and at
that point Harrelson became very serious, Cook quoted Harrelson as
saying
"Listen, if and when I get out of here (prison) and feel free to talk,
I will
have something that will be the biggest story you ever had" and added
"November
22, 1963. You remember that!". Cooks claims seem to be sensational as
every
other time Harrelson has been questioned with regard to the
assassination he has
emphatically denied it. Cook later showed the photos of the three
tramps to
Harrisons wife Jo Ann Harrelson who was "amazed at the similarities",
Cook
later revealed that Harrelsons jail conversations were indeed being
monitored
although this is the norm in some prisons including the maximum
penitentiary in
Colorado in which he is currently incarcerated(7).
When later questioned on the assassination and the murder of Judge Wood
by
Dallas TV newsman Quin Matthews, Harrelson said " At the same time I
said I
killed the Judge, I said I had killed Kennedy, which might give you an
idea as
to the state of my mind at the time ?it was an effort to elongate my
life. ..
well, do you believe 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"(8). Harrelson
was also shown
the photos with comparisons of himself and the tall tramp on Nigel
Turners
documentary The Men Who Killed Kennedy- The Cover-up, harrelson
admitted a
striking similarity between himself and the tramp but that it was not
him and
that he was dining with a friend in Houston at the time. I recently
asked
retired Texas Ranger Captain Jack Dean what he thought Harrelson might
do when
questioned about the photos, he stated "my thought s are that if asked
he would
not say yes or no but make some statement as "it does look like me"" ,
Capt.
Dean has not seen the documentary yet he predicts that this would be
Harrelsons
likely response.
In Harrelsons wallet the day he was arrested was the business card of
Russell
Douglas Matthews(9), Matthews was believed to be Harrelsons idol
although this
has not been conclusively proven. Russell Matthews is described by the
FBI as a
burglar, an armed robber, a narcotics pusher and a murderer(10).
Matthews worked
for mob controlled casinos in Cuba during the 1950s and later turned to
the
Dallas underworld in the 1960s. He was a known associate of Santos
Tafficante
the Miami mob boss and Joseph Campisi a leading Mafioso who also
testified for
Harrelson at one of his trials. Matthews and Campisi were seen together
in both
Dallas and Las Vegas in 1978(11). Perhaps the most interesting fact is
that
Matthews was a known associate of Jack Ruby the murderer of Lee Harvey
Oswald.
This is just one of many ties between harrelson and Ruby although it
may well be
that they never met, nevertheless they were both indirectly connected
with the
same people. Four witnesses say that they knew that Matthews and Ruby
knew each
other well(12), although the Warren Commission states that Matthews was
only a
casual acquaintance" of Rubys, and this link alone proves that Ruby was
involved with organized crime, a fact that the Warren Commission
refused to
acknowledge. On October third 1963 a call was placed from Jack Rubys
Carousel
club to a number in Shreveport, Louisiana listed to Elizabeth Matthews,
Russell
Douglas Matthews former wife(13). Matthews was also the best man at the
wedding
of George McGann and Beverly Oliver. Beverly Oliver was a witness to
the
assassination of John F. Kennedy and captured the whole event on film
only to
have her film confiscated by the FBI and was never to be seen again,
Beverly
also worked in the Colony club as a dancer, this club was right next
door to
Rubys Carousel club, it was frequent for dancers to go from club to
club
watching their friends dance . Beverly Oliver has also stated that she
saw Jack
Ruby and Lee Harvey Oswald together and remembers seeing David Ferrie
in the
Carousel(14). Another claim by Beverly Oliver is that she and McGann
once had a
meeting with Richard Nixon in a hotel in 1968 in Miami. George Mcgann
was
murdered in the home of one Ronny Weeden, the case was never closed.
Harrelson
knew Weeden during his stay in prison and claims that Weeden committed
the
murder and that Weeden disappeared afterwards. Harrelson also stated
that Weeden
"had a reputation as a hit man"(15); Weedens name was also in McGanns
notebooks.
Even if Harrelson was not involved in the assassination he may have
learned of
it from Matthews who may well have had knowledge of it from his friend
Jack
Ruby.
Another associate of Matthews was Lewis McWillie , McWillie was once
employed as
the manager of the Tropicana Casino in Havana where Jake Lansky brother
of Mayer
Lansky held considerable influence. Jack Ruby went on a weeklong trip
to Cuba in
1959 where he met with McWillie on several occasions. Ruby once shipped
4 guns
to Cuba for McWillie, Ruby also sent a .38 Smith and Wesson revolver
from Rays
Hardware Store Dallas to McWillie in Las Vegas(16). Over a four-month
period
Ruby called Mcwillie 8 times at the Thunderbird in Las Vegas.Another
man
believed to be involved in the assassination was Frank Fiorini/ Sturges
who was
once in Government with Castro before he defected and worked for the
CIA,
Sturgis was the government overseer at the Tropicana during the time of
Lewis
McWillie's employment there(17). Marita Lorenz ,Castros former lover
once stated
that she drove to Dallas with Sturges carrying weapons in their
caravan.
One man linked McWillie, Matthews and Harrelson altogether, although
the link
with Harrelson is somewhat tenuous and is mostly speculative.
Benny Binion(1904-1989) was at first a bootlegger and involved in
illegal
gambling in the 40s and 50s until he opened his own casino The
Horseshoe. Binion was investigated by the FBI all his life. Benny ran
craps
games in 1936 from a hotel, he killed a bootlegger and got 2 years in
jail, he
also killed another rival but was acquitted on the grounds of self
defence. He
served 3 ½ years for evading income tax and once proclaimed "Ive
been a
hustler all my life, since I was nine"(18). Binions horseshoe was a
place of
much controversy and also a lot of money. Binion was once nearly
convicted of
shooting someone in his own casino but was later acquitted after all 3
witnesses
did a 180 and fingered a pit boss at the casino instead(19). Lewis
Mcwillie was
employed by Binion in 1942/43 involving his underground schemes in
Dallas(20).
Matthews was once manager at Binions casino The Horseshoe(21). Both men
have
worked with Binion and both men knew Jack Ruby, this implies some sort
of
connection.
The contract for the murder of judge Wood was put out by Jimmy Chagra
who was
convicted and sentenced by Judge Woods. It was in Binions Horseshoe
Casino where
Harrelson first met Chagra although there were no members of the Binion
family
present at the time(22). Harrelson introduced himself to Chagra and
after he had
left Chagra asked someone "That guy is passing himself off as a killer,
what do
you think?" An investigation into Binion by the FBI in 1983 states that
there
was one member of the Binion drug ring in El Paso Texas which is where
Chagra
was from and definitely implicates Binion in the murder of Judge Woods
and so
links Binion with Harrelson, "(censored) was a principal subject in the
FBI
major case-WOODMUR, dealing with the murder of San Antonio Federal
Judge John
Wood. Information indicated that it was the Binion family that
introduced
(censored) to (censored) in the wood shooting. It is believed that
their
introduction took place at the Horseshoe Casino"(23), we must assume
hat the
censored names are those of Charles Harreslon and Jimmy Chagra.
Sheriff Steve Guthrie of the Dallas police was once recorded as saying
"We all
know Bill Decker is a payoff man with Benny Binion"(24), Bill Decker
was sitting
in the lead car of the motorcade when President Kennedy was
assassinated and was
also involved in the transfer of Lee Harvey Oswald from the Police
station to
the county jail where he was ambushed by Jack Ruby who mysteriously
entered or
was let into the building. Decker was also known to be friendly with
the
aforementioned Russell Douglas Matthews and also with Joseph Campisi
who as I
have already stated was involved with organized crime and testified at
Harrelsons trial. This is quite a strong connection between Ruby,
McWillie,
Matthews, Binion, Harrelson and Decker although it seems Harrelson was
not
included on quite the same level as everyone else, nevertheless he was
involved
with these people, indirectly with some but directly with others.
Chauncey Holt, the man who claims that Harrelson was one of the three
tramps
also claims that Harrelson was connected to John Masen(25), the
gunsmith of
Dallas, where Holt had to send ammunition previously. There is
speculation that
Masen was involved in gun running with Jack Ruby. John T. Masen told
the FBI
that he acquired and sold 10 boxes of mannlicher Carcano ammunition
(the type
Oswald Supposedly used to assassinate the president) in 1963(26), Masen
had
previously been investigated for violation of the firearms act. Masen
was
associated with Manuel Rodriguez of the Alpha 66 group (mercenary group
with
anti-Castro feelings).
A man who has more dealings than most with Charles Harrelson is retired
Captain
Jack Dean, United States Marshall and Texas Ranger. Charles harrelson
was
brought to Edinburg, Texas in September 1970 to stand trial for the
hired
killing of Sam Degilia Jr. The case had been worked by two Rangers Tod
Dawson
and Skippy Rundell until Jack entered the service in 9-1-70 and
inherited the
case as he put it "I did the leg work on this case". Harrelson had just
been in
court in Palcious texas for another hired killing and was found to be
innocent,
during the next four years he came to know Harrelson very well. The
first trial
was a hung jury as a nightclub singer came forward and claimed to have
been with
Harrelson at the time although the second trial resulted in his
conviction as
the singer feared perjury charges and did not turn up and instead went
to Aruba.
Harrelson was sentenced to 15 years in prison but was let out in five
due to a
new state law passed allowing him credit due to jail time served.
During Harrelsons time in prison he wedded a nurse who worked in the
penitentiary. He also attempted to escape from prison and was sent down
on a gun
charge in Kansas for a year or two after he had served his time. The
next
dealing Jack had with Harrelson was when Judge John Wood was murdered
outside
his San Antonio condo by a shot in the back by a high-powered rifle. A
few days
after the murder Jack received a phone call from an unknown source,
"How are
doing, Jack", "Who is
this", "You know who this is", "I dont think so", "Charles Harrelson
was in
San Antonio the day Judge Woods was Killed", Jack asked "Did Charlie
kill the
judge", "Charles Harrelson was in San Antonio the day judge Woods was
killed",
the caller then hung up and Jack was never sure who the caller was. In
an
operation of this size one would assume that people would be tight
lipped as to
who was responsible for such a serious crime, someone would only tip
off the
authorities if they had themselves something to gain, perhaps a rival
to Chagra/
Binion.
Recently Harrelson has made an appeal on the grounds that he did not
receive a
fair trial and claims that he was 270 miles away in Dallas when the
Judge was
murdered, part of his lawyers strategy was to discredit a key witness
who
testified against him 16 years previous. His son Woody was asked
whether he
believed if his father was innocent in the Judge Wood case he said "Im
not
saying my father is a saint, but I think hes innocent of that,
yeah!"(28). At
one point Harrelson apologises to Judge Orlando Garcia for going on at
length to
which the judge responded " Were talking about your freedom, so you
need not
apologise". Jack Dean does believe that Harrelson is guilty of the
murder of
Judge Wood as it was his own information that the FBI used to start
their case.
He also believes that Harrelson is/ was only dangerous to a select few
and only
when money was involved, "He has a con mans personality, and you would
like him
if you met him".
Jack Dean also knew Harrelsons father who ironically was a prison guard
and his
Uncle who was a prison warden. Jack has also said that Charlie liked to
gamble which ties in with his involvement of things at the Horseshoe
casino and
with other figures who used to be involved in gambling. Jack stated
that to his
knowledge Harrleson was not involved with the mafia but was involved
with the
Dixie Mafia who he described as "a bunch of Texas and L.A. bad guys" he
also
said that "He did do some collecting for some people related to
organized
gambling?…at one time he supposedly had a cocaine habit", this
could be
relating to McWillie and Matthews who were heavily involved in these
rackets.
Harrelson had a reputation of getting the job done according to Jack
but when he
got caught he took everyone else with him, which is something that I
think any
of us would do to save our own hides. Capt. Dean was in charge of
security at
the court hearings presided over by judges Beiery and Garcia and during
this
time he let Harrelson see his grandchildren, jack received a note of
appreciation afterwards, he also at another point told Jack that when
he got out
he would buy him a beer to which Jack responded that HE would buy the
Beer IF
Harrelson did get out.
Another possible tie to the assassination or others like it is the fact
that
Harrelson was once represented by the Lawyer Percy Foreman. Foreman had
an
impressive record as a lawyer, by 1958 he had defended 778 accused
murderers, of
which one was executed, 52 went to prison and the remaining 705 were
acquitted
of the crime(29). Foreman famously defended James Earl Ray who was
accused of
assassinating Martin Luther King in Memphis although after Rays death
it was
proven that he did not do it and the assassination was funded by
wealthy Texans
and Businessmen from New Orleans(30). Foreman urged Ray to ditch his
attorneys
and pick him as otherwise he would face the electric chair, he
convinced Ray to
plead guilty to the murder as if he did so he would spare his own
life(31).
Foreman also defended oil tycoon HL Hunt, Hunt was believed to be one
of the men
that funded the assassination of Martin Luther King, Hunt sponsored a
radio show
that denounced Martin Luther King, was involved with the FBIs phone
tapping
and was also a member of the racist John Birch Society. Foreman was
indicted by
a federal grand jury for obstruction of justice as the sons of Lamar
Hunt,
Nelson Hunt and W.Herbert Hunt paid him ,00 to ensure that two of his
clients
(Rothermel and Curington) would not testify against the Hunts(32). When
the
Hunts were brought to trial they had only to pay a fine and it was
rumoured that
due to political pressure from Washington the Chairman of the Senate
Judiciary
Committee received ,000 from the Hunts for lobbying for their case.
Perhaps most
amazing of all is the fact that Foreman also represented Jack Ruby
albeit only
for 4 days after he had been convicted of murder and sentenced to
death, Ruby
sentence was later commuted to life in prison. It is worth noting that
it was
Foreman who called Joseph Campisi as a witness , Campisi was the number
two man
in Carlos Marcello Dallas Organization. Campisi dined with jack Ruby
the night
before the assassination and was the first to visit him in jail(33).
The water
surrounding Percy Foreman is somewhat murky, Harrelson aside Foreman
representing 2 figures in the assassination of Martin Luther King (Ray
and Hunt)
and one in the assassination of John F. Kennedy (Ruby). Ruby did not
want to be
represented by Foreman , Ray was convinced to plead guilty although he
was
proven innocent later and Harrelson was convicted for the murder of
Degelia.
At the moment Harrelson is in his jail cell (8x12), which he leaves
only for
visits of family or his legal team, He has not much chance of getting
out of
prison unless some new evidence is found. The Prison in which he is
incarcerated
is one of the most secure prisons in the world, some of its former and
present
inmates include Timothy McVeigh the Oklahoma city bomber, Terry
Nichols,
McVeighs accomplice, Eyad Ismotil, bomber in the first world trade
centre
attack, Luis Felipe leader of New Yorks Latin Kings gang and Rodney
Hambrick
serving on bomb charges(34). The average sentence in the Colorado
penitentiary
is 36 years although Harrelson was sentenced to more than that, life.
It is unclear if Charles Voyd Harrelson was involved in any way with
the
assassination of John F. Kennedy but it is clear that he associated
with a
number of people who had knowledge of the assassination and were
involved on
some level with organized crime in Dallas and Las Vegas, Perhaps
Harrelson was
telling the truth while high on cocaine or perhaps he was as he claims
not in
the right state of mind, however many that knew him saw the photos and
believe
there to be a resemblance. Information regarding Harrelson during the
early
60s is hard to come by, and nobody can definitely tie him to being in
Dealey
Plaza on 22 November 1963 , all there is, is circumstantial evidence
and the
confession of one man. Charles harrelson may have done a lot of bad
things in
his time but we can not jump to conclusions that may be untrue based
upon things
which remain unfactual. Even Ross Perot is getting in on the act, he
claims that
Harrelson was given a contract to assassinate him!(35) There is
evidence that
Harrelson was identified in 1982 by Florida Law enforcement officials
as being a
member of a group of hired gunmen known as The Company(36), which takes
its
name from the CIA. It is claimed that The Company owned million in
assets
including planes ships and real estate. Florida officials claim that
The
Company imported drugs from South America and also were involved in
gunrunning
and mercenary operations. This scenario is comparable with the
situation in 1963
where there was collaboration between the CIA, Mafia, Cuban exiles and
some FBI
men in operations against Cuba, most notably in the training camp at
lake
Ponchartrain Louisiana. It is said that Jimmy Chagra once hired The
Company
as protection . This name The Company could just be a composite name
used by
Florida officials for the well known Cuban exile force that launched
the Bay of
Pigs invasion and also separate raids on Castros Cuba. There is no
proof to
suggest Harrelson was involved with this group in 1963 although his
involvement
with Jimmy Chagra in the late seventies does suggest that he knew them
at some
level. Charles Harrelson was 25 when the assassination happened, what
needs to
be known is what he was doing at that stage in his life, was he selling
dental
equipment or was he establishing his reputation as a hit man?
I would like to thank Captain Jack Dean for his assistance to me in
writing this
piece and also to Ms.Judy Shofner the librarian of the Texas Ranger
Research
center for her advice and help in contacting Capt. Dean. I would also
like to
thanks Mr.Charles Voyd Harrelson for responding to my letters.
Please support the petition
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My Research into Charles Voyde Harrelson
Charles Harrelson has been accused as being one of the three tramps. I
have
investigated Harrelsons links quite thoroughly and wrote this seminar.
I have
corresponded with Mr. Harrelson and he denies the claims. Read the
evidence and
make your own conclusion
Charles Voyd Harrelson
Charles Voyd Harrelson is known mostly because of the fact that he was
convicted
in 1982 of murdering Judge John Wood, but, What has sparked a lot of
controversy
is the fact that Harrelson is suspected of being one of the three
tramps that
were arrested on the day of the Kennedy Assassination.
Harrelson was indeed involved with some very dirty people in his
criminal life
but was he involved with the assassination?
Harrelson was born in Huntsville Texas in 1939 although he did not plan
on
staying there long and was drawn to the more attractive sights of
Houston. In
Houston Harrelson made a living selling dental equipment and was also
believed
to have sold encyclopaedias.(1) Harrelson wished to earn money at a
quicker rate
and soon became involved in criminal activities.
Harrelson was fingered by Chauncey Holt as being one of the three
tramps taken
from a train hours after the assassination "so I scooted under the
train, went
under to the other side, encountered Harrelson and Montoya"(2) said
Holt in a
Newsweek interview with John Craig, Philip Rogers and Gary Shaw. Holt
states
that he did not know Harrelson that well but said, "Im confident thats
who
it was". Lois Gibson a forensic artist and facial expert for the
Houston Police
Department compared the photos of the tramps with those of Holt,
Harrelson and
Charles Rogers and came up with a match for all three(3). It is said
that
Harrelson once while high on cocaine exited the Corvette he was driving
and shot
it full of holes as it made too much noise(4). Harrelson was wanted for
the
contract murder of Judge John Wood and was stopped by police, a six
hour stand
off ensued when the police found him, and he allegedly held a .44
magnum to his
head and confessed to the murder of both Judge John Woods and President
John F.
Kennedy(5).
A reporter for the Dallas morning news by the name of Chuck Cook
interviewed
Harrelson on the judge Wood case and subsequently asked him about his
claims of
murdering the President, Cook said that Harrelson got this sly little
grin on
his face, Harrelson is very intelligent and has a way of not answering
when it
suits him(6). At a later interview Cook brought the subject up again
and at
that point Harrelson became very serious, Cook quoted Harrelson as
saying
"Listen, if and when I get out of here (prison) and feel free to talk,
I will
have something that will be the biggest story you ever had" and added
"November
22, 1963. You remember that!". Cooks claims seem to be sensational as
every
other time Harrelson has been questioned with regard to the
assassination he has
emphatically denied it. Cook later showed the photos of the three
tramps to
Harrisons wife Jo Ann Harrelson who was "amazed at the similarities",
Cook
later revealed that Harrelsons jail conversations were indeed being
monitored
although this is the norm in some prisons including the maximum
penitentiary in
Colorado in which he is currently incarcerated(7).
When later questioned on the assassination and the murder of Judge Wood
by
Dallas TV newsman Quin Matthews, Harrelson said " At the same time I
said I
killed the Judge, I said I had killed Kennedy, which might give you an
idea as
to the state of my mind at the time ?it was an effort to elongate my
life. ..
well, do you believe 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"(8). Harrelson
was also shown
the photos with comparisons of himself and the tall tramp on Nigel
Turners
documentary The Men Who Killed Kennedy- The Cover-up, harrelson
admitted a
striking similarity between himself and the tramp but that it was not
him and
that he was dining with a friend in Houston at the time. I recently
asked
retired Texas Ranger Captain Jack Dean what he thought Harrelson might
do when
questioned about the photos, he stated "my thought s are that if asked
he would
not say yes or no but make some statement as "it does look like me"" ,
Capt.
Dean has not seen the documentary yet he predicts that this would be
Harrelsons
likely response.
In Harrelsons wallet the day he was arrested was the business card of
Russell
Douglas Matthews(9), Matthews was believed to be Harrelsons idol
although this
has not been conclusively proven. Russell Matthews is described by the
FBI as a
burglar, an armed robber, a narcotics pusher and a murderer(10).
Matthews worked
for mob controlled casinos in Cuba during the 1950s and later turned to
the
Dallas underworld in the 1960s. He was a known associate of Santos
Tafficante
the Miami mob boss and Joseph Campisi a leading Mafioso who also
testified for
Harrelson at one of his trials. Matthews and Campisi were seen together
in both
Dallas and Las Vegas in 1978(11). Perhaps the most interesting fact is
that
Matthews was a known associate of Jack Ruby the murderer of Lee Harvey
Oswald.
This is just one of many ties between harrelson and Ruby although it
may well be
that they never met, nevertheless they were both indirectly connected
with the
same people. Four witnesses say that they knew that Matthews and Ruby
knew each
other well(12), although the Warren Commission states that Matthews was
only a
casual acquaintance" of Rubys, and this link alone proves that Ruby was
involved with organized crime, a fact that the Warren Commission
refused to
acknowledge. On October third 1963 a call was placed from Jack Rubys
Carousel
club to a number in Shreveport, Louisiana listed to Elizabeth Matthews,
Russell
Douglas Matthews former wife(13). Matthews was also the best man at the
wedding
of George McGann and Beverly Oliver. Beverly Oliver was a witness to
the
assassination of John F. Kennedy and captured the whole event on film
only to
have her film confiscated by the FBI and was never to be seen again,
Beverly
also worked in the Colony club as a dancer, this club was right next
door to
Rubys Carousel club, it was frequent for dancers to go from club to
club
watching their friends dance . Beverly Oliver has also stated that she
saw Jack
Ruby and Lee Harvey Oswald together and remembers seeing David Ferrie
in the
Carousel(14). Another claim by Beverly Oliver is that she and McGann
once had a
meeting with Richard Nixon in a hotel in 1968 in Miami. George Mcgann
was
murdered in the home of one Ronny Weeden, the case was never closed.
Harrelson
knew Weeden during his stay in prison and claims that Weeden committed
the
murder and that Weeden disappeared afterwards. Harrelson also stated
that Weeden
"had a reputation as a hit man"(15); Weedens name was also in McGanns
notebooks.
Even if Harrelson was not involved in the assassination he may have
learned of
it from Matthews who may well have had knowledge of it from his friend
Jack
Ruby.
Another associate of Matthews was Lewis McWillie , McWillie was once
employed as
the manager of the Tropicana Casino in Havana where Jake Lansky brother
of Mayer
Lansky held considerable influence. Jack Ruby went on a weeklong trip
to Cuba in
1959 where he met with McWillie on several occasions. Ruby once shipped
4 guns
to Cuba for McWillie, Ruby also sent a .38 Smith and Wesson revolver
from Rays
Hardware Store Dallas to McWillie in Las Vegas(16). Over a four-month
period
Ruby called Mcwillie 8 times at the Thunderbird in Las Vegas.Another
man
believed to be involved in the assassination was Frank Fiorini/ Sturges
who was
once in Government with Castro before he defected and worked for the
CIA,
Sturgis was the government overseer at the Tropicana during the time of
Lewis
McWillie's employment there(17). Marita Lorenz ,Castros former lover
once stated
that she drove to Dallas with Sturges carrying weapons in their
caravan.
One man linked McWillie, Matthews and Harrelson altogether, although
the link
with Harrelson is somewhat tenuous and is mostly speculative.
Benny Binion(1904-1989) was at first a bootlegger and involved in
illegal
gambling in the 40s and 50s until he opened his own casino The
Horseshoe. Binion was investigated by the FBI all his life. Benny ran
craps
games in 1936 from a hotel, he killed a bootlegger and got 2 years in
jail, he
also killed another rival but was acquitted on the grounds of self
defence. He
served 3 ½ years for evading income tax and once proclaimed "Ive
been a
hustler all my life, since I was nine"(18). Binions horseshoe was a
place of
much controversy and also a lot of money. Binion was once nearly
convicted of
shooting someone in his own casino but was later acquitted after all 3
witnesses
did a 180 and fingered a pit boss at the casino instead(19). Lewis
Mcwillie was
employed by Binion in 1942/43 involving his underground schemes in
Dallas(20).
Matthews was once manager at Binions casino The Horseshoe(21). Both men
have
worked with Binion and both men knew Jack Ruby, this implies some sort
of
connection.
The contract for the murder of judge Wood was put out by Jimmy Chagra
who was
convicted and sentenced by Judge Woods. It was in Binions Horseshoe
Casino where
Harrelson first met Chagra although there were no members of the Binion
family
present at the time(22). Harrelson introduced himself to Chagra and
after he had
left Chagra asked someone "That guy is passing himself off as a killer,
what do
you think?" An investigation into Binion by the FBI in 1983 states that
there
was one member of the Binion drug ring in El Paso Texas which is where
Chagra
was from and definitely implicates Binion in the murder of Judge Woods
and so
links Binion with Harrelson, "(censored) was a principal subject in the
FBI
major case-WOODMUR, dealing with the murder of San Antonio Federal
Judge John
Wood. Information indicated that it was the Binion family that
introduced
(censored) to (censored) in the wood shooting. It is believed that
their
introduction took place at the Horseshoe Casino"(23), we must assume
hat the
censored names are those of Charles Harreslon and Jimmy Chagra.
Sheriff Steve Guthrie of the Dallas police was once recorded as saying
"We all
know Bill Decker is a payoff man with Benny Binion"(24), Bill Decker
was sitting
in the lead car of the motorcade when President Kennedy was
assassinated and was
also involved in the transfer of Lee Harvey Oswald from the Police
station to
the county jail where he was ambushed by Jack Ruby who mysteriously
entered or
was let into the building. Decker was also known to be friendly with
the
aforementioned Russell Douglas Matthews and also with Joseph Campisi
who as I
have already stated was involved with organized crime and testified at
Harrelsons trial. This is quite a strong connection between Ruby,
McWillie,
Matthews, Binion, Harrelson and Decker although it seems Harrelson was
not
included on quite the same level as everyone else, nevertheless he was
involved
with these people, indirectly with some but directly with others.
Chauncey Holt, the man who claims that Harrelson was one of the three
tramps
also claims that Harrelson was connected to John Masen(25), the
gunsmith of
Dallas, where Holt had to send ammunition previously. There is
speculation that
Masen was involved in gun running with Jack Ruby. John T. Masen told
the FBI
that he acquired and sold 10 boxes of mannlicher Carcano ammunition
(the type
Oswald Supposedly used to assassinate the president) in 1963(26), Masen
had
previously been investigated for violation of the firearms act. Masen
was
associated with Manuel Rodriguez of the Alpha 66 group (mercenary group
with
anti-Castro feelings).
A man who has more dealings than most with Charles Harrelson is retired
Captain
Jack Dean, United States Marshall and Texas Ranger. Charles harrelson
was
brought to Edinburg, Texas in September 1970 to stand trial for the
hired
killing of Sam Degilia Jr. The case had been worked by two Rangers Tod
Dawson
and Skippy Rundell until Jack entered the service in 9-1-70 and
inherited the
case as he put it "I did the leg work on this case". Harrelson had just
been in
court in Palcious texas for another hired killing and was found to be
innocent,
during the next four years he came to know Harrelson very well. The
first trial
was a hung jury as a nightclub singer came forward and claimed to have
been with
Harrelson at the time although the second trial resulted in his
conviction as
the singer feared perjury charges and did not turn up and instead went
to Aruba.
Harrelson was sentenced to 15 years in prison but was let out in five
due to a
new state law passed allowing him credit due to jail time served.
During Harrelsons time in prison he wedded a nurse who worked in the
penitentiary. He also attempted to escape from prison and was sent down
on a gun
charge in Kansas for a year or two after he had served his time. The
next
dealing Jack had with Harrelson was when Judge John Wood was murdered
outside
his San Antonio condo by a shot in the back by a high-powered rifle. A
few days
after the murder Jack received a phone call from an unknown source,
"How are
doing, Jack", "Who is
this", "You know who this is", "I dont think so", "Charles Harrelson
was in
San Antonio the day Judge Woods was Killed", Jack asked "Did Charlie
kill the
judge", "Charles Harrelson was in San Antonio the day judge Woods was
killed",
the caller then hung up and Jack was never sure who the caller was. In
an
operation of this size one would assume that people would be tight
lipped as to
who was responsible for such a serious crime, someone would only tip
off the
authorities if they had themselves something to gain, perhaps a rival
to Chagra/
Binion.
Recently Harrelson has made an appeal on the grounds that he did not
receive a
fair trial and claims that he was 270 miles away in Dallas when the
Judge was
murdered, part of his lawyers strategy was to discredit a key witness
who
testified against him 16 years previous. His son Woody was asked
whether he
believed if his father was innocent in the Judge Wood case he said "Im
not
saying my father is a saint, but I think hes innocent of that,
yeah!"(28). At
one point Harrelson apologises to Judge Orlando Garcia for going on at
length to
which the judge responded " Were talking about your freedom, so you
need not
apologise". Jack Dean does believe that Harrelson is guilty of the
murder of
Judge Wood as it was his own information that the FBI used to start
their case.
He also believes that Harrelson is/ was only dangerous to a select few
and only
when money was involved, "He has a con mans personality, and you would
like him
if you met him".
Jack Dean also knew Harrelsons father who ironically was a prison guard
and his
Uncle who was a prison warden. Jack has also said that Charlie liked to
gamble which ties in with his involvement of things at the Horseshoe
casino and
with other figures who used to be involved in gambling. Jack stated
that to his
knowledge Harrleson was not involved with the mafia but was involved
with the
Dixie Mafia who he described as "a bunch of Texas and L.A. bad guys" he
also
said that "He did do some collecting for some people related to
organized
gambling?…at one time he supposedly had a cocaine habit", this
could be
relating to McWillie and Matthews who were heavily involved in these
rackets.
Harrelson had a reputation of getting the job done according to Jack
but when he
got caught he took everyone else with him, which is something that I
think any
of us would do to save our own hides. Capt. Dean was in charge of
security at
the court hearings presided over by judges Beiery and Garcia and during
this
time he let Harrelson see his grandchildren, jack received a note of
appreciation afterwards, he also at another point told Jack that when
he got out
he would buy him a beer to which Jack responded that HE would buy the
Beer IF
Harrelson did get out.
Another possible tie to the assassination or others like it is the fact
that
Harrelson was once represented by the Lawyer Percy Foreman. Foreman had
an
impressive record as a lawyer, by 1958 he had defended 778 accused
murderers, of
which one was executed, 52 went to prison and the remaining 705 were
acquitted
of the crime(29). Foreman famously defended James Earl Ray who was
accused of
assassinating Martin Luther King in Memphis although after Rays death
it was
proven that he did not do it and the assassination was funded by
wealthy Texans
and Businessmen from New Orleans(30). Foreman urged Ray to ditch his
attorneys
and pick him as otherwise he would face the electric chair, he
convinced Ray to
plead guilty to the murder as if he did so he would spare his own
life(31).
Foreman also defended oil tycoon HL Hunt, Hunt was believed to be one
of the men
that funded the assassination of Martin Luther King, Hunt sponsored a
radio show
that denounced Martin Luther King, was involved with the FBIs phone
tapping
and was also a member of the racist John Birch Society. Foreman was
indicted by
a federal grand jury for obstruction of justice as the sons of Lamar
Hunt,
Nelson Hunt and W.Herbert Hunt paid him ,00 to ensure that two of his
clients
(Rothermel and Curington) would not testify against the Hunts(32). When
the
Hunts were brought to trial they had only to pay a fine and it was
rumoured that
due to political pressure from Washington the Chairman of the Senate
Judiciary
Committee received ,000 from the Hunts for lobbying for their case.
Perhaps most
amazing of all is the fact that Foreman also represented Jack Ruby
albeit only
for 4 days after he had been convicted of murder and sentenced to
death, Ruby
sentence was later commuted to life in prison. It is worth noting that
it was
Foreman who called Joseph Campisi as a witness , Campisi was the number
two man
in Carlos Marcello Dallas Organization. Campisi dined with jack Ruby
the night
before the assassination and was the first to visit him in jail(33).
The water
surrounding Percy Foreman is somewhat murky, Harrelson aside Foreman
representing 2 figures in the assassination of Martin Luther King (Ray
and Hunt)
and one in the assassination of John F. Kennedy (Ruby). Ruby did not
want to be
represented by Foreman , Ray was convinced to plead guilty although he
was
proven innocent later and Harrelson was convicted for the murder of
Degelia.
At the moment Harrelson is in his jail cell (8x12), which he leaves
only for
visits of family or his legal team, He has not much chance of getting
out of
prison unless some new evidence is found. The Prison in which he is
incarcerated
is one of the most secure prisons in the world, some of its former and
present
inmates include Timothy McVeigh the Oklahoma city bomber, Terry
Nichols,
McVeighs accomplice, Eyad Ismotil, bomber in the first world trade
centre
attack, Luis Felipe leader of New Yorks Latin Kings gang and Rodney
Hambrick
serving on bomb charges(34). The average sentence in the Colorado
penitentiary
is 36 years although Harrelson was sentenced to more than that, life.
It is unclear if Charles Voyd Harrelson was involved in any way with
the
assassination of John F. Kennedy but it is clear that he associated
with a
number of people who had knowledge of the assassination and were
involved on
some level with organized crime in Dallas and Las Vegas, Perhaps
Harrelson was
telling the truth while high on cocaine or perhaps he was as he claims
not in
the right state of mind, however many that knew him saw the photos and
believe
there to be a resemblance. Information regarding Harrelson during the
early
60s is hard to come by, and nobody can definitely tie him to being in
Dealey
Plaza on 22 November 1963 , all there is, is circumstantial evidence
and the
confession of one man. Charles harrelson may have done a lot of bad
things in
his time but we can not jump to conclusions that may be untrue based
upon things
which remain unfactual. Even Ross Perot is getting in on the act, he
claims that
Harrelson was given a contract to assassinate him!(35) There is
evidence that
Harrelson was identified in 1982 by Florida Law enforcement officials
as being a
member of a group of hired gunmen known as The Company(36), which takes
its
name from the CIA. It is claimed that The Company owned million in
assets
including planes ships and real estate. Florida officials claim that
The
Company imported drugs from South America and also were involved in
gunrunning
and mercenary operations. This scenario is comparable with the
situation in 1963
where there was collaboration between the CIA, Mafia, Cuban exiles and
some FBI
men in operations against Cuba, most notably in the training camp at
lake
Ponchartrain Louisiana. It is said that Jimmy Chagra once hired The
Company
as protection . This name The Company could just be a composite name
used by
Florida officials for the well known Cuban exile force that launched
the Bay of
Pigs invasion and also separate raids on Castros Cuba. There is no
proof to
suggest Harrelson was involved with this group in 1963 although his
involvement
with Jimmy Chagra in the late seventies does suggest that he knew them
at some
level. Charles Harrelson was 25 when the assassination happened, what
needs to
be known is what he was doing at that stage in his life, was he selling
dental
equipment or was he establishing his reputation as a hit man?
I would like to thank Captain Jack Dean for his assistance to me in
writing this
piece and also to Ms.Judy Shofner the librarian of the Texas Ranger
Research
center for her advice and help in contacting Capt. Dean. I would also
like to
thanks Mr.Charles Voyd Harrelson for responding to my letters.
Please support the petition
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Excerpt from 'Inside Vegas' Steve Miller
Anonymous tip to Miller;.
I have done horrible stuff in the past. I am not just one of these talkers. I have beaten, kidnapped, extorted, shot, stabbed. I have been around and my record speaks for itself... R.D.Matthews is a killer who still controls much of the Dallas sports gaming. He was the first to see Jack Ruby. He also is very close to Chuck Harrelson who killed Judge (John H.) Wood. I have letters from Chuck. R.D. is still a God in the Dallas underworld and he is allowed a private room in the old Horseshoe rooms. No gaming problems there??? I can go on. I can tell you about Rick (Rizzolo) and Vinnie (Faraci) at the Crazy Horse. This is a tidbit. Check out what I just gave you. You will find I am right on.
2004
I have done horrible stuff in the past. I am not just one of these talkers. I have beaten, kidnapped, extorted, shot, stabbed. I have been around and my record speaks for itself... R.D.Matthews is a killer who still controls much of the Dallas sports gaming. He was the first to see Jack Ruby. He also is very close to Chuck Harrelson who killed Judge (John H.) Wood. I have letters from Chuck. R.D. is still a God in the Dallas underworld and he is allowed a private room in the old Horseshoe rooms. No gaming problems there??? I can go on. I can tell you about Rick (Rizzolo) and Vinnie (Faraci) at the Crazy Horse. This is a tidbit. Check out what I just gave you. You will find I am right on.
2004
Harrelson...
Moo Cow
Joined: 06 Mar 2006
Posts: 139
CHARLES HARRELSON.....
Charles Harrelson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Charles Harrelson mug shot.Charles Voyde Harrelson (born July 23, 1938), is a organized crime-connected freelance hitman. He is the father of actor Woody Harrelson.
Harrelson was sentenced to two life prison sentences after being convicted in 1982 of the May 29, 1979 assassination of John H. Wood, Jr., an American federal judge. Harrelson shot and killed Wood in the parking lot outside of Wood's San Antonio, Texas townhouse, apparently as a favor for a powerful local drug dealer named Jimmy Chagra. Wood had a reputation for handing down long prison sentences for drug offenses and Chagra was scheduled to appear in his courtroom.
Harrelson declared several times (the first time being when he had been apprehended for the Wood shooting) that he had been involved in John F. Kennedy's assassination. Some think he was one of the three tramps arrested on November 22, 1963 in a train near Dealey Plaza, but Dallas Police Department documents made public in 1992 reveal that the three men really were transients with no connection to the assassination.
Prior to the Wood murder, Harrelson was tried for the 1968 killing in Edinburg, Texas of a Hearne grain dealer named Sam Degilia. Famed Texas Ranger Captain Jack Dean investigated the case. Harrelson hired famed Houston criminal attorney Percy Foreman (who had also been counsel for confessed Martin Luther King assassin James Earl Ray) for his defense. Just when it looked liked Harrelson was to be convicted, Foreman sprung a surprise witness on the prosecution. A nightclub singer with a questionable background claimed that she had been with Harrelson at the time of the murder. The trial ended in a hung jury—-11 for conviction, one for acquittal.
Harrelson was retried in 1974 in nearby Brownsville, Texas. Dean was in the courtroom waiting for the nightclub singer to appear, this time with a perjury arrest warrant for her in his pocket. However, she had learned that the Rangers were waiting to arrest her, and quickly fled to Aruba. Without the help of the singer’s testimony, there was no hung jury. Harrelson was found guilty, but sentenced to only 15 years in prison. With time off for good behavior, he was free in five years.
Harrelson was apprehended for the Wood shooting with the aid of an anonymous tip. Harrelson attempted to escape from the Atlanta federal penitentiary in 1996, but failed and was shortly afterward transferred to ADX Florence, the Federal ADX Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado, where he remains. In 1998, after spending 16 years in prison, Harrelson's son, by then a famous actor, acquired high powered attorneys in an attempt to get his father's conviction overturned and secure for him a new trial, but to no avail.
[edit]
Reference
20th Century Shining Star: Captain Jack Dean, United States Marshal, Texas Ranger Dispatch Magazine.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Harrelson"
Categories: 1938 births | Living people | Federal Supermax Prisoners at Florence, Colorado | John F. Kennedy assassination | Prisoners serving life sentences
This page was last modified 19:15, 8 March 2006. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License (see Copyrights for details).
Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers
_________________
Moo Cow
Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 9:03 pm
Moo Cow
Joined: 06 Mar 2006
Posts: 139
Harrelson declared several times (the first time being when he had been apprehended for the Wood shooting) that he had been involved in John F. Kennedy's assassination. Some think he was one of the three tramps arrested on November 22, 1963 in a train near Dealey Plaza, but Dallas Police Department documents made public in 1992 reveal that the three men really were transients with no connection to the assassination.
Harrelson declared several times (the first time being when he had been apprehended for the Wood shooting) that he had been involved in John F. Kennedy's assassination. Some think he was one of the three tramps arrested on November 22, 1963 in a train near Dealey Plaza, but Dallas Police Department documents made public in 1992 reveal that the three men really were transients with no connection to the assassination.
Joined: 06 Mar 2006
Posts: 139
CHARLES HARRELSON.....
Charles Harrelson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Charles Harrelson mug shot.Charles Voyde Harrelson (born July 23, 1938), is a organized crime-connected freelance hitman. He is the father of actor Woody Harrelson.
Harrelson was sentenced to two life prison sentences after being convicted in 1982 of the May 29, 1979 assassination of John H. Wood, Jr., an American federal judge. Harrelson shot and killed Wood in the parking lot outside of Wood's San Antonio, Texas townhouse, apparently as a favor for a powerful local drug dealer named Jimmy Chagra. Wood had a reputation for handing down long prison sentences for drug offenses and Chagra was scheduled to appear in his courtroom.
Harrelson declared several times (the first time being when he had been apprehended for the Wood shooting) that he had been involved in John F. Kennedy's assassination. Some think he was one of the three tramps arrested on November 22, 1963 in a train near Dealey Plaza, but Dallas Police Department documents made public in 1992 reveal that the three men really were transients with no connection to the assassination.
Prior to the Wood murder, Harrelson was tried for the 1968 killing in Edinburg, Texas of a Hearne grain dealer named Sam Degilia. Famed Texas Ranger Captain Jack Dean investigated the case. Harrelson hired famed Houston criminal attorney Percy Foreman (who had also been counsel for confessed Martin Luther King assassin James Earl Ray) for his defense. Just when it looked liked Harrelson was to be convicted, Foreman sprung a surprise witness on the prosecution. A nightclub singer with a questionable background claimed that she had been with Harrelson at the time of the murder. The trial ended in a hung jury—-11 for conviction, one for acquittal.
Harrelson was retried in 1974 in nearby Brownsville, Texas. Dean was in the courtroom waiting for the nightclub singer to appear, this time with a perjury arrest warrant for her in his pocket. However, she had learned that the Rangers were waiting to arrest her, and quickly fled to Aruba. Without the help of the singer’s testimony, there was no hung jury. Harrelson was found guilty, but sentenced to only 15 years in prison. With time off for good behavior, he was free in five years.
Harrelson was apprehended for the Wood shooting with the aid of an anonymous tip. Harrelson attempted to escape from the Atlanta federal penitentiary in 1996, but failed and was shortly afterward transferred to ADX Florence, the Federal ADX Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado, where he remains. In 1998, after spending 16 years in prison, Harrelson's son, by then a famous actor, acquired high powered attorneys in an attempt to get his father's conviction overturned and secure for him a new trial, but to no avail.
[edit]
Reference
20th Century Shining Star: Captain Jack Dean, United States Marshal, Texas Ranger Dispatch Magazine.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Harrelson"
Categories: 1938 births | Living people | Federal Supermax Prisoners at Florence, Colorado | John F. Kennedy assassination | Prisoners serving life sentences
This page was last modified 19:15, 8 March 2006. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License (see Copyrights for details).
Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers
_________________
Moo Cow
Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 9:03 pm
Moo Cow
Joined: 06 Mar 2006
Posts: 139
Harrelson declared several times (the first time being when he had been apprehended for the Wood shooting) that he had been involved in John F. Kennedy's assassination. Some think he was one of the three tramps arrested on November 22, 1963 in a train near Dealey Plaza, but Dallas Police Department documents made public in 1992 reveal that the three men really were transients with no connection to the assassination.
Harrelson declared several times (the first time being when he had been apprehended for the Wood shooting) that he had been involved in John F. Kennedy's assassination. Some think he was one of the three tramps arrested on November 22, 1963 in a train near Dealey Plaza, but Dallas Police Department documents made public in 1992 reveal that the three men really were transients with no connection to the assassination.
Here is a clue connection uncovered.......
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More on Harrelson.....
Charles HarrelsonIt was in Binions Horseshoe Casino where Harrelson first met Chagra although there were no members of the Binion family present at the time(22). ...
thepresidenthasbeenshot.4t.com/custom3.html - 38k - Cached - Similar pages
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: NEWS: THE BINION FILESBut the account states that it was Harrelson who took the initiative to introduce himself to Chagra, and there is no mention of any Binion family member ...
www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/ 2001/Jun-24-Sun-2001/news/16368567.html - 33k - Cached - Similar pages
thepresidenthasbeenshot.4t.com/custom3.html - 38k - Cached - Similar pages
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: NEWS: THE BINION FILESBut the account states that it was Harrelson who took the initiative to introduce himself to Chagra, and there is no mention of any Binion family member ...
www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/ 2001/Jun-24-Sun-2001/news/16368567.html - 33k - Cached - Similar pages
Matthews, Binion, Harrelson & Decker......
Charles HarrelsonThis is quite a strong connection between Ruby, McWillie, Matthews, Binion, Harrelson and Decker although it seems Harrelson was not included on quite the ...
Hold onto your Hats.....
Here is the meeting place of Harrelson and Co. who made a deal with Dante at the bar....
http://images.google.com/images?q=Binio ... rch+Images
http://images.google.com/images?q=Binio ... rch+Images