Charles Voyde Harrelson

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Sunday, September 03, 2000
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

COLUMN: John L. Smith
Senior's reputation enough to keep even Stupak silent



A kiss is just a kiss, a sigh just a sigh, but a slap from 80-year-old R.D. Matthews at Piero's made Bob Stupak so nervous he had no comment.
That's an amazing feat given Stupak's endless courting of the media. Surely some locals will gladly buy Matthews a drink for accomplishing something they've only dreamed of: silencing the Polish maverick.
But it was a different sort of nervousness that swept over Stupak on Aug. 25. He wasn't just jittery, he was scared. So much so he gave statements to police and hired a bodyguard despite suffering negligible injuries.
Turns out his fear might be justified.
Talk about an active senior lifestyle. With his eye patch, John Wayne amble, status as a Marine war hero, and reputation for getting things done on the street, Russell Douglas Matthews has lived a life straight out of an Elmore Leonard novel. He is known as one tough piece of rope.
Organized crime and gambling sources just whistle and whisper about Matthews, a 60-year friend of Benny Binion and operator of downtown's old Paddock race book. They think the world of the guy, but they'd never want to cross him.
The man's reputation stretches from Texas, where in the 1940s he ran with the Hollis de Lois Green gang, worked in the gambling rackets with Binion and was arrested 59 times but served only a single prison stint; to Havana, where he helped operate casinos linked to Meyer Lansky and Santo Trafficante; back to Dallas and the heart of the Kennedy assassination, where his proximity to Jack Ruby and other key players raised the suspicions of the 1964 Warren Commission and the 1979 House Select Committee on Assassinations; out to Las Vegas, where he found refuge and a job at the Horseshoe with his dear friend Binion.
The Warren Commission report called Matthews a "passing acquaintance" of Ruby and Lewis McWillie, another Dallas gambler and friend of Binion. McWillie later relocated to Las Vegas and worked at the Horseshoe Club.
The House Select Committee probed more deeply Matthews' background and associations at a time evidence was being presented that the mob may have conspired to kill the president. Matthews' links to several inside players has, no doubt, added color to his reputation.
According to "Contract on America," a book based largely on the findings of the House Select Committee, Matthews was described in an FBI report as a "burglar, armed robber, narcotics pusher, and murderer."

Another published source calls Matthews a father figure to killer Charlie Harrelson, who was convicted of assassinating federal Judge "Maximum John" Wood and today is better known as the father of actor Woody Harrelson.

Horseshoe owner Becky Binion Behnen says she knows Matthews as a good citizen and close family friend.
"He was at the hospital when I was born and was at the hospital when my children were born," Behnen says. "He's a war hero who served in World War II."
And several undeclared wars as well.
I wouldn't begin to think what the Gaming Control Board might do with the knowledge Matthews is on such friendly terms with a privileged licensee. Frankly, the history of gaming enforcement in Nevada is so inconsistent that it's impossible to predict whether the Control Board will scold Behnen for her embrace of an old wiseguy or laud her for befriending the elderly.
Most of Matthews' legal complications occurred a long time ago, back when Las Vegas was considered mob-controlled. Remember, he was a trusted casino employee long after his days on the streets of Dallas.
What might be hard for newcomers to Nevada to understand is that none of the glitches in Matthews' portfolio would have alienated him from his pal, Benny Binion, who was no stranger to violence and once was quoted as saying he could "still do my own killin'." In the Las Vegas of a generation ago, such statements from the Horseshoe patriarch were considered quaint and quotable.
R.D. Matthews belongs to that generation, but as the Piero's incident proves -- and shaky Bob Stupak appears to appreciate -- some tough guys don't mellow as time goes by.

John L. Smith's column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Reach him at Smith@lvrj.com or 383-0295.

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LAS VEGAS RJ:NEWS: COLUMN: John L. Smith... published source calls Matthews a father figure to killer Charlie Harrelson, ... R.D. Matthews belongs to that generation, but as the Piero's incident ...
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Paul Pennyworth wrote:Moo Cow wrote:Moo CowJoined: 06 Mar 2006Posts: 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 CowJoined: 06 Mar 2006Posts: 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.R: read this...








Charles Harrelson mug shot, May 1960Charles Voyde Harrelson (born July 23, 1938) is an organized crime-connected freelance hitman. He is the father of actor Woody Harrelson.

Harrelson was sentenced to two life terms for the May 29, 1979 assassination of U.S. District Judge John H. Wood, Jr.. Harrelson reportedly shot and killed Wood in the parking lot outside of Wood's San Antonio, Texas house for local drug dealer Jamiel Chagra. Wood—nicknamed "Maximum John" because of his reputation for handing down long sentences for drug offenses—was to have Chagra appear before him on the day of his murder.

Harrelson was apprehended with the aid of an anonymous tip and a taped conversation between Jimmy and Joe Chagra. He claimed at trial that he did not kill Wood, but merely took credit for it so he could score a huge payout from Chagra.

Harrelson was eventually convicted of being the gunman due to Chagra's speaking about it to his brother who was visiting him in prison. Both Harrelson and Chagra's brother Joe were implicated in the assassination. Harrelson got life, Joe Chagra got 10 years, and Jimmy Chagra's wife also got several years and died in prison in 1987. Chagra was acquitted of the murder in front of Judge William Sessions when his brother Joe refused to testify against him. Chagra was represented by Oscar Goodman who is the current mayor of Las Vegas. Chagra, in a deal with the feds, admitted to his role in the murder of Judge Wood and the attempted murder of a U.S. attorney.

After his release in 2003 Chagra told a friend that Harrelson did not murder Judge Wood. He did not identify the real killer, but he indicated that they were long deceased. Jamiel and Joe Chagra misled federal officials by talking about hiring Harrelson to kill Judge Wood when they knew they were being illegally taped during a legal visit in the prison. Jamiel and Joe Chagra framed Harrelson for the murder because he had been blackmailing Joe Chagra with information he did have about the murder of the judge. [citation needed]

Harrelson has declared that he was involved in John F. Kennedy's assassination. Some think he was one of the three tramps photographed after being arrested on November 22, 1963 in a boxcar in the railyard near Dealey Plaza. Harrelson's arresting officer, Marvin L. Wise, claims that the three men in his custody were released after a few hours of questioning. The other arresting officer, David V. Harkness, testified that there were several individuals removed from the train that day other than the three individuals in the photograph. Dallas Police Department documents presented to the public in 1992 indicate that three transients arrested by Dallas officer W.E. Chambers with no connection to the assassination were jailed for six days for vagrancy, and that one of those men was named John Gedney.

Prior to the Wood murder, Harrelson was tried for the 1968 killing of Hearne grain dealer Sam Degilia in Edinburg, Texas. Harrelson's attorney was Percy Foreman, who had been counsel for convicted Martin Luther King assassin James Earl Ray. Foreman produced a surprise witness: a nightclub singer who 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 Brownsville, Texas. Texas Ranger Jack Dean, the lead investigator on the Degilia case, was in the courtroom with a perjury arrest warrant for the nightclub singer. But she had learned of it and fled to Aruba. Without the help of her testimony, Harrelson was found guilty and sentenced to 15 years in prison. With time off for good behavior, he was free in five years.

After attempting to escape from the Atlanta federal penitentiary in 1996, he was transferred to Supermax prison ADX Florence, where he remains. Woody Harrelson has attempted to get his father's conviction overturned and secure a new trial, but to no avail.


References
20th Century Shining Star: Captain Jack Dean, United States Marshal

External link
Article and photographs of Charles Harrelson


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

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http://panachereport.com/website%20chan ... ws/JFK.htm

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http://demopedia.democraticunderground. ... _Harrelson

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Without question, a Mafia man, Jack Ruby, silenced Lee Harvey Oswald before he had a chance to tell his side of the story. Furthermore, right after the President's visit to Dallas was announced, Ruby began making numerous calls to important Mafia contacts all over the country. Ruby, like Eugene Brading, was in H. L. Hunt's offices the day before the shooting. Convicted Texas hitman Charles Harrelson has been identified as the tall man in the famous photos of the three "tramps" who were arrested in the railroad yard behind Dealey Plaza shortly after the assassination. In the early 1980s, Harrelson was convicted of murdering federal judge John Wood with a high-powered rifle, and is currently serving his sentence in a Texas prison. During the standoff that preceded his arrest, Harrelson not only confessed to killing Judge Wood, but also said he had been involved in the Kennedy assassination. Harrelson later retracted his statement about having taken part in the assassination, claiming he had fabricated it under the influence of cocaine. When arrested, Harrelson was found to be carrying the business card of R. D. Matthews, who, was acquainted with Jack Ruby and with other Dallas crime figures. At Harrelson's trial, Joe Chagra, the brother of the man who was believed to have hired Harrelson, testified that Harrelson was given the contract to kill Judge Wood after he claimed to have participated in the JFK assassination. Indicted along with Harrelson in the plot to kill Judge Wood was the brother of New Orleans crime boss Carlos Marcello, who was one of the Mafia figures identified by the Select Committee as possibly having been involved in the assassination of President Kennedy. The photos of the tall tramp were compared with pictures of Harrelson. It was likely that they were same person. Similarly, police officers trained in photo identification have that Harrelson definitely appears to be the tall tramp. So far federal authorities have shown no interest in investigating Harrelson in connection with any role he might have had in the assassination.

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http://karws.gso.uri.edu/jfk/the_critic ... sures.html

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An article about Charles V. Harrelson did make this weeks tabloids..

He reportably was not a homicidal maniac killer, but killed for money...with about 40 or more hits accredited to him.

I will post the article ....

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National Enquirer

April 9, 2007

page 40

THE SECRET WOODY HARRELSON'S DAD TOOK TO HIS GRAVE

by Michael Glynn

WOODY HARRELSON'S father took a dark secret to his grave--the convicted hit man may have pulled the trigger in as many as 50 unsolved murders.

Coldblooded killer Charles V. Harrelson died March 15 in a Colorado maximum security prison while serving two life terms for the 1979 slaying of a U.S. District Judge.

"He would only kill for money," said Jack Dean, a retired Texas Ranger and U.S. Marshall.

"HE WASN'T A HOMICIDAL MANIAC--he just had no qualms about killing people."

Despite the evidence, Woody, who was launched to fame in the 1980's on "Cheers" never believed his 68 year old father WAS GUILTY. But organized crime historian Kenny Gallo told the ENQUIRER: "Everyone in the underworld knew who Charles Harrelson was."


"CHARLES WAS PAID $250,000 BY A DRUG dealer after the judge was killed-but no one believes that the money was simply for the murder of one judge. "

By 1982, Charles had reportably taken credit for at least a dozen contract killings, said Gallo.

"And some mob enforcers said he was responsible for more than four times that number!

"When I wrote to him in prison in 1999, he responded that he was working on a book that would be ' the only accurate account' of his life and criminal past.

"But he didn't live long enough to see it published."

Prior to his conviction, the sniper-for-hire had been prosecuted four times in three seperate murder cases.

He'd also been implicated by conspiracy theorists in President Kennedy's assassination.

Loyal son Woody spent thousands hoping to free his dad- but it was to no avail...to be cont'd....

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"WOODY WILL UNDOUBTEDLY GET the manuscript his father had been writing", said Gallo.

"I''m sure it will make a lot of bombshells.

"Maybe Woody will even make a movie based on his dad's life--and star in it, too!"