Elizabeth Chagra: guilty of conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to obstruct justice, tax evasion, conspiracy conviction overturned February 15, 1985, on appealSentences: Charles Harrelson: two life sentences plus five years. By Wayne King, Special To the New York Times. Jimmy told me he was never going to get a fair trial and asked if I thought he should try having Judge Wood killed, Joe Chagra testified, according to newspaper stories at the time. "Texas SniperThe Charge: Murdering a Judge." The verdicts concluded an 11-week trial that grew out of one of the most extensive Federal investigations in the nation's history, involving every one of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's 54 offices in the United States at varying times over more than three years. From online or printed sources and from publicly accessible databases. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. February 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? In death as in life, El Paso crime family scion Joe Chagra is getting a bad rap. The bug picked up Chagra talking with his wife and brother Joe about the judges murder. Joseph Chagra, a Texas lawyer who admitted his complicity in the first assassination of a Federal judge in more than a century, died last Sunday in Thomason Hospital in El Paso. Mr. Chagra was a pivotal figure in a dramatic 1979 murder case, and his testimony helped convict Charles Voyde Harrelson, the father of the actor Woody Harrelson, of killing Judge John H. Wood Jr., an enemy of drug traffickers. On May 29, 1979, Judge John H. Wood was killed in San Antonio, Texas, by a shot from a high-powered rifle to the back of the head. However, the date of retrieval is often important. In her 2022 memoir One of his many screenplays details the life of notorious drug smuggler Jimmy Chagra. Harrelson thought that was the day he had to kill the judge.. Anyone can read what you share. On Dec. 14, 1982, a Federal jury in San Antonio found Mr. Harrelson guilty of conspiracy to murder, murder and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Harrelson was sentenced to two consecutive life terms plus five years, while Jo Ann Harrelson got a combined 25 years for obstruction of justice. Harrelson is drowning in a sea of evidence and she realizes it,' assistant U.S. Attorney Ray Jahn told jurors before the verdict Monday. It was then, the Government asserted, that ''the fear began. Now, perhaps due to our improved stature, our incoming donations are 80% new! Mrs. Harrelson faces up to 25 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Elizabeth Chagra, the wife of Jamiel (Jimmy) Chagra, the drug dealer who is to be tried in a separate proceeding on charges of paying Mr. Harrelson $250,000 to murder the judge, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to obstruct justice. March 3 (UPI) -- A sheep spotted wandering loose on a British highway was given a lift back to its owner by a concerned bus driver on her first day on the job. March 4 (UPI) -- Roel Degamo, the governor of the Philippines province of Negros Oriental, was assassinated and five others also died Saturday in an attack by gunmen, officials said. He told Joe about the contract and drew a map showing where he had hidden the murder rifle. A portrait of Federal Judge John H. Wood, Jr. hangs at the Federal Courthouse. They tortured her for no (reason). Chagra and his wife, Liz, and young daughter relocated to Las Vegas in 1978 and moved into a house across the street from attorney Oscar Goodman. He also agreed to testify against all co-defendants except his brother. Mr. Chagra was one of three sons of a Lebanese rug merchant who had emigrated from Mexico to El Paso. The government has also won a conviction of Mrs. Harrelson for obstruction of justice and of Elizabeth Chagra, wife of another Las Vegas gambler, for conspiracy in the slaying. Dozens killed, injured as Jakarta fuel depot fire engulfs neighborhood. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Jo Ann Harrelson, whose daughter has been imprisoned more than three months for refusing to testify before a federal grand jury, walked away from the federal courthouse in San Antonio without being held in contempt. He was bringing in freighter ships of marijuana in the 70s.. ", Anne Best, Executive Director, Family Promise, The truest measure of love is revealed by how we respond to the needs of others. I visited him several times, once with my wife, Phyllis. The desire to give and serve others stems from a place of earnest compassion. Liz got a 30-year sentence. Not wanting to put his family through a trial, Joe pleaded guilty to something he didnt do, Chagra Russell said. Tapes of Jerry Ray James' extensive conversations with Jamiel spelled out details of the plot to kill the judge. She died of ovarian cancer in prison because she wouldnt testify against me., But when reminded that he nonetheless confessed to bankrolling the judges killing, Chagra replied: Well, I said I did it to get paroled, so Ill stick to that story right now., He added: Personally, I dont know if Charlie Harrelson killed Judge Wood or not.. Joe Chagra ended March 2 (UPI) -- A Minnesota police officer came to the rescue of a raccoon he spotted running around with a jar stuck over its head. 'She has reached a point where the evidence is up to her ears and she's floundering in it. To those of us who knew the situation, Jimmys assertion that Joe made him do it was ludicrous, but it fit neatly into the governments scenario. He enjoyed a high-rolling lifestyle at Caesars Palace and Binions Horseshoe but he was not a very good gambler. What finally did Joe in was his inability to stand up to Jimmy. Jamiel Chagra's trial moved to Jacksonville, Florida. WHEN FIFTY-YEAR-OLD JOE CHAGRA flipped his Toyota Landcruiser on Interstate 10 west of El Paso in December, killing himself and two passengers, it was a sad final chapter in the life of a man best known as one of the conspirators in the 1979 murder of San Antonio federal judge John Wood. According to newspaper stories citing trial testimony, a drug trafficker and flamboyant gambler originally from El Paso, Jamiel Jimmy Chagra, paid Harrelson $250,000 to kill Wood because Chagra feared a trial and sentencing by Maximum John. Wood earned the moniker for his reputation of giving tough sentences to drug traffickers. Chagras operation had links to the Patriarca crime family in New England. Whats Up With All the Kangaroos on the Loose in Texas? He built a marijuana and cocaine smuggling operation with connections to Colombia and Mexico. Middle brother Jimmy, the proverbial bad penny, used Joe as a wedge against Lee in a sibling rivalry that consumed both brothers and eventually the entire family, and as the unwitting liaison in his drug operations. The government also taped other conversations, including some between Charles Harrelson and his attorney, and others between Joseph and Jamiel Chagra. Murder is perhaps the single most serious criminal offense. Less than a year before Judge Wood was slain, Lee Chagra, Joseph's older brother, who had defended numerous narcotics suspects in Judge Wood's court, was killed in his office by armed robbers. 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. "It's a safe wonderful environment for all those charities to be located in. . TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Midland was in the jurisdiction of U.S. District Judge John Wood, known as Maximum John for his tough prison sentences in drug cases. Great American Trials. 40 Days of Trial Testimony, In the course of 40 days of trial testimony from 130 witnesses and introduction of more than 300 exhibits, the Government developed what Mr. Jahn described in opening remarks and a closing argument as ''a story of fear, a story of greed and a story of murder. Chip Gaines Bought Larry McMurtrys Historic Texas Bookstore. Warren Burnett, the attorney for Mrs. Chagra, expressed ''bitter, bitter disappointment'' and said he would also appeal the verdict. See the article in its original context from. Judge Woods 1979 slaying by Charles Harrelson was crime of the century, San Antonio Zoo has a long but spotty history with giraffes. At the end of the hearing, Jamiel turned to his brother and attorney, Joseph Chagra, and said he would never have a fair trial. 'Justice Did Not Die'. Joe was stunned. circular of wanted people as a ''carpet salesman, professional gambler and narcotics trafficker.''. Judge Sessions gave Chagra only 10 additional years on his sentence, making him eligible for parole in 2007. He was very good at what he did, Ray Jahn said. Jo Ann Harrelson was found guilty of conspiracy to obstruct justice. Federal authorities claimed that attorney-client privileges did not protect conversations between Joseph and Jamiel Chagra, because Joseph (the attorney) was himself a suspect in the conspiracy to conceal the crime. Crimes Charged: First-degree murder an, Murder He gave us details that only he knew, Ray Jahn said. If I'm not the expert in one area, I know already that somebody is within the Harrelson Center. Thursday, May 28: Oscar's "Case of the Century": The Life ." I testified at the hearing to determine if his law license should be restored, telling the same story Ive told here, yet the prosecution never offered any assistance and the judge ruled that restoring the license would not meet the ends of justice. Joe had to support himself by writing briefs for other lawyers. Daniel's 5th outing as Bond gets bums back on seats in the cinema. He was 50. Charles Harrelson was born on July 23rd, 1938, in Lovelady, Texas, the son of Alma Lee (ne Sparks; 19072002) and Voyde Harrelson (19011976). The trial grew out of one of the largest FBI investigations in history, taking three years and over $5 million. She had then given the rifle to George Kay. He has published 21 books and screenplays, including many on Las Vegas history and historical figures. In a series of videotaped interviews after his release from prison, Chagra told Las Vegas author Jack Sheehan that his prosecution was the result of a beef Wood had against his older brother Lee. Jamiel Chagra was acquitted of murder and conspiracy to murder but convicted of conspiracy to obstruct justice and conspiracy to possess marijuana; he was later convicted of tax evasion. On the morning of May 29, 1979, Judge Wood, 63, was slain in the driveway of his town house in San Antonio, struck in the back by a bullet from a high-powered rifle. Elizabeth Chagra was convicted of conspiracy to At a subsequent trial, held in Florida because of the publicity in Texas, Jimmy Chagra was acquitted of murder and conspiracy to commit murder but convicted of conspiracy to obstruct justice and conspiracy to possess more than half a ton of marijuana with intent to sell. On This Day: Frances Perkins sworn in as first female Cabinet member. Charles Harrelson, arrives at the U.S. ", receiving assistance and guidance at Help Hub, "Being a partner of the Harrelson Center has allowed Soaring As Eagles to soar even higher than before. In the 1970s, Jimmy Chagra was the marijuana kingpin of the Western world. March 4 (UPI) -- At least 15 people were killed and searchers combed a section ofthe Indonesian capital of Jakartafor survivors Saturday after a massive fire engulfed a fuel storage depot. The pressure (to solve the murder) was on us, Ray Jahn said. He set up his family on a farm in Kansas. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. Daniel Vaughn is the countrys first barbecue editor, and he has eaten more barbecue than you have. The case was unique in that the courts all the way up the line blessed the decisions below, Campion said of appeals that followed. Chagra told Sheehan that he offered to plead guilty to having Judge Wood murdered, if theyd release my wife. But Joe absolutely refused to testify against his brother as a matter of family honor. Harrelson claimed to have killed 50 Though he was strung out on coke, Joe had by this point become the nominal head of the Chagra family, meaning it was his responsibility to visit Jimmy, who whined constantly and seemed to think the mess his life had become was Joes fault. 1985) Annotate this Case US Court of Appeals for the