Charles Harrelson's Real Name: Charles Harrelson
Charles Harrelson → Charles Harrelson
Quick answer: Charles Harrelson's documented public name is Charles Harrelson. A March 2007 Associated Press report carried by CBS News, and a Los Angeles Times report the next day, both use that form. Neither account gives a birth date, birthplace, or fuller legal name in the extracts consulted (CBS News / AP; Los Angeles Times).
Real name and early life
He is known in news accounts as Charles Harrelson. The 2007 AP and Times reports identify him as the father of the actor Woody Harrelson, who does not have a live RealNameOf biography and is not linked here. The Times says the actor was 7 when his father left his wife and three sons in Houston. AP says he was 7 when his father was first sent to prison for murdering a Texas businessman. Neither report gives a year of birth.
Career highlights
Legal matters
AP and the Times both say he was convicted of murder in the May 29, 1979, killing of U.S. District Judge John Wood Jr. outside the judge's San Antonio home, and was serving two life sentences. Prosecutors alleged that a drug dealer hired him so Wood would not preside at a trial. Harrelson denied the killing, saying he was in Dallas at the time. The Times also records a prior conviction for murdering a Texas businessman. After a July 4, 1995, attempt to break out of an Atlanta federal prison, both reports say, he was transferred to the Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado. The Times adds that a 1997 appeal was rejected in 2003 and that the Supreme Court declined the claim in 2004.
Death
AP, as carried by CBS on March 21, 2007, and the Times the next day, both report that he was found unresponsive in his cell on the morning of March 15, 2007, and died of a heart attack at age 69. Fremont County Coroner Dorothy Twellman, both say, found severe coronary artery disease and said he probably died in his sleep at the Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado.
Name notes for searchers
Charles Harrelson is the name used in the AP and Times accounts consulted here. A fuller form is sometimes seen on later reference sites, but it is not used in these 2007 reports, so this biography titles the public name. Searchers looking for the man convicted in the 1979 killing of Judge John Wood Jr. are usually aiming at the same person.
FAQ
What is Charles Harrelson's real name?
Charles Harrelson, according to the 2007 Associated Press and Los Angeles Times reports consulted here.
When did he die?
March 15, 2007, at the Supermax federal prison in Florence, Colorado, at age 69, according to both reports.
What was he convicted of?
Murder in the May 29, 1979, killing of Judge John Wood Jr. in San Antonio, for which he was serving two life sentences, according to both reports. The Times also notes a prior murder conviction.
Did he admit the judge's killing?
No. Both reports say he denied it and said he was in Dallas at the time. Appeals, the Times says, were rejected in 2003 and 2004.