News / People
Father of Woody Harrelson Dies in Prison
Charles Harrelson, the father of actor Woody Harrelson, was found dead in his cell on March 15. The 69-year-old, who had severe coronary artery disease, apparently suffered a heart attack while sleeping.
Harrelson was serving two life sentences after being convicted of the 1979 murder of U.S. District Judge John Wood Jr. Wood had gained a reputation as a hard nosed judge that often handed down maximum sentences to drug offenders, thus earning the name “Maximum John.” Prosecutors argued that Harrelson had been hired by a drug dealer to kill Wood in order to avoid the judge from hearing his upcoming trial.
Harrelson maintained his innocence but was sentenced to two life sentences for the crime. After attempting to escape from an Atlanta federal prison Harrelson was sent to USP Florence ADMAX in Colorado, the highest level of security in the federal system.
Woody Harrelson, Charles’ son, was in college when the sentence was handed down in 1979. Woody went on to star in the hit show “Cheers” and then launched a successful movie career with hits such a s “Natural Born Killers,” “Indecent Proposal,” “The People vs. Larry Flynt,” and “North Country.”
