Former WWE star Billy Jack Haynes has been charged with murder over the death of his wife, Janette Becraft.
According to the Portland Police Bureau, police were responding to a shooting at their home on the morning of Feb. 8. After officers determined the suspect was inside the home, they called the Special Emergency Reaction Team (SERT) and the Crisis Negotiation Team.
Officers eventually made their way inside the home where they found a deceased woman who has since been identified as Haynes’ 85-year-old wife. According to the medical examiner, Becraft died of homicide by gunshot wound. Police later identified the former pro wrestler as the suspect.
After he was briefly transported to a hospital where he was treated for a medical condition unrelated to the homicide, Haynes, 70, was transported to the Multnomah County Detention Center and charged with murder in the second degree and unlawful use of a weapon.
At this point, it remains unclear what exactly led to Becraft’s death. According to Fox 12 in Portland, Haynes refused for hours to surrender to authorities before he ultimately gave himself up.
One neighbor told the news station that Becraft was suffering from dementia. That same neighbor said she looked after Becraft in her home while Haynes was hospitalized due to a fall that led to broken ribs.
Haynes wrestled his way out of Portland and gained notoriety with the WWE (then the WWF). He dueled with the likes of “Macho Man” Randy Savage. Haynes also fought at WrestleMania III. But Haynes’ career would be cut short due to a myriad of injuries, which ultimately led to a class-action lawsuit against the the wrestling organization, in which former wrestlers claimed the WWE failed to protect them from repeated head injuries that led to long-term brain damage.
After the lawsuit was dismissed in the lower courts, the wrestlers asked the Supreme Court to review the case, but the high court refused to do so in 2021.
