PORTLAND (Court TV) — Former pro wrestler Billy Jack Haynes is in custody for the death of his 85-year-old wife.
Haynes, whose legal names is William Albert Haynes Jr., was apprehended Feb. 8 at his Portland, Oregon home, according to authorities. He’s currently in a local hospital and will booked into jail and charged after he’s released.
(L) Janette Becraft (Portland Police Bureau)/(R) restling Superstar Billy Jack Haynes attends the Big Event at the LaGuardia Plaza on March 9, 2019 in Flushing, New York. (George Napolitano/MediaPunch /IPX via AP)
Police said Janette Becraft was found dead “after tactical teams responded to reports of a shooting in the Lents Neighborhood” Thursday morning. A medical examiner determined Becraft died from a gunshot wound.
Neighbor Breelyn Matthieu told KPTV that Becraft struggled with dementia. Matthieu also said Haynes had just returned home from a hospital stay before the alleged murder, saying he “suffered broken ribs” from a fall.
Haynes rose to fame in the World Wrestling Federation, now WWE, in the 1980s. He competed against Hercules Hernandez in 1987 at WrestleMania III and Randy “Macho Man” Savage, reported The New York Times.
Haynes was once a party on a class-action lawsuit against WWE that claimed the organization failed to protect them from traumatic brain injuries.
