Woody Harrelson: Contract Killers, JFK Conspiracies, and Fathers & Sons

Summary

DISGRACELAND Podcast Summary

Episode: Woody Harrelson: Contract Killers, JFK Conspiracies, and Fathers & Sons
Host: Jake Brennan
Date: November 19, 2024

---

Episode Overview

This riveting episode dives deep into the criminal exploits of Charles Harrelson—career criminal, alleged contract killer, and father of acclaimed actor Woody Harrelson. Blending true crime, conspiracy, and fraught family dynamics, host Jake Brennan delivers a tense, sound-designed narrative that explores the shadowy legacy looming over Woody’s life and career, including connections to headline-making murders and even the JFK assassination. The episode seeks not only to illuminate the notorious crimes attributed to Charles Harrelson, but also to explore the ways in which that dark inheritance shaped Woody Harrelson's personal and professional journey.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Double Life of Charles Harrelson

[03:12] - [14:45]

• Introduction to Charles ("Chuck") Harrelson: A volatile man with a taste for gambling, criminal enterprises, and violence.
  • “He liked to gamble, though he wasn't very good at it...He had debts, debts to people that you didn't want to be in debt to.” (Jake Brennan, 05:20)
• First Contract Killing: The murder of Allen Berg.
  • Charles lured Berg into a Cadillac with the help of his girlfriend, Sandra Sue, under the guise of “collecting a debt.”
  • The situation escalates, resulting in Berg being shot in the head, then strangled when he is found still alive.
  • The body is disposed of in a watery ditch, with Charles keeping Berg’s watch as proof for the client.
  • “Get back in the car. I swear to Christ, I'll do the same to you.” (Chuck to Sandra Sue, 10:05)

2. Woody Harrelson’s Turbulent Childhood

[10:40] - [14:45]

• The Absent Father: Woody grows up angry, prone to outbursts, and haunted by his father’s absence.
  • Expelled from multiple schools for violent tantrums, such as smashing windows as a first grader after being falsely accused of theft.
  • Woody’s mother, Diane, is described as the moral anchor.
  • Despite Charles’ absence, Woody feels an intense, inexplicable connection: “Maybe his attitude would be better if his dad were here.” (Jake Brennan, 13:45)
• Father-Son Parallels: Both born on July 23rd, invoking a Japanese belief: sons born on their fathers’ birthdays “aren’t like their fathers, they are their fathers.”

3. More Murders & Convictions: The Downward Spiral

[18:20] - [25:00]

• Failed Drug Deal and New Contract: After failing to sell heroin for an associate, Charles is drawn further into debt and criminal schemes.
• The Murder of Sam Degilia Jr.: For $2,000, Charles kills a grain broker so the broker's partner can claim life insurance money.
• Conviction: Charles is found guilty and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
  • Young Woody hears his father’s name on the news, leaving him shocked and isolated:
  • “Maybe it wasn't actually there, but he felt it. He wanted to feel it. Could be wishful thinking.” (Jake Brennan, 24:57)

4. The Infamy of Judge Wood’s Assassination

[30:01] - [38:00]

• Woody’s Career & Media Spotlight: Woody shakes his "lovable idiot" Cheers persona for challenging, often dark roles—mirroring the complexities of his real life.
  • “Woody Harrelson had his father's eyes, naturally. Even if he had only had the opportunity to look into his father's eyes a handful of times.” (Jake Brennan, 32:10)
• Charles’ Most Famous Crime: The 1979 assassination of Judge John H. Wood, allegedly orchestrated for a drug lord whose court fate hung on the judge’s reputation for harsh sentences.
• Manhunt & Arrest: After a long federal search, Charles is caught following a coked-up standoff and confesses—not just to the murder of Judge Wood, but to the assassination of JFK.
  • “At the same time I said I had killed the judge, I said I killed Kennedy — which might give you an idea as to the state of my mind at the time.” (Charles Harrelson to a Dallas TV station, 36:46)

5. The JFK Conspiracy & Harrelson Family Drama

[36:50] - [39:56]

• The “Tramp Theory”: Charles might have been one of the “three tramps” apprehended near the Texas School Book Depository moments after JFK’s shooting.
• Woody’s Televised Doubts: On Barbara Walters’ pre-Oscars special (1997), Woody airs skepticism about the fairness of his father’s trial.
  • Walters: “Woody, do you think your father is innocent?”
    Woody: “I’m not saying my father’s a saint...but I think he’s innocent of that one.” (Barbara Walters & Woody Harrelson, 34:43)
  • Woody hints at possible CIA connections but avoids elaboration: “Nah, see, I shouldn’t get into this right now. This is where we’re gonna get in trouble.” (Woody Harrelson, 38:44)

6. Struggles with Identity and Redemption

[39:57] - [43:40]

• Woody’s Wild Years: From Schoolhouse mischief to leading police on a handcuffed foot chase at 20, Woody carries the rage and confusion born from his father’s legacy.
• Charles’s Last Years: After a failed escape, he’s moved to supermax prison, spending his final years in isolation.
  • “Silence is wonderful... Nobody bothers me.” (Charles Harrelson, letter, 41:36)
• Woody’s Redemption: A 2002 London incident (where a drunken escapade leads to a multi-car police chase and a night in jail) becomes fodder for Woody’s later film Lost in London—a means of working through his personal tumult and relationship to disgrace.

7. Struggles for Paternal Reconciliation

[43:41] - [44:40]

• Woody's Attempts to Help: Despite millions spent on legal efforts and small gestures (like acting as proxy for his father's prison marriage), Woody fails to free or fully redeem his father.
  • Systemic bias—like a trial judge who’d also been a funeral pallbearer for the murdered judge—haunts the narrative.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Charles's business card:
  "Wars fought, revolutions started, assassinations plotted, governments run, uprisings quelled, women seduced, tigers tamed, bars emptied, orgies organized." (Jake Brennan, 07:10)

• About Woody’s fury and inherited rage:
  "He was his father’s son, after all, which meant there was an element of trouble that was simply coded into his DNA." (Jake Brennan, 13:15)

• On the effect of absence:
  "He also wondered what his dad was doing at this very moment, and why he was doing whatever he was doing, far removed—removed from his own flesh and blood, as if Woody and his brothers didn’t even exist. And thoughts like those made him really angry." (Jake Brennan, 13:42)

• Charles’s chilling confession and conspiracy:
  "At the same time I said I had killed the judge, I said I killed Kennedy — which might give you an idea as to the state of my mind at the time." (Charles Harrelson, 36:46)

• Woody on feeling connected and responsible:
  "If Charles V. Harrelson was in fact a convicted murderer, what did that say about Woody? His fists got tighter. He felt sick." (Jake Brennan, 24:20)

• Woody Harrelson on his father’s conviction:
  "Well, he is in prison right now for the killing of a federal judge, which…Well, I don’t think it was a fair trial. Especially because the guy who supposedly hired my father to commit the murder was later acquitted on a retrial." (Woody Harrelson, 33:30)

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Time | Segment | |------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:12 | Opening: Charles Harrelson’s violent life, first contract killing | | 10:40 | Woody Harrelson’s tumultuous childhood; impact of family dysfunction | | 18:20 | Subsequent murders, criminal convictions, father-son resonance | | 24:57 | Woody learns of his father’s conviction from a news report | | 30:01 | Woody's career shift and the public’s knowledge about his father | | 32:10 | Media spotlight and Charles’s infamy in the assassination of Judge Wood | | 34:43 | Barbara Walters interview: Woody addresses his father’s convictions and rumors | | 36:46 | Charles Harrelson’s JFK confession and the rise of conspiracy theories | | 41:36 | Charles’s final incarceration and solitude | | 42:00 | Woody’s personal struggles and his transformation of suffering into art (Lost in London) | | 43:41 | The futility and heartbreak of Woody’s attempts to help his father obtain justice |

---

Thematic Threads

• Inheritance of Violence and Guilt: Parallels between father and son—shared birthdays, rage issues, run-ins with authority—paint a portrait of inherited struggle.
• The Price of Notoriety: How criminal infamy stains a family, shaping Woody’s choices and fueling his transformations on- and off-screen.
• Fact and Myth: The blend of fact, rumor, and conspiracy—especially regarding the JFK assassination—illustrates America’s paradoxical love for both true crime and hero-worship.

---

Conclusion

DISGRACELAND’s episode on Woody Harrelson is a gripping example of the show’s ability to braid true crime, celebrity biography, and larger-than-life conspiracy into a narrative equal parts salacious, sympathetic, and meditative. By focusing on the murky legacies of Charles and Woody Harrelson, the episode asks its listeners to consider how we are shaped by our families, our reputations, and the stories we choose not only to tell, but to believe.

---

Memorable Outro Prompt:
"Who do you think killed JFK and why? Was it Woody’s dad? If not, who was it? What are your conspiracies? Theories? I want to know. I don’t care how outlandish they are. Hit me up, let me know.” (Jake Brennan, 44:07)

For further details and references, see: www.disgracelandpod.com

---

Transcript

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. It's stock up savings time now through March 31st. Spring in for storewide deals and earn four times the points. Look for in store tags to earn on eligible items from Hunts, Nerds, Pillsbury, Lowry's, Breyers, Quaker and Culture Pop. Then clip the offer in the app for automatic event long savings. Stack up those rewards to save even more. Enjoy savings on top of savings when you shop in store or online for easy drive up and go pick up or delivery restrictions apply. See website for full terms and conditions.

[Public Investing Ad Host]

Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you backtested against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors llc. SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available at public.com Disclosures this

[Poshmark Ad Host / Narrator]

week on a special episode of WebMD's Health Discovered podcast, we're taking a closer look at a common form of lung cancer that accounts for 85% of all cases. When I first heard the words you have lung cancer, I was in shock. It's a diagnosis that changes everything. So what does it really mean to advocate for yourself when you're living with non small cell lung cancer? Listen to Health discovered on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Picture this Me, Reese Witherspoon in London,

[Capella University Ad Host]

ordering fish and chips so often they

[Jake Brennan]

might start wrapping me in paper.

[Poshmark Ad Host / Narrator]

I'm traveling with my Wells Fargo Autograph

[Jake Brennan]

Journey card so I earn rewards wherever

[Poshmark Ad Host / Narrator]

I book travel five times points with hotels four times with airlines three times on restaurants and other travel and one point. On other purchases, imagine getting rewarded for eating a toad in the hole. Wait, what is a toad in a hole?

[Public Investing Ad Host]

Visit Wells Fargo.com autographjourney Terms apply.

[Poshmark Ad Host / Narrator]

We all have different styles.

[Poshmark Ad Host]

I may be into Levi's and you may be into Fendi or Miu Miu.

[Poshmark Ad Host / Narrator]

But we all should be into poshmark.com right?

[Poshmark Ad Host]

Because we can all find exactly what we want to fit our style. Poshmark has millions of new and pre lived pieces. Vintage, luxury, men's, women's, children's, everything from Carhartt to coach. Download the Poshmark app and sign up with code podcast10 and get $10 off your first purchase.

[Ryan Seacrest]

This episode contains content that may be disturbing to some listeners. Please check the show notes for more information.

[Jake Brennan]

Disgraceland is a production of Double Elvis. This is the story of a killer. A contract killer, perhaps a killer who is part of one of the most infamous murders of all time. But it's also the story about that killer's son, an actor, Woody Harrelson. An actor who made great films and great television. An actor who was and is inspired by great music. Unlike that music I played for you at the top of the show. That wasn't great music. That was a preset loop from my melotron called texas book colonoscopy mk1. I played you that loop because I can't afford the rights to Hot Stuff by Donna Summer. And why would I play you that specific slice of Somerville Girl cheese Could I afford it? Because that was the number one song in America on May 29, 1979. And that was the day that Judge John H. Wood was gunned down in his driveway, an event that led to a manhunt, a questionable conviction, and a major shift in the way that Woody Harrelson would look at his father forever on this episode. Contract Killers Assassinations Fathers and Sons and Woody Harrelson I'm Jake Brennan, and this is Disgrace. Sam. April 1968, Houston, Texas A red Cadillac convertible idled on the side of a desolate road, blanketed in darkness. Sandra sue sat in the driver's seat. She was afraid of what Chuck was going to do to her when he got back. Chuck was outside behind the Cadillac with the man they'd picked up near the Brass Jug bar. She heard muffled voices over the purr of the engine. Chuck was probably beating the piss out of the poor guy. Sandra sue put a hand to the spot where Chuck hit her just minutes earlier when she got the car stuck in the mud. Chuck called her a stupid bitch and slapped her across the face and it stung like hell. It wasn't the first time he hit her, and she knew it wouldn't be the last. Sandra sue and Chuck hadn't been together that long. A few months, half a year maybe. She met him at a party. Six foot three, handsome. His eyes were a cavernous blue, impossibly big. They moved in together two days after their first date. At first he was sweet, but his mood swung hard. He was violent. Only a few months into the relationship, she contemplated leaving him, but she was worried how he'd react. She didn't want to take any chances. Chuck, on the other hand, took chances all the time. He liked to gamble, though he wasn't very good at it. On a recent trip to Vegas, Chuck won and lost five grand in quick succession, which was not good because Chuck needed money bad. Life or death bad. He didn't tell Sandra sue that he had debts, debts to people that you didn't want to be in debt to. He also didn't tell Sandra sue that he was married but that he had three sons from an earlier marriage. Or that he had been arrested for everything from drunk driving to armed robbery. Or that he carried around business cards that advertised his under the table services, cards that read wars fought, revolutions started, assassinations plotted, governments run, uprisings quelled, women seduced, tigers tamed, bars emptied, orgies organized. Sandra sue did have her suspicions. One night, after Chuck had taken out his anger on her yet again, she asked him, do you hurt people for a living? Chuck's response? Of course. On this night, Chuck pulled Sandra sue into his world for the first time. He needed her help. He said that a carpet salesman named Alan Berg had cheated a man out of some money and that Chuck had been hired to convince Allen Berg to pay it back. Chuck would get $1,500 for his assistance. So Chuck and Sandra sue call Alan, tell him that she had seen him around town, thought he was cute, and asked if he wanted to meet her down at the Brass Jug. She seductively told him what she'd do to him with her mouth when they met up. Alan Berg couldn't say no. Alan Berg also couldn't say no to getting inside the Cadillac when it pulled up hastily outside the Brass Jug where he was waiting like a rude he couldn't say no because Chuck jumped from the vehicle before it even came to a screeching halt and shoved a.25 caliber pistol in Allen's face. Get in the back, Chuck told him. Chuck got in next to him and then told Sandra sue to drive. She Floored him. Chuck tied Allen's hands in front of his body. And then he had Sandra sue pull the car over on the outskirts of Houston. When he took Alan out of the car and around the back by the trunk. And now Sandra sue waited. She was nervous. She was shaking. She figured that Chuck's pistol was just for show. A tactic he used to convince these deadbeats to pay what was owed to the people who hired Chuck. Chuck was a scary motherfucker when he wanted to be. So it probably wouldn't take much time to convince Alex. Sandra Sue's heart leapt to her throat. She could hardly breathe. She stepped out of the Cadillac and ran back to the trunk. Chuck's pistol was smoking. Allen was face down on the ground and there was blood all over Chuck's shirt. Sandra Sue's entire body shook. Chuck lifted the pistol and aimed it at her. Get back in the car. I swear to Christ, I'll do the same to you. Sandra sue hadn't signed up for kidnapping or murder. But she knew exactly what would happen if she didn't follow Chuck's instructions. As she got back in the Caddy, she watched as Chuck dragged Allen's lifeless body off the road and into the brush. He walked back to the Caddy again and pulled a shovel from the trunk. And then he walked back to Allen's body. And after a few minutes, he hollered to Sandra Sue. He needed her again. Sandra sue got out of the car and walked over to where Chuck was trying to dig into the ground he had taken off his coat and tied. He brought the shovel down on the ground, but the dirt was like concrete. God damn it, this wasn't going to work. And Sandra sue heard a wet, eerie sound coming from the ground. She looked down and something low, muffled, pitiful. It was Alan Berg. Gurgling noises were coming from his mouth. She asked Chuck what was happening. Chuck looked down at the man he thought he'd just killed. God damn it, he said. Now I'm gonna have to choke him. Sandra sue felt like she was gonna be sick. Chuck handed her the shovel and told her to take it back to the car. He took the rope he had tied around Allen's hands and wound it around Allen's neck, cinched it up deathly tight, and then used it to drag Alan back to the car where he tossed the twice killed body in the truck. Chuck looked at Sandra Sue. I'm driving, he said. The two sat in silence as Chuck drove the Cadillac south for miles to where there was water. And that would be the easiest way to dump the body. Fuck that shoveling shit. And they were far from Houston, probably Galveston. City lights receded in the distance. Chuck spotted a watery ditch. He pulled the car over, got out, dumped Allen's body in the water. Before he did, however, he pulled a watch off the body's wrist. Not because it was expensive, which it was, but because he needed it as proof that he had fulfilled the contract. And that contract was not to scare Alan Berg into paying his debt like he had told Sandra Sue. That contract was to kill Alan Berg. Chuck didn't give a fuck about another man's debts. He had his own debts to pay. Woody Harrelson was angry. They said he had stolen a purse. Bullshit. He'd done nothing of the sort. They had no proof. They were basing their accusations solely on his reputation. Sure, he'd gotten into trouble before. It was part of his charm. Woody was lovable, but he was also a bit of a scab. But this is going too far. Not only was he accused of a crime he didn't commit, now they're attacking him too. Berating him, hitting him. Woody clenched his fists. He grit his teeth. He ran from the room where he was being pummeled and persecuted and into another room in the building. And the anger just continued to build inside him. He felt like he was going to explode. His fists were white knuckled instruments of vengeance. He just wanted to fucking hit something. So the first window he came to, he shattered his balled up fist, went right through it. And he found another window and broke that one too. But the building he was single handedly destroying wasn't just any building. It was an elementary school. The person accusing him of theft and then beating on him was a teacher. Woody Harrelson was just a first grader. It wasn't the first time Woody's tantrums got him expelled from school. The first time was a few years earlier in nursery school. As a kid, Woody was quick to anger. His temper was just about the size of his home state and just about as hot too. He was born in Midland, Texas in 1961 to parents who were polar opposites. His mother, Diane, was a strict Presbyterian and a positive role model who instilled the old fashioned values of treating others the way you would like to be treated. Woody's father Charles, on the other hand, was a troublemaker. He always seemed to be in and out of a jam, in and out of trouble with the law. As far as what he could remember. His parents split up when he was only five. His father was rarely around. As the years went on, the memories of Texas faded along with those of his absent dad. In 1968, Woody moved with his mother and two brothers to his mother's hometown of Lebanon, Ohio. He tried to be good, tried to keep his juvenile record from getting any more checkered than it already was, but he was his father's son, after all, which meant there was an element of trouble that was simply coded into his DNA. He often wondered if he would ever see his father again. His mother was amazing, no doubt doing the single parenting thing and all, but Woody couldn't help but think that maybe his attitude would be better if his dad were here. He also wondered what his dad was doing at this very moment, but why he was doing whatever he was doing, far removed. Removed from his own flesh and blood, as if Woody and his brothers didn't even exist. And thoughts like those made him really angry.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. It's Stock up Savings time now through March 31st. Spring in for store wide deals and earn four times the points. Look for in store tags to earn on eligible items from Hunts, Nerds, Pillsbury, Lowry's, Breyers, Quaker and Culture Pop. Then clip the offer in the app for automatic event long savings. Stack up those rewards to save even more. Enjoy savings on top of savings when you shop in store or online for easy drive up and go pickup or delivery restrictions apply. See website for full terms and conditions.

[Public Investing Ad Host]

Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index. With AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year. Here you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S P500. Then you can invest in a few clicks Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Appropriate Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors llc. SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete Disclosures available at public.comdisclosures

[Poshmark Ad Host / Narrator]

we all have different styles.

[Poshmark Ad Host]

I may be into Levi's and you may be into Fendi or Miu Miu,

[Poshmark Ad Host / Narrator]

but we all should be into poshmark.com? right?

[Poshmark Ad Host]

Because we can all find exactly what we want to fit our style. Poshmark has millions of new and pre lived pieces. Vintage, luxury, men's, women's, children's, everything from Carhartt to coach. Download the Poshmark app and sign up with code podcast10 and get $10 off your first purchase.

[LifeLock Ad Host]

It's tax season and by now I know we're all a bit tired of numbers, but here's an important one you need to hear. $16 billion. That's how much money in refunds the IRS flagged for possible identity fraud. Here's another one in four honest, hard working, taxpaying Americans has been a victim of identity theft. But it's not all grim news. Lifelock monitors millions of data points per second for your personal information and alerts you to threats you could easily miss on your own. If your identity is stolen, LifeLock's US based restoration specialists will fix it, backed by another good number, the million dollar protection package. In fact, restoration is guaranteed or your money back. Don't face identity theft and financial losses alone. There's strength in numbers with Lifelock Identity theft protection for tax season and beyond. Visit lifelock.com iheart and save up to 40% your first year. That's 40% [e-mail] iheart terms apply.

[Capella University Ad Host]

You've never been one to settle. Stand down or stand still. You're a lifelong learner, energized by excellence. There's a fire inside you you can't ignore. You've got competition to outrun, momentum to build on, and your own high standards to meet. Stop now. Not a chance. At Capella University, we help you catch what you're chasing because you've always had the drive. Now go earn the degree. Capella University. What can't you do? Visit capella.edu to learn more.

[Jake Brennan]

Chuck sat on the bed of a motel room with Sandra sue by his side, the lights from the Houston Astrodome shown through the dirty window. It had been two days since Chuck murdered Alan Berg and dumped the body in a watery ditch out near Galveston. Two days. That's all it took for Chuck to blow through the money he'd been paid all fifteen hundred dollars, and he didn't use a cent to pay off any of the debts that he Owed. Which meant he had yet to unfuck himself in the bad debts department. Once again, he needed cash fast. Which meant he needed another job. So he found one. One that didn't require any killing. Not that Chuck minded killing. But this one would be easy. Or so he thought. There was a knock at the motel room door. In walked Pete Scamardo, a Texas grain broker. Chuck didn't know what the fuck a grain broker was, but he did know that it was essentially a front for Scarmato's other business. Heroin. Scamardo handed Chuck a condom filled with Mexican smack. If Chuck could sell it, they'd split the profits. And there was plenty more where that came from. Chuck agreed. Could be a nice little cash cow. Weeks later, Chuck still had the same rubber filled with the same heroin. No one wanted it. Desperate, he called a contact in Kansas City who convinced Chuck to bring the dope to the heart of America, where he could easily find a buyer. But Chuck found no buyers in Kansas City. In fact, the first person he talked to when he rolled into town was a cop. He was pulled over the minute he hit city limits. Someone sold him out. Cops even had a search warrant for his car. 12 hours from Houston to KC and this is what he got for it. Chuck stepped out of the car with the condom stuffed deep in his jeans pocket. And while the cops poked around the car, he waited for the right moment to pull the condom out of his pocket and drop it unnoticed. Down a sewer drain or on the curb. It didn't matter. The police found a sawed off shotgun in the glove box and charged Chuck with a federal firearms violation. He did not. Pasco did not, collect money for selling junk. He went straight to jail. He posted bail that night thanks to the same friend who summoned him to Kansas City in the first place. But he wasn't in the clear yet. Now he had to go back to Houston and tell Pete Scamardo that he dropped the heroin in the sewer while the cops searched his car. Scaramardo was beyond pissed. Thousands of dollars of Mexican heroin down the drain, Literally. Chuck owed him big time. But Chuck didn't have any money. No matter. He had the ability to do the dirty work that others didn't have the stomach for. Scamardo had something that would get Chuck's hands real fucking dirty. Pete Scamardo had a partner in the grain business, Sam Deglia junior. Scarmardo wanted him gone. If Degiglia was out of the picture, then the company would collect a hundred thousand dollars in life insurance. Scamardo could use Half of it to pay off the business loans. And the other half, well, don't worry about what he'd do with the other half. Scamardo offered Chuck two grand to put a bullet into Giulia's head. Chuck left Sandra sue back home this time, and Jerry Watkins, an ex con just out of prison who Chuck had recently met, went along for the ride. And they drove way the out to McAllen, Texas, so far south that they were practically in another country. Chuck told Jerry to wait in the car. He took his.25 caliber pistol from the glove box. He thought about the two grand. It wasn't enough. It was never enough. He could start to make a dent on some of the debts he owed. He just had to resist the urge. This time, don't piss it all away on poker or booze. Easier said than done. Suddenly Degalia appeared. It was dark, but Chuck could see him walking near a small shack, alone. Degilia could hardly make out Chuck as he made his quick approach, but he saw Chuck's eyes. Big blue like tidal pools that spun in the shadows and swallowed the real estate of Chuck's face. Chuck trained the pistol onto Gilia. He motioned to the shack. Inside now. Chuck followed, agile inside the little shack. He told Agilia to get on his knees. The grain broker was shaking from his head to his feet. He tried to beg for his life, but he just stuttered through spittle and panicked breaths. Chuck repeated the instruction. On your fucking knees now. Agilia dropped to his knees with a thud and the plywood dug into his his skin. He looked up at Chuck, six foot three, towering over him even though the barrel of the pistol was inches from his face. All the Gilia could see were Chuck's blue eyes lurking behind him. Those eyes hypnotized him. Agelia didn't even notice that Chuck had moved the pistol even closer to his face and had begun to squeeze the trigger. Inside the car, Jerry heard the gunshot. He turned the ignition. An irate caller argued politics with a combative host on the AM radio. And seconds later, Chuck emerged from the shack. He got back in the car. What the. Was Jerry listening to talk radio? Nah. It was a long drive back to Houston and this was gonna bore chalk to tears. He told Jerry to drive and then grabbed the tuner with his fingers and changed the channel. Breaking news to report tonight out of Texas. Charles B. Harrelson has been found guilty for the 1968 murder of Samuel de Galia Jr. He has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. Woody Harrelson turned the car radio up, leaned his head in toward the speaker. Did he just hear what he thought he heard? Charles V. Harrelson? Could it be? How many Charles V. Harrelson's were there in the world? Nah, it couldn't. It couldn't be. His father may have been a deadbeat to his family or just a faded memory to Woody, but he wasn't a killer, right? Woody looked out the window and searched the parking lot for his mom's friend, the one who had picked him up from school to bring him home. She had stopped to run an errand and left him alone in the car. Then the report on the radio amplified just how alone he felt. His stomach began to turn. He dug his fingers into his palms and made a fist. He knew something wasn't right. He knew deep down that something was horribly wrong. He didn't know if he should be sad or if he should be angry. And sometimes he couldn't tell the difference between the two. It was 1973. Lebanon, Ohio. Woody Harrelson was 12 years old. It had been years since he'd heard from his father, let alone seen him. Regardless, he felt a connection. A son to a father. Maybe it wasn't actually there, but he felt it. He wanted to feel. It could be wishful thinking. Woody and Charles were both born on the Same same day, July 23rd. Woody thought about how someone once told him that the Japanese had this belief that if a son was born on his father's birthday, he wasn't like his father. He was his father. Wild to think somewhere out there there was a man who was just like him, only a little older. But if they were exactly alike, and if Charles V. Harrelson was in fact a convicted murderer, what did that say about Woody? His fists got tighter. He felt sick. He wasn't paying attention. When the driver's side door opened, he jumped. His mother's friend got back in the car. She looked over at him, and Woody looked like he was in shock. She asked him what had happened. Was he all right? Woody paused to collect his thoughts and then said, what do you know about my father? We'll be right back after this.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Word. Word, Word. Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. It's stock up savings time now through March 31st. Spring in for store wide deals and earn four times the points. Look for in store tags to earn on eligible items from Hunts Nerds, Pillsbury, Lowry's, Breyers, Quaker, and Culture Pop. Then clip the offer in the app for automatic event long savings. Stack up those rewards to save even more. Enjoy savings on top of savings when you shop in store or online for easy drive up and go pick up or delivery free restrictions apply. See website for full terms and conditions.

[Public Investing Ad Host]

Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors llc SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available at public.com disclosures let's talk personal style.

[Poshmark Ad Host]

Are you a classic jeans and tee minimalist? A Louis Vuitton lover? Or do you like a little bit of both? Depending on the vibe, Whatever your fashion mood, you can find what feels like you on Poshmark. With millions of new and pre loved pieces, Poshmark is your one stop style destination. From everyday wardrobe staples to vintage gems and luxury labels. Inter Reformation Got it. Carhartt? Got that too. From designer bags to streetwear, it's all there.

[Poshmark Ad Host / Narrator]

Men's?

[Poshmark Ad Host]

Yes. Women's?

[Poshmark Ad Host / Narrator]

Absolutely. Kids?

[Poshmark Ad Host]

You bet. And the best part? You're shopping real closets from real people with real style. It's like rating your most fashionable friends

[Poshmark Ad Host / Narrator]

wardrobe if you had thousands of fashionable friends.

[Poshmark Ad Host]

Plus every item over $500 goes through Poshmark's authentication process so you can shop high end with total confidence.

[Poshmark Ad Host / Narrator]

Ready to refresh your closet?

[Poshmark Ad Host]

Download the Poshmark app and sign up

[Poshmark Ad Host / Narrator]

with code podcast10 and get $10 off your first purchase.

[Poshmark Ad Host]

Go ahead, find your next favorite thing.

[Capella University Ad Host]

You've never been one to settle. Stand down or stand still. You're a lifelong learner energized by excellence. There's a fire inside you. You can't ignore. You've got competition to outrun, momentum to build on, and your own high standards to meet. Stop now. Not a chance. At Capella University, we help you catch what you're chasing because you've always had the drive. Now go earn the degree. Capella University. What can't you do? Visit capella.edu to learn more.

[Poshmark Ad Host / Narrator]

This is Danielle Roubaix from bookmarked by Reese's Book Club. Nothing compares to the anticipation of something new. A new start, a new year, a new home, or a new car. When it's time to get a new car, where do you start? Car shopping can honestly be a little overwhelming, but it should be fun. Buying your next car should be exciting. And it can be if you remember one thing. Cars.com cars.com has the tools and expert advice to help you figure out what vehicle is right for you. Their advanced search filters allow you to explore 2 million new and used cars so that you can find the perfect car. The site is so easy to use. Looking for an electric vehicle with a third row and leather seats for easy cleanup, Cars.com has you covered. A variety of tools and badges are used to help shoppers understand the price of a vehicle and find the best deal. And every review is written by a real person reflecting a real life experience, so don't take any chances. Do car shopping the easy way. Start your search with cars.com where to next

[Jake Brennan]

the blessing and the curse of playing a memorable TV character over the course of many seasons and many years is that the character never leaves you. Just ask Peter Falk. He starred in amazing films by auteurs like John Cassavetes and Vim Vendors. But to most, he'll always be Colombo, Tom Selleck will always be Magnum PI George Reeves, Christopher Reeves, Superman. Both to the end and after eight years playing a country bumpkin barback on Cheers. Woody Harrelson could have very easily been Woody Boyd the rest of his life. Instead, when the long running NBC sitcom wound down in the early 1990s, Woody pursued film roles that included aggressively played against Tight. He played a street hustler on a half court next to Wesley Snipes in White Men Can't Jump. He let Robert Redford sleep with his wife for a million dollars in A Decent Proposal. And then he obliterated any remaining trace of Woody Boyd with a chilling performance as a natural born killer in Oliver Stone's controversial and hyper violent 1994 film. It was a role that was as different from Woody Boyd as Kirstie Alley was from Shelley Long. I thought he was sort of a psycho, Stone said at the time when asked about the left field casting choice. That's why I liked him. His eyes were kind of blue and blank. Woody Harrelson had his father's eyes, naturally. Even if he had only had the opportunity to look into his father's eyes a handful of times in his entire life. Charles Harrelson was doing a hard time. Not for the murder of carpet salesman Alan Berg, for which he was acquitted in 1970, and not for the murder of grain broker Sam de Gilia Jr. The one that Woody heard about on a car radio when he was a kid. For which Charles served five years of a 15 year sentence. They let him out in 1978 on account of good behavior. It only took a few years for Charles's behavior to go from good to bad again. And once again he was behind bars. And this time it looked like he was there to stay. The fate of Charles Harrelson weighed heavily on Woody Harrelson's mind in 1997 when he appeared on Bar Barbara Walters annual pre Oscars television special. Woody was nominated that year for his first Academy Award for another tight breaking role, this one as the real life head honcho of Hustler magazine and the People versus Larry Flint. Woody was thinking of his father again because Barbara Walters had brought him up. It's fairly well known, walters said, if anybody's read anything about you or talked with you, that your father went off to prison convicted of murder and tell me how you feel today and what the story is today. Woody paused and took a deep breath. The last thing anyone wanted to discuss was how their father was a convicted murderer. It was a sensitive subject. And even though Charles Harrelson was who he was, a hitman, a non presence in his family's life, Woody wasn't entirely convinced that he was guilty of his most recent crime. Like when Woody was in first grade and a teacher blamed him for theft just because he had that reputation. Woody struggled to find a way to collect his thoughts coherently. Well, he is in prison right now for the killing of a federal judge, which. Well, I don't think it was a fair trial. Especially because the guy who supposedly hired my father to commit the murder was later acquitted on a retrial. Barbara Walters doubled down. Woody, do you think your father is innocent? I'm not saying my father's a saint, Woody replied, but I think he's innocent of that one. That one will be the 1979 assassination of federal judge John H. Wood, A crime for which Charles Harrelson Was now serving two life sentences. Seventeen years before Woody's interview with Barbara Walters. In September of 1980, Charles was arrested after a six hour standoff with police in Texas near the Mexican border. He was in a state of cocaine induced paranoia. He thought the Corvette he was driving was bugged, so he pulled it over and shot it up. This caught the attention of the authorities who had already pegged Charles as suspect numero uno in the murder of Judge Wood. The search for Charles lasted more than a year and cost upwards of $12 million. One of the largest federal manhunts in history. The prosecution later claimed that Charles was paid $250,000 from a Texan drug lord facing a life sentence for drug smuggling to quietly get rid of the judge who had a reputation for harsh sentences. But when police found Charles on the side of the road, he was anything but quiet. He was ranting and raving. He was waving a gun around. He stuck the gun under his chin and threatened to blow his own brains out. And this went on for hours. And during that time, Charles admitted to committing murder. But not just the murder of a judge. Charles Harrelson also confessed to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Hold up. You heard that right. Woody Harrelson's father, contract killer and the subject of a massive federal manhunt, called a coked up audible during a six hour standoff with police and admitted to killing jfk. After his arrest, a sober Charles offered an explanation at the same time. I said I had killed the judge. I said I killed Kennedy. Which might give you an idea as to the state of my mind at the time. Charles told a Dallas TV station. It was an effort to elongate my life. But Charles's explanation didn't stop the elongation of conspiracy theories that sprouted up around his roadside confession. One theory that has gained traction over the years was that Charles was one of three tramps arrested for vagrancy near the Texas School book depository on November 22, 1963. The tramp theory gave truthers pause. Was Charles Harrelson actually present the day JFK was shot? Was he actually telling the truth during that police standoff? It wasn't the only crazy theory about Charles Harrelson's mysterious past. Back in 1997, Barbara Walters asked Woody Harrelson about his claim that his father was actually a CIA operative. Woody nodded his head. How did he know? Where was the proof? Woody smiled and his head went from a nod to a shake. Nah, see, I shouldn't get into this right now, he said. This is where we're gonna get into trouble. Woody Harrelson knew trouble. He was born on the same day as his troubled and troublesome father, after all. Which meant they weren't simply alike. They were the same. But the trouble that Woody was facing wasn't the kind you can simply chalk up to being young and dumb. Not like that time when he was 20 years old. Jaywalking with a friend. Stopped by a cop who wanted to see some id. Woody had his license on him, but told the cop he didn't why. And why the fuck not? When the cop found out Woody was lying, he threw him up against a wall, and Woody wriggled free and bolted. Why? He didn't know why. It was just a reaction hardwired inside of him. Within minutes, he was surrounded, on the ground, knee to the throat, handcuffed. They tossed him in a paddy wagon, which he did sit in for a little while. But when the paddy wagon made a stop to pick up some drunk and disorderly kids and the back doors swung wide, Woody ran. The handcuffs kind of made it more fun, honestly. And he ran so hard he thought his chest would explode. He heard the cops behind him, gaining, their feet flat and loud, their voices even louder. Woody didn't notice the car. It could came from the right, out of nowhere, directly in his path. His body hit it with a smack. He felt the nose of the thing dent his ribs. His body rolled over the hood. And then he hit the pavement head first. And as he figured out a way to use his cuffed hands to clutch his aching head and his bruised ribs, it seemed like a whole precinct stood over him. The mace rained down and burned his skin. No. Woody was no longer 20. He was 36. He had grown up. Troubles now, like, how does a son reconcile with a father who was not only absent, but was objectively not a good person at all? And what do you do with all this anger you feel? The kind you've carried around with you since you were a little kid? You know better than to let it out, let it have a voice. But it's a part of you. And just who are you? And why do you feel like you have no control over the person you've become? In 1995, Charles Harrelson attempted to escape from the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary, where he was serving two life sentences for the assassination of Judge John H. Wood. He crafted a ladder out of rope and hoisted himself over a wall. A guard caught him in the middle of his great escape and fired off a warning shot. Charles put his hands in the air and surrendered to his fate. That fate was an immediate transfer to the United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, Colorado, a supermax prison that was notoriously escape proof. With no chance of busting out of a supermax joint, Charles instead found refuge in isolation. Besides, what the hell did he think he was going to do on the outside? Kill again for more money and then blow it all gambling again and then repeat the cycle until the debts he owed eventually got him killed on the inside? He had no other debts to settle besides the one he was paying for with the remaining years of his life. He had no contracts left to carry out. Silence is wonderful, he wrote in a letter to a friend. Being left alone is great. Nobody bothers me. 2002 London Woody Harrelson just wanted some of that wonderful silence and to be left alone. As he sat in the back of a taxi in Piccadilly Square a few days earlier, he chose not to be alone. Big fucking mistake. He wound up in a compromising situation with three other women. A paparazzo sold a steamy photo of the encounter to a UK tabloid. Woody's lapse in judgment nearly cost him his relationship with his longtime girlfriend and soon to be wife. She forgave him, but he knew he'd let her down. He let himself down. And what was he doing? Who the hell was he? Was he Woody Boyd, blissfully unaware of the double entendres flying around and behind the bar of cheers? The mescaline popping psychopath from Natural Born Killers? The bowler with a prosthetic hand and kingpin? Or was he a laid back Texas boy who sang the praises of all things, hence limp and got high with Willie Nelson on his tour bus? And maybe he was all of those things. But he hoped he was also a good son. His mother told him he was his entire life. She told him so even when he got himself kicked out of school? But he lacked the validation from his dad. And he couldn't even help his dad out. And no matter how hard he tried, he did help in small ways. Like when he served as a proxy for Charles in 1987 so that he could get remarried from behind bars. But his larger efforts failed. He spent millions of dollars trying to get Charles a new trial. He even found a sympathetic judge. But after the judge and Woody were spotted playing a spur of the moment game of pickup basketball, the judge removed himself over concern that the friendly match would be seen as biased. Everything fell apart after that. Which sucked. Because despite who Charles was and what he had done, he. There were things that didn't sit right with Woody about this conviction. The judge who presided over his original trial was allegedly a pallbearer at Judge Woods's funeral. Talk about bias. It was also said that the recording on which Charles was fingered as the hired hitman was obtained illegally. Woody felt the backseat of the taxi get small. He told the cabbie to stop. He wanted to bail. The cabbie told Woody to hang on and they're in the middle of Ford lanes of traffic, and he had to pull over to the side of the road first. Nah. Woody wanted out. Now. He tried to open the door, but it was locked. And the cabbie was yelling at him to hold on. And Woody yelled back. He tried the door handle again, still locked. And the interior of the taxi swallowed him. Woody's heart rate doubled. He kicked at the door. The taxi swerved as the cabbie panicked. But Woody kicked the door again and it buckled. But one more kick would do it. He thrust his foot forward again. The door swung open. Woody jumped out into the bustling London night. The cabbie followed in hot pursuit. So much for being left alone. And Woody ran. He held another taxi and jumped in. And the taxi with the broken door was right behind him. Soon, other vehicles joined the chase. A police car. And then another. And another. And six London police cars in total. Lights flashing and sirens wailing. The distinctly European siren sound so frustratingly foreign. Fifteen years later, in 2017, a decade after Charles Harrelson died of a heart attack while still in supermax lockup, Woody Harrelson used the true story of the night he led police on a chase and then spent in a London jail as the basis for a dark comedy called Lost in London. Turning the self described worst night of his life into a cathartic film project was an exercise in learning who he had been in the past and who he wanted to become someone better than before he could use the future to make up for the past and to make up for any past disgrace. I'm Jake Brennan, and this is Disgraceland. All right, thanks for checking out this episode of Disgraceland. I hope you guys dug it. This week's question of the week is, who do you think killed jfk and why? Was it Woody's dad? If not, who was it? What are your conspiracies? Theories? I want to know. I don't care how outlandish they are. Hit me up, let me know. 617-906-6638. Leave me a voicemail. Send me a text. We'll get into it in the afterparty. Let me know. You can also reach me at disgracelandpod as well on Instagram X and Facebook. Leave a review for the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and win some free merch. All right, here comes some credits. Disgraceland was created by yours truly and is produced in partnership with Double A Elvis. Credits for this episode can be found on the show notes [e-mail] if you're listening as a Disgraceland All Access member, thank you for supporting the show. We really appreciate it. And if not, you can become a member right now by going to Disgracelandpod.com membership. Members can listen to every episode of Disgraceland ad free. Plus you'll get one brand new exclusive episode every month, weekly unscripted bonus episodes, special audio collections, and early access to merchandise and events. Visit disgracelandpod.com membership for details, rate and review the show and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and Facebook Disgracelandpod and on [e-mail] Disgracelandpod Rocka roll.

[Capella University Ad Host]

He's a bad, bad man.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. It's Stock up Savings time now through March 31st. Spring in for storewide deals that earn four times the points. Look for in store tags to earn on eligible items from Hunts, Nerds, Pillsbury, Lowry's, Breyers, Quaker and Culture Pop. Then clip the offer in the app for automatic event long savings. Stack up those rewards to save even more. Enjoy savings on top of savings when you shop in store or online for easy drive up and go pick up or delivery restrictions apply. See website for full terms and conditions.

[Public Investing Ad Host]

With volley from iShares, you get access to both monthly income and growth potential in one simple ETF. It's the best of both worlds. Discover Bali iShares Large Cap Premium Income Active ETF iShares the market is yours. Visit www.ishares.com to view perspectives for investment objectives, risks, fees, expenses and other information that you should read and consider carefully before investing. Risks include principal loss and the use of derivatives, which could increase risks and volatility. Monthly Income is Not Guarant guarantee prepared by BlackRock Investments, LLC.

[LifeLock Ad Host]

It's tax season, and by now we're all a bit tired of numbers. But here's an important one you need to $16 billion. That's how much money in refunds the IRS flagged for possible identity fraud. But it's not all grim news. LifeLock monitors millions of data points per second and alerts you to threats you could easily miss on your own. If your identity is stolen, they'll fix it. Guaranteed. Save up to 40% your first year. Visit lifelock.com iheart Terms apply.

[Poshmark Ad Host / Narrator]

We all have different styles.

[Poshmark Ad Host]

I may be into Levi's and you may be into Fendi or Miu Miu.

[Poshmark Ad Host / Narrator]

But we all should be into poshmark.com right?

[Poshmark Ad Host]

Because we can all find exactly what we want to fit our style. Poshmark has millions of new and pre lived pieces. Vintage, luxury, men's, women's, children's, everything from Carhartt to coach. Download the Poshmark app and sign up with code podcast10 and get $10 off your first purchase.

[Capella University Ad Host]

There's a fire inside you you can't ignore. Stand still. Not a chance. You're a lifelong learner who's come this far. Now we are here to help you keep going further. Capella University what can't you do? Visit capella.edu to learn more.