“Billy Jack” Haynes, a former wrestling sensation who participated in the World Wrestling Federation during the 1980s, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment since 2002, has been taken into custody in relation to the alleged killing of his spouse.
During the late morning of Thursday, February 8th, Portland law enforcement responded to a residence owned by Haynes after receiving reports of a shooting. Authorities were informed that the shooter was still inside and unwilling to surrender. Following a two-hour standoff, a SWAT team from the area successfully entered the premises and apprehended Haynes, aged 70. Upon searching the house, they discovered the lifeless body of his wife, Janette Becraft, aged 85, who appeared to have sustained gunshot injuries.
Haynes was transported to a hospital due to a medical issue that was not disclosed, according to authorities, and they clarified it had no connection to the murder or his engagement with law enforcement. It’s expected that he will stay in the hospital for a few days before being transferred to jail, at which point the charges against him will be disclosed.
Brelynn Matthieu, a neighbor of Haynes and Becraft, revealed that she had a close relationship with the couple. She had been assisting Becraft during Haynes’s hospitalization for a rib injury sustained in a fall. Matthieu explained that Becraft was dealing with dementia.
William Albert Haynes Jr., known by his ring name “Billy Jack” Haynes, entered the wrestling scene in 1986, where he encountered renowned figures such as “Macho Man” Randy Savage and Ric Flair. He notably participated in Wrestlemania III held in Detroit in 1987.
Regrettably, this incident isn’t the initial instance where a well-known wrestler has been accused of killing his spouse. Back in 2007, WWE wrestler Chris Benoit reportedly took the lives of his wife Nancy and their 7-year-old son Daniel before taking his own life.
In 2016, Haynes joined a collective lawsuit against the WWE, alleging that the company had withheld information regarding research on the traumatic brain injuries sustained by wrestlers and had prevented them from seeking medical assistance while concealing their injuries.
