Ex-Pro Wrestler Billy Jack Haynes Suspected in Wife’s Homicide

The once-famous professional wrestler William Albert “Billy Jack” Haynes was recently taken into custody on charges of murder on February 9 after engaging in a lengthy standoff with law enforcement in Lents neighbourhood. The local police disclosed later in the day that he is suspected of having murdered his wife, Janette Becraft.

Now 70 years old, Haynes built a successful career in the world of national wrestling during the 1980s, notably wrestling in the World Wrestling Federation and Wrestlemania III. After his career in the spotlight ended, he moved back to his hometown of Portland and started a gym and a regional wrestling promotion. It was here that he led an unsuccessful campaign to establish the Oregon Wrestling Federation.

Haynes hung up his wrestling boots in the early 1990s and decided to settle in Portland. Despite dealing with ongoing knee injuries and, as he claimed in a failed lawsuit against the WWF, repeated head injuries from his wrestling days, he remained a prominent figure in the city.

The area was placed on lockdown after local police received a report of a shooting at Southeast 100th Avenue. After negotiation efforts, the individual inside the home finally surrendered. This individual, identified as Haynes, is currently in custody at a local hospital, waiting to be formally charged and booked in jail in the following days.