Former WWE Star Billy Jack Haynes Arrested Following His Wife's Death

William Albert Haynes III, known to wrestling fans as Billy Jack Haynes, was arrested on Thursday.

by Andrew Pollard
Billy Jack Haynes Shoot
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William Albert Haynes III - better known to wrestling fans as Billy Jack Haynes - was arrested on Thursday after his wife was found dead in the family home.

KOIN Channel 6 first reported on an uncooperative standoff "a former wrestler" had with police after a shooting at 6000 SE 100th Avenue in Portland, Oregon. Police were called to that residence shortly before 10am local time following reports of gunfire, with a two-hour standoff then taking place before the man was taken into custody.

The suspect was identified as William Albert Haynes III, aka Billy Jack Haynes. After entering the property, the body of Haynes' wife, 85-year-old Janette Becraft, was found, with a local medical examiner confirming the cause of death as homicide by gunshot wound.

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The Portland Police Bureau has since released a statement, noting Haynes is currently in a local hospital, where he's receiving treatment for an issue unrelated to the homicide.

"The suspect in the Thursday Lents Neighborhood homicide investigation is identified as William Albert Haynes, Jr, 70, of Portland. Haynes is Janette Becraft’s husband.

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He is in police custody at a local hospital while he is being treated for a medical condition unrelated to the homicide or his contact with law enforcement. Once he is released from the hospital, which may be days from now, he is expected to be booked into jail. Haynes’ charges will be released once he is booked.

Additional updates will be made via news release as appropriate to the investigation."

Having trained in Stu Hart's Dungeon, William Albert Haynes III made a name for himself as Billy Jack Haynes across the Pacific Northwest throughout the early 1980s. His most notable run came when he signed with the then-World Wrestling Federation in 1986, spending two years with the market leader, including a rivalry with Hercules Hernandez which saw the two face-off at WrestleMania III. Haynes would later work a few shows for Herb Abrams' doomed UWF, work for WCW under a mask as Black Blood, and would formally retire in 1996.

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Expect more news on this situation as it develops.

 
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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.