Former professional wrestler Billy Jack Haynes—real name William Albert Haynes III—is scheduled to stand trial in December 2025 on charges including Murder in the Second Degree following the death of his wife, Janette Becraft, in February 2024. Haynes, now 70 years old, gave his first public comments on the case in the latest episode of Vice TV’s “Dark Side of the Ring”, speaking from jail in Portland, Oregon, where he remains in custody.
During the televised interview, Haynes stated he loved his late wife “with all his heart” and expressed confidence in the legal process, saying he felt “good about his chances at trial” and believed he had been “overcharged” by prosecutors. The episode also explored a theory that Becraft suffered from dementia, raising speculation that Haynes may have viewed the killing as a so-called “mercy act.” Becraft’s family declined to participate in the program.
Haynes was arrested on February 8, 2024, after a two-hour armed standoff with law enforcement at his home in the Lents neighborhood of Portland. Police were responding to reports of gunfire. After Haynes was taken into custody, Janette Becraft, 85, was found deceased inside the residence. The Oregon State Medical Examiner ruled her cause of death as homicide by gunshot wound.
Haynes was later indicted on two felony charges: Murder in the Second Degree and Unlawful Use of a Weapon. He has entered a not guilty plea, and his arraignment is set for May 28, 2025, with the trial now scheduled for December.
A neighbor interviewed by KPTV FOX 12 at the time described Becraft’s condition as deteriorating and the situation as “a tragedy all around.”
Billy Jack Haynes was a major name in the 1980s wrestling scene, best known for his run in Don Owen’s Pacific Northwest territory and his national stint in the WWF (now WWE) from 1986 to 1988. He famously feuded with Hercules Hernandez, culminating in a match at WrestleMania III built around their shared use of the full nelson submission hold.
Trained by Stu Hart, Haynes was known for his powerful physique, intensity, and no-nonsense in-ring style. He also wrestled for Jim Crockett Promotions, World Class Championship Wrestling, Championship Wrestling from Florida, and made a brief appearance in WCW in 1991 under the mask as Black Blood.
However, Haynes’ career was plagued by controversy, including multiple reported backstage conflicts and allegations that he refused to lose matches. Former WWE star Greg Valentine once attributed Haynes’ firing in 1988 to an incident involving alleged GHB use on a plane.
In his later years, Haynes made headlines for a series of outlandish and often unsubstantiated claims during shoot interviews. Among them: that he had trafficked cocaine during his WWF run and witnessed the notorious “Boys on the Tracks” murders in Arkansas.
Haynes was also part of the early group of wrestlers involved in a class-action lawsuit against WWE over chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which was eventually dismissed. In his 2014 legal filings, he claimed to suffer from depression and early dementia, which he attributed to repeated head trauma from his wrestling career.
With Haynes now awaiting trial on serious criminal charges, the wrestling world once again turns its attention to a man whose life has been marked by dramatic highs, personal demons, and now, a pending murder case.
Stay with PWMania.com for updates on this developing legal situation and more wrestling-related news from across generations.
