Portland police confirmed on Saturday that former wrestler Billy Jack Haynes is the suspect in the homicide of his wife.
On Thursday, police responded to reports of a shooting in the Lents neighborhood of Portland, Oregon.
Officers found a person named as Janette Becraft, 85, dead. Becraft was Haynes’ second wife. The medical examiner determined that the cause of death was a gunshot wound. A suspect was taken into police custody but was not named until today.
Haynes is currently in custody at a local hospital, where he is being treated for a condition unrelated to the homicide.
In an update to the investigation, the Portland Police Bureau stated:
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.
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.
Haynes achieved regional notoriety in the Pacific Northwest wrestling scene during the 1980s. He spent time with the World Wrestling Federation between June 1986 and January 1988, primarily as a mid-card talent.
Haynes also spent a short time in 1991 as ‘Black Blood’ in WCW. He then returned to Portland and retired in early 1996.
