Former wrestler William Albert Haynes Jr., better known as Billy Haynes, was taken into custody by Portland police (United States) on Wednesday February 28.
The 70-year-old man is suspected of fatally shooting his 85-year-old wife Janette Becraft at their home, reports the New York Times.
Following his arrest earlier this month, Portland police said the suspect was taken to the hospital to seek treatment for a medical condition that was "not related to the homicide or his arrest by police." law enforcement,” adding that his stay could last “several days.”
As soon as he was released from the hospital on Wednesday, he was taken into custody in Oregon.
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The events took place on the morning of February 8, when a shooting in the Lents neighborhood, southeast of Portland, was reported to the police.
The agents went to the site, to the home of Billy Haynes and his wife to whom he has been married since 2022, and made contact with the latter who did not wish to cooperate.
After several minutes of negotiations, law enforcement managed to arrest him and found Janette Becraft dead inside.
An “adorable” neighbor
Brelynn Matthew, a neighbor, told Fox12 Oregon that she knew the couple well, took care of Janette Becraft, who has dementia, and recently stayed with her when her husband was recovering in the hospital of a rib injury caused by a fall.
For the moment, the circumstances of the tragedy are still unclear and the police are still trying to understand the circumstances which led to the death of Janette Becraft.
Described as "adorable" by one of his neighbors named Steve Odri, Billy Haynes distinguished himself in the WWF (
Editor's note,
the wrestling organization today called WWE), in the 1980s. After more than ten years of career and several injuries, he bowed out in the 1990s.
Following his career, he continued to be talked about for filing a lawsuit against WWE, claiming that the organization mistreated wrestlers by denying and covering up medical research into many of the brain injuries they suffered.