Former professional wrestler William “Billy Jack” Haynes, 70, has been found unfit to stand trial on charges related to the murder of his wife, Janette Becraft, according to a court ruling reported on May 15, 2025. Haynes was arrested in February 2024 and subsequently charged with second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon.
The charges stem from an incident on February 8, 2024, when police were called to Haynes’s Portland, Oregon home. After a standoff that lasted several hours, Haynes was taken into custody. Inside the residence, officers found his 85-year-old wife, Janette Becraft, deceased from a gunshot wound. Becraft and Haynes had reportedly married in 2022.
The recent court determination that Haynes is unfit to proceed means that, at present, he is considered incapable of understanding the nature of the criminal proceedings against him or of assisting in his own defense. Such rulings typically follow psychological or psychiatric evaluations ordered by the court to assess a defendant’s mental state and competency. The specific medical reasons or findings from Haynes’s evaluation leading to this unfitness determination were not immediately detailed in the initial reports of the ruling.
Legal proceedings against Haynes will likely be suspended as a result of this finding. Often in such cases, the defendant may be committed to a state mental health facility for treatment, with the possibility of periodic re-evaluations to determine if competency can be restored at a future date. If competency is restored, the criminal case could potentially resume.
Haynes was a prominent figure in professional wrestling during the 1980s, particularly in the Pacific Northwest territories and later in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). He was known for his “Billy Jack” persona, often incorporating elements of a rugged, rebellious character.
In the years leading up to the 2024 incident, there had been reports concerning the health of both Haynes and his wife. Neighbors had indicated that Janette Becraft was suffering from various medical issues, including possible dementia, prior to her death.
Haynes himself has had a history of making controversial public statements and was involved in a class-action lawsuit filed by several former wrestlers against WWE, alleging that the company had not adequately protected them from head injuries leading to conditions like Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). That lawsuit was dismissed, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case in 2021.
The finding of unfitness to stand trial adds another complex layer to the tragic case involving the death of Janette Becraft and the subsequent charges against the former wrestling star.
