Charles Harrelson, the father of actor Woody Harrelson who was convicted of multiple murders as well as the subject of allegations that he was involved in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, is at the center of a new 10-part podcast investigation, Son of a Hitman. The new Spotify series is hosted by journalist Jason Cavanagh, who is joined by Woody’s brothers, Brett and Jordan, as they search for the truth in their father’s cases.
“It’s important for me to expose the magnitude of how corrupt this trial was and how my father, Charles Harrelson, didn’t receive a fair trial,” says Brett, who has questions about his father’s guilt.
In addition to the two brothers’ participation in the podcast, the series features all-new interviews with chief prosecutor Ray Jahn, private investigator Brad Thompson and Charles’ cousin, Nadine Harrelson. While Woody did not participate, archived interviews with the actor and other accounts will be shared by his brothers.
In the first two episodes, which are now streaming on Spotify, Jason explains the conspiracies surrounding Charles and the three murder cases against him, including the assassination of Federal Judge John Wood as well as the murders of Alan Berg and Sam Degelia. And in one interview with Jason, Ray describes Charles “as an outright psychopath… a cold-blooded killer.”
Brett, meanwhile, says that he has a lot of mixed feelings about Charles: “I looked up to him, ya know... I wish I could know all he has done.” He also explains why Woody doesn’t discuss what happened with his father: “My mother and Woody, I can just tell their opinion is they don’t want to talk about it because it's a personal private matter.”
Later, in a strangely revealing moment, lawyer Danny Sheehan shares how he was hired to appeal Charles' case in 1997. “Woody and I were sitting in a hot tub at the house, passing a joint back and forth, and he says, ‘Oh, Danny, by the way, have you heard about Charles Harrelson?’... And he says, ‘Look, would you be willing to go see my dad?’ And I said, ‘Sure I would,’” Sheehan recalls.
Check out the trailer for the series, which premiered Tuesday, May 5. New episodes available weekly.
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