Harris won money playing craps and used it to buy 2 machine guns. After giving them to a friend, Michael Taylor, for safekeeping, he came back later demanding the firearms. Stanley "Hank" Willoughby had assisted Taylor in hiding the firearms, and Willoughby was aided by two children. When Willoughby told Harris that he did not know where the firearms were, the argument grew heated. Harris pulled a .41 revolver and shot Willoughby in the face. Harris was arrested 2 weeks later for an armed robbery in Columbia. In 1982, Harris was convicted of Robbery in the First Degree and sentenced to 8 years imprisonment.
During his trial Harris admitted killing Willoughby but said it was in self-defense during an argument in a drug house. "I was afraid for my life," he testified. At the time, Harris had gained a reputation as one of the most prolific robbers in recent Kansas City history. He had five felony convictions but had beaten at least four armed-robbery charges. Authorities called him the "top of his field." Defense attorneys said the previous convictions influenced the jury to find him guilty. George Harris, 41, was sentenced to death by lethal injection for the murder of 20-year-old Stanley Willoughby of Kansas City in March 1989.
Not all celebrities have fame and fortune, some are just famous – and in a ton of debt. They came from rags to riches, then went back to rags. Whether they’ve filed bankruptcy, ended up in court, or just can’t stop spending, celebrities mismanage their money just like everyone else. They just hide it well.
50 Cent coined the term “wanksta,” then “partied like it was his birthday” until he filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2015. The rapper was said to be anywhere between $10 million and $50 million in debt. In 2016, a federal bankruptcy court judge in Connecticut approved a plan for the founder of G-Unit to pay his debts back. He was able to get his bankruptcy discharged in February of the following year.
Following a 45-year-long career in Hollywood, acting in more than 70 films, actor Gary Busey found himself in more debt than he was worth. In 2012, it was reported that Busey owed between $500,000 and $1 million worth of debt, but only had $50,000 to his name. The 74-year-old actor owed money to hospitals, banks, the L.A. Waterworks District, and even a storage company. He filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy that same year. Despite his longstanding career in Hollywood, Busey's net worth is now only $500,000.
Burt Reynolds is still worth five million dollars, but his battles with debt date back more than 20 years. Between bad investments and a pricey divorce from actress Loni Anderson, the 1970s superstar had to deal with over $10 million in debt and decided to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1996. While testifying in a 1994 custody hearing, the South Florida native said he spent $40 million getting through his divorce.
The former Hollywood bad boy, Charlie Sheen owes the IRS nearly $5 million. But that's not all. In 2016, his net worth was reportedly still as high as $150 million, but he was nonetheless $12 million in debt at the time – including mortgages, legal fees, and taxes. That same year, Debt.com reported Sheen owed nearly $300,000 on an American Express card alone.