William "Bill" Anthony Harvelle was the husband of Ellen Harvelle, the father of Jo Harvelle, and the co-owner of Harvelle's Roadhouse. He usually hunted on his own, but was killed by John Winchester on a hunt with him.
Background[]
Early life[]
William was a solo hunter. According to Jo's Blog, Bill was killed May 16, 1995 but according to John Winchester's Journal, Bill was killed April 15, 1986. As Jo says in that "she was in pigtails" when he died, the 1995 date is more likely, given Jo was born in 1985. According to Ellen Harvelle, Bill was killed when John botched a hunt they were both on. Later, it was revealed that John had actually killed Bill to put him out of his misery after being hurt.[1]
Season 2[]
While hunting with Sam and Dean, Jo reminisces about her father with Dean.
After Jo is rescued after being abducted by the spirit of serial murderer Dr. H.H. Holmes, Ellen reveals to her that Bill was killed while on a hunt with John Winchester. According to Ellen, Bill's death was John's fault, and this is the reason John never visited the Roadhouse after Bill's death.[2]
Bill's death is described in a journal entry he made:
It looked like smoke and sounded like a million flies. Bill looked down from the stars just in time for it to flow right into him. He started jerking like a condemned man in the electric chair, and two voices were coming out of his mouth. One was the thing, the Hellspawn. I don't know what language it was speaking, but its voice was horrible. It was the sound cancer would make if it could talk. And Bill, he kept saying over and over again, 'John shoot me, shoot me, John.' So I did. It was the worst mistake I ever made. It was careless and stupid and it got a good man killed. A good husband and father, and a damned good hunter, and I don't know how I'm going to explain this to Ellen. And Jo, poor Jo. She's four years old. How am I going to tell her? I can't just let Ellen do it. It was over in less than a minute, Bill Harvelle dead and me standing there with a gun in my hand listening to the echo of the gunshots in the hills and echo of the awful hellspawn voice in my head.[3]
Appearances[]
- Season 2
- Everybody Loves a Clown (mentioned only)
- No Exit (mentioned only)
- Born Under a Bad Sign (mentioned only)
- Season 7
- Defending Your Life (mentioned only)
- John Winchester's Journal
- Supernatural: Origins #3
Trivia[]
- Jo carries a small hunting knife belonging to Bill engraved with W.A.H.
- Bill, like his daughter, Jo, was attacked and wounded by creatures from Hell, and both had fatal stomach injuries.