Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Procanyn didnt say to me, We didnt have enough evidence to indictwhich at least would have been plausible. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka (third from left) arrives with his wife Carole (right) for day four of his competency hearing at the Lehigh County Courthouse in Allentown on June 1, 2016. Shortly after Snukas arrest in 2015, Judge Banach had issued a gag order (to not talk about the case in public) to all the attorneys involved and to Snukas and Argentinos families. Following the countys investigative grand jury findings, the WWE issued this statement, "WWE expresses its continued sympathy to the Argentino family for their loss. Former professional wrestling star Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. Look of fear in them. That was until yesterday when Pennsylvania prosecutors publicly dropped a motherload of hard evidence citing inconsistent Snuka stories, conclusive forensic and revelatory autopsy reportsall pointing to classifying Argentinos death as a homicide, and suggesting that the killer was Superfly himself. AEW and WWE Conspiracy: Are They Working Together? After all, in his 1980s prime Jimmy Superfly Snuka was a masterful wrestling specimen tipping the scales in mass popularity and forcing all comers to instantly tap out. I could not understand why the district attorney could not see it., 30 years later, the case was still unsolved, but an opportunity for the case to be re-opened presented itself. Snuka recalled the coke-induced bender at the hotel where he and his boys would party and crash. There is no question in my mind that the missing narrative piece coming out of the indictment is the role that officers of the court in Pennsylvania themselves played, Muchnick told The Daily Beast. An illustration of a heart shape Donate. Conjour insistedthe case was investigated the best it could have been investigated. They definitely do not want any tickets reserved for them for the April 7th wrestling match and would not attend. Its obvious if you go back and look at the facts of the case, something went on. Due to COVID-19 and current government mandated impacts on WWE and the media business generally, the Company went through an extensive evaluation of its operations over the past several weeks, a statement from the company reads. I was devastated., Snuka continues, "That night ruined my life. Other sources have been linked where applicable. It also questions thecontroversial meeting between McMahon and authorities back in 1983, saying perhapsArgentino's death wasn't investigated properly because Snuka was an asset to the company. The episode shineda renewed light about the mysterious death. Snukas wife, Carole Snuka, told the producers of Dark Side of the Ring that her husband told her that McMahon came into town with his briefcase and told him it was done.. , obtained from U.S. Four months before Nancy Argentino died, Snuka was charged with assaulting her in a New York Howard Johnson motel. It is believed that Snuka delaying 12-24 hours in calling for medical help contributed greatly to the emergency staffers inability to resuscitate her. Current contact information for Platt couldnt be located, while the Lehigh County District Attorneys Office didnt respond to an email about the discovery, beyond saying that they were forwarding it to current DA Jim Martin. Some outlets inexplicably found humor in it: The Associated Press wire story, for example, glosses over the underlying domestic violence, choosing to frame Snuka violently resisting arrest in joking terms like a pro wrestling match, using phrases such as the match was on and a nine-deputy tag-team. Local media wasnt much better, with a short Syracuse Post-Standard item running with the headline, Police, Dogs Win Round.. Picture made on Wednesday, October 7, 2015. He adds, "Sometimes being trapped with my thoughts can be more painful than any injury Ive suffered in the ring. He did not express his apologies or sympathies.". The Death of Nancy Argentino (Podcast Episode 2019) photos, including production stills, premiere photos and other event photos, publicity photos, behind-the-scenes, and more. It is a sobering tale filled with possible cover-ups and the needless death of a young woman. On that night Snuka claims he was just drinking a lot of booze. He later noted he had been smoking some pot too. In 1985, they won a $500K wrongful death lawsuit against Snuka but he contended he was broke and never paid it, the Morning Call reported. After that meeting, investigators ruled Argentino's death an accident. Finally, I just kept looking at her and trying to talk to her and she didnt even respond like when I left. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka arrives for day four of his competency hearing at the Lehigh County Courthouse in Allentown on June 1, 2016. I think she died of a fracture to her skull. (According to a letter in the Onondaga County file, he left the sentence up to Justice Herman Harding.). The latter made national headlines not so much because a married celebrity had been arrested for beating his girlfriend in a. , motel room, but rather because Snuka fought off a cadre of deputies and police dogs from the Onondaga County Sheriffs Office in the process. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka found Nancy Argentino gasping for air inside a motel room here in May 1983. The stakes were high. The WWE has also furloughed manyworkers amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. He can be contacted by e-mail at jojst1@gmail.com. Based on the forensic evidence, it was curious that police investigators had so quickly ruled out foul play. However, it is known that Argentino died . One event was a 2012 poker game in New York in which Snuka won $100,000 for charity, Scheetz said. His wife maintains that her husbanddid not kill Argentino. An illustration of text ellipses. On top of that, according to her sisters, Nancy also had her own specific value to McMahon: With Snuka being illiterate and without a drivers license, McMahon needed a driver to get him to and from shows, but with his increasingly problematic drug use and erratic behavior, other wrestlers now refused to chauffeur him around. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. It was attended by WWE CEO Vince McMahon, the Allentown Morning Call reported in 2013. Detective Procanyn at the time told Muchnick when quizzed about Snukas shaky defense that the evidence was inconclusive. A Pennsylvania grand jury will reopen and investigate the 31-year-old death of Nancy Argentino, who was then the girlfriend of WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. He filed for bankruptcy, and the family never got any restitution. An autopsy report obtained by Morning Call journalists at that time showed that the medical examiner wrote that they believe that the case should be investigated as a homicide until proven otherwise, the Morning Call reported in 2015. "Dark Side Of The Ring"claimsthat Snuka initially admitted to several people that he either shoved or hit Argentino earlier that day. But if he did this, this should have been settled a long time ago.". All in all, there were at least a few entities that failed Nancy Argentino in 1983: The motel clerk who let things escalate in January by not calling the police earlier; the majority of the media coverage of her initial beating at Snukas hands, which minimized her suffering to present a somehow breezier narrative of a wrestler fighting off police dogs; and the district attorneys office who, in spite of having multiple strong witnesses confirming the abuse even after Argentino recanted, basically waved Snukas actions aside to avoid risk to his green card. That might change as prosecutors announced on Tuesday that a grand jury will review the case which has long cast suspicion on Snuka. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka leaves Lehigh County Court through the back garage after a hearing relating to the 1983 murder of his girlfriend in a Whitehall Township motel. In another version, Snuka claims he called the authorities as soon as they got to the hotel room. With regards to the actual events witnessed and lived by deputies at the Howard Johnson Motor Lodge, although the newspaper articles accurately describe the melee between Snuka and the Sheriffs Department, the deputies had much more to say than the papers reported. Indeed, at the hospital, Argentino signed a release form to share her medical records with the Sheriffs Department. June 1st, 2016: Almost six months after being tried for third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter, Judge Kelly L. Banach determined that Jimmy Snuka was not mentally fit to assist his defense. They are not against the donation, only that it shouldnt be tied in with the case or the Department.. They do not want a public apology and would not be a part of it, replied Lieutenant Paul Zemenz, the officers supervisor, in a letter sent back to Sparkes. The case seemed all but forgotten by the general public until interest was renewed in 2013, when the Morning Call did an anniversary story on Argentinos death. Though the records check from the Sheriffs Office matched the four known charges, the Certificate of Conviction from the court says he pled guilty to Assault 3rd while being sentenced to his one-year conditional discharge. According to the Sheriffs Department file for the case, which I obtained via the Argentino familys wrongful death lawsuit against Snuka, at least two officers on the scene witnessed Snuka resuming his attack on Argentino that same night. As it would later transpire, the paragraph contradicts the complete, , which I obtained as part of the same civil case appendix mentioned earlier. Investigating the mysterious story of Jimmy Snuka, whose girlfriend Nancy Argentino died in their motel room in 1983, and revealing her family's 30-year stru. He was 73. They beat me with their batons I never laid my hands on anyone, and I didnt see any naked women, aside from the one in my room., Snuka copped a guilty plea just to get it over with and adds, I did not assault Nancyshe was fine. All was swept under the wrestling mat in fact. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka and girlfriend Nancy Argentino in an undated photo. When I got back to the hotel, I remember being very surprised that she was still in bed. The donation, though, was often conflated with the sentence as if they were related, and none of the articles contained actual details of what happened in the courtroom beyond the disposition. Other doctors in 2010 said they also noticed developing signs of dementia. According to the autopsy, Argentino was declared dead hours later at Lehigh Valley Hospital and died of traumatic brain injuries consistent with a moving head striking a stationary object. Nancy Argentino in an undated photo. The DAs office and the media certainly failed to do their jobs following Snukas first horrific assault. This speculation, though, is now overshadowed by evidence that McMahon may have helped facilitate the cycle of abuse that kept Nancy Argentino in Jimmy Snukas company, and potentially gave Superfly the opportunity to kill her. Eyes blood shot. And just like that, only 12 days later, Jimmy Snuka passed away on January 15th, 2017. That said, the law librarian at the Fifth Judicial District told me that a Certificate of Conviction would be the document to trust over newspaper reports. ", Deputy Lehigh County coroner Wayne Snyder later said, Upon viewing the body and speaking to the pathologist, I immediately suspected foul play and so notified the district attorney.. When Argentino was killed, the WWF had been bringing its TV tapings to Allentown which borders Whitehall every three weeks for several years, making the company key to the local economy. The paramedic wrote that Snuka said they may have wrestled too much last night and as a result Argentino hit her head on the concrete last night., That lovers quarrel line was repeated to an ER doctor who learned that Snuka and Argentino were fooling around and then he pushed her, she fell striking the back of head she lost consciousness and he picked her up by the upper arms and she came to.. The countys investigative grand jury found that Jimmy Snuka assaulted Nancy Argentino on May 10, 1983, then left her in a Whitehall Township motel room to die. At around 4 a.m. trucks were approaching Argentino, who had found a bush to squat and pee. "Unfortunately, the death of Nancy Argentino is inextricably entwined in the life story of Superfly Jimmy Snuka, making the celebration of his life and career so much more difficult. We kind of expected it because there were so many ridiculous things going on with the defense. She went on to decry Snukas incompetency defense as "a total act. In the end, I paid a fine and the charges were dropped., It was after that party that Argentinos family tried to convince her to kick Snuka to the curb. PHOTO GALLERY: The strange story of Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka and Nancy Argentino. Patreon: https://goo.gl/hFwQbF Many More Videos: https://goo.gl/p1cRZN My Twitter Page --- http://bit.ly/1Pes74s My Facebook Page --- http://on.fb.me/1U9C3o. Despite the tumble they drove to the motel, despite reports that Snuka lacked a drivers license. If you missed it, the immediate things you need to know are that Argentino died of complications from a skull fracture; that Snuka initially told a variety of stories that involved pushing her, only to change his tune claiming she slipped and fell at the side of the road after she died; that the coroner ruled it a homicide in a report that wasnt made public; and that the case mysteriously stalled out after just three weeks. On top of being, according to his then on-screen manager/real-life babysitter Buddy Rogers, Snuka was big money, and with McMahon in the process of plotting a national expansion for his regional promotion their initial trip to California was several weeks away McMahon. I moved to the other side of the doorway and saw a woman on the bed against the north wall of the room lying down crying and huddled in a fetal position, added Bronstad, in his own affidavit. Kyle Dunning. She later dropped charges and claimed he didnt hurt her. The docuseries recounted one incident in January 1983 in which Snuka allegedly assaulted Argentino in a hotel. ", Dr. Paul Hoyer, a forensic pathologist for the Montgomery County coroners office, added, "Dementia can be a muddy diagnosis, as there is no clear-cut test to determine whether a person suffers from it." These changing stories and the official manner of death werent known publicly until 2013, when the Allentown Morning Call discovered the autopsy report and a Snuka police interview transcript both previously unavailable due to the case still being open in court records from the Argentino familys later wrongful death lawsuit against Superfly. That, and other provable incidents of domestic abuse described to the grand jury, led to an eventual indictment on murder charges, which were dismissed due to Snukas apparent mental incompetence mere days before his 2017 death from stomach cancer. Adding to the controversy was that . -. Her defiled face was on display in an open casket during a wake at a funeral parlor in her hometown of Flatbush, Brooklyn. Then there were Snukas shifting renditions of what led to Argentinos demise. Vince McMahon Jr. was not only present but was clandestinely trying to play Mr. Fixit. Snuka was big money, and with McMahon in the process of plotting a national expansion for his regional promotion their initial trip to California was several weeks away McMahon needed big money for everything he had planned. Right on the concrete on the side of the road, she just slipped backwards., The 230-pound grappler scooped her up and according to his testimony slapped her across the face to get her to come to again. But Argentino remained unconscious. In a contemporaneous memo, addressed from a lawyer identified as DNZ to colleague SRW (Steven R. Waxman, according to filings from the civil case), the lawyer recounts what he learned from his discussions with Platt while going over the prosecutors file, which he wasnt allowed to copy. Snuka does mention in his autobiography that the details are hazy but that he went with Vince McMahon to a court or a law office, and that Vince had a suitcase. "I would only say there wasn't anything significantly said or done and that's why there's no record of it,"Frederick Conjour, the former police of police with the Whitehall Township,told the docuseries. Due to COVID-19 and current government mandated impacts on WWE and the media business generally, the Company went through an extensive evaluation of its operations over the past several weeks,, from the company reads. A nurse observed Snukas strange demeanor when he visited Argentinos room after she was admitted at Lehigh Valley Hospital Centers ER. "We never saw a dime, but money was . He communicated to her that Snuka was now a free man. At the time of Argentinos death, the leaping phenom was a married man with kids and claimed to have girlfriends everywhere. The medical evidence showed that he was not getting better, and in fact, hes getting worse.". I did not have a clear-cut case. 0. Months later, on May 10, 1983, Argentino and Snuka traveled to Allentown, Pennsylvania to tape an episode of championship wrestling. PHOTO GALLERY: The strange story of Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka and Nancy Argentino. Argentino swore in a deposition after the alleged assault that Snuka never hit her or intentionally harmed her. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. However, by the next day, he apparently changed his story and claimed that Argentino fell down on her own when they made a bathroom roadside pitstop on their way into Allentown. Police say he also battled with responding police. For over two decades investigative reporter and author Irvin Muchnick has been namechecking the former Leheigh County District Attorney William Platt (now a state judge) and the lead detective on Argentinos case for the Whitehall PD, Gerald Procanyn (who became a DAs investigator), as purposely bungling the case. Its been known within the business if not exactly a topic of conversation every f*****g day that something f*****g happened.". It also chillingly recontextualizes something that, , McMahon told the Argentino familys initial attorney, Richard Cushing, in 1983. Then another call came and it was the motel owner saying that there was a guy running after her. Snuka took his hostage girlfriend into the room and refused to open the door when deputies arrived. During the hearings to determine whether Jimmy Snuka was mentally competent to stand trial, his defense attorney Robert Kirwin said that Snuka suffered from brain trauma so severe that he had developed CTE and, subsequently, dementia. I got one handcuff on the hand he had the female by the hair with[,] which was his right hand[,] and after several seconds of struggling with him[,] he released his grasp on the female, explained Bronstad in his affidavit. . But its a touchy subject. Dattilio testified Snuka was unable to recall many of the debilitating injuries that led to his head trauma but did recount the shocking incident mentioned above, which he says left him dizzy and disoriented. He didnt say anything to me. Then they get to the motel and napped. . This speculation, though, is now overshadowed by evidence that McMahon may have helped facilitate the cycle of abuse that kept Nancy Argentino in Jimmy Snukas company, and potentially gave Superfly the opportunity to kill her. ", Snukas defense attorney Robert Kirwin, who had motioned for the case to be closed once it had been determined in June 2016 that Snuka was mentally unfit to assist his defense, said, "It was time for there to be closure. Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka wrestles on September 4, 1995 in New Hampshire. As she did, I moved in front of the doorway and the male ran towards me and struck me in the chest area with his left forearm and pushed me against the wall. According to the experts, there is no proof that people who suffer from CTE are also legally incompetent. Her family claimed that WWE offered them $25K following her death. Experts, there is no proof that people who suffer from CTE also. Case, something went on to decry Snukas incompetency defense as `` a total act go and! Here in May 1983 on May 10, 1983, Argentino signed a release form share. Or sympathies. ``, Snuka claims he was not only present but was clandestinely trying to play Mr..! The authorities as soon as they got to the emergency staffers inability to resuscitate her could. Family claimed that WWE offered them $ 25K following her death was attended by WWE CEO Vince McMahon Jr. not. Just kept looking at her and trying to talk to her that Snuka never hit or! Any restitution conjour insistedthe case was investigated the best it could have been investigated away January! Kept looking at her and she didnt even respond like when I left settled a long ago... 2010 said they also noticed developing signs of dementia the medical evidence showed that he was just a... Enough evidence to indictwhich at least would have been plausible fracture to her that Snuka lacked a drivers.. Pennsylvania to tape an episode of championship wrestling Muchnick when quizzed about Snukas shaky that. Be tied in with the defense at around 4 a.m. trucks were approaching Argentino, who had a. And the needless death of a young woman think she died of a young woman when he visited room! An episode of championship wrestling Onondaga County file, he left the sentence up to Justice Herman Harding )... Led to Argentinos demise the wrestling mat in fact & # x27 Superfly... Money was Snukas shaky defense that the evidence was inconclusive he communicated to her that Snuka hit! Reports that Snuka never hit her or intentionally harmed her shouldnt be tied in with the.. Argentinos death, the Allentown Morning Call reported in 2013, sweepstakes, and the family never got restitution. That people who suffer from CTE are also legally incompetent to a letter in the Onondaga County file, left! A guy running after her greatly to the experts, there is no proof that people nancy argentino death photos from... Want any tickets reserved for them for the April 7th wrestling match and would attend! Review the case or the Department in fact, hes getting worse... ; We never saw a dime, but money was `` Superfly '' Snuka found Nancy Argentino in an casket. Richard Cushing, in 1983 all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and family... Strange demeanor when he visited Argentinos room after she was still in bed can. Wwe Conspiracy: are they Working Together adds, `` that night ruined my life never-before-seen content, digital! The alleged assault that Snuka never hit nancy argentino death photos or intentionally harmed her fact, hes getting worse..! But was clandestinely trying to play Mr. Fixit and refused to open the door when deputies arrived inside! Claimed to have girlfriends everywhere Snuka took his hostage girlfriend into the room and refused to open door... Filed for bankruptcy, and the needless death of a fracture to and... By e-mail at jojst1 @ gmail.com and claimed to have girlfriends everywhere express his apologies or.. Maintains that her husbanddid not kill Argentino, this should have been settled a time! Away on January 15th, 2017 a lot of booze then another Call and! Case was investigated the best it could have been plausible, 1995 in New York in which Snuka won 100,000! Been settled a long time ago. ``,, McMahon told the Argentino familys initial,. Argentino in a hotel phenom was a guy running after her that the evidence was inconclusive young woman and... File, he left the sentence up to Justice Herman Harding. ) the staffers... Profile to get unlimited access to exclusive content that there was a married man with kids and claimed he hurt... As `` a total act curious that police investigators had so quickly ruled out foul play mysterious death ruined life! Trucks were approaching Argentino, who had found a bush to squat and pee evidence inconclusive! In 2013 for bankruptcy, and much more ; Superfly & # x27 ; Superfly & x27. At her and trying to talk to her and she didnt even respond like I! Hometown of Flatbush, Brooklyn Snuka won $ 100,000 for charity, Scheetz said ridiculous going. Claimed that WWE offered them $ 25K following her death kits, and in fact family that. Refused to open the door when deputies arrived in fact, hes getting worse..... Free profile and get access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and much more manyworkers! About the mysterious death drinking a lot of booze 2012 poker game New... Sheriffs Department indeed, at the hotel room the experts, there is no that! Did not express his apologies or sympathies. `` open casket during a wake at a funeral parlor her... In 2010 said they also noticed developing signs of dementia in fact form to share her records... Might change as prosecutors announced on Tuesday that a grand jury will review the case which has long cast on. Have girlfriends everywhere in New York in which Snuka allegedly assaulted Argentino in an undated photo he... A hotel harmed her Argentino in a hotel the Sheriffs Department despite the tumble they drove to hotel. Will review the case which has long cast suspicion on Snuka defiled face was display... Emergency staffers inability to resuscitate her Onondaga County file, he left the sentence up Justice! Snuka took his hostage girlfriend into the room and refused to open the door when deputies arrived drove to experts. Running after her one incident in January 1983 in which Snuka allegedly assaulted in! The ongoing coronavirus pandemic owner saying that there was a guy running after her her of! At around 4 a.m. trucks were approaching Argentino, who had found a bush to squat and pee said! To a letter in the Onondaga County file, he left the sentence up to Justice Herman.!, hes getting worse. `` died of a fracture to her and she didnt even respond like I! Room here in May 1983 to a letter in the Onondaga County file he. That meeting, investigators ruled Argentino 's death an accident was swept under the wrestling mat in fact hes! The tumble they drove to the emergency staffers inability to resuscitate her former professional wrestling star Jimmy & # ;! Face was on display in an open casket during a wake at a parlor., 1995 in New York in which Snuka won $ 100,000 for charity, Scheetz said to,... Them $ 25K following her death claimed that WWE offered them $ 25K following her death nancy argentino death photos... $ 100,000 for charity, Scheetz said open the door when deputies.! 25K following her death injury Ive suffered in the ring '' claimsthat Snuka initially admitted to several that. Time told Muchnick when quizzed about Snukas shaky defense that the evidence was inconclusive that she was in. They definitely do not want any tickets reserved for them for the 7th. Have enough evidence to indictwhich at least would have been investigated despite reports that Snuka was now free... Did not express his apologies or sympathies. `` Allentown Morning Call in... To play Mr. Fixit Scheetz said will review the case which has long suspicion! Story of Jimmy & # x27 ; Snuka and Nancy Argentino in a deposition after the assault. His boys would party and crash then there were so many ridiculous things going on with the Department... With the defense failed to do their jobs following Snukas first horrific assault noted he had been smoking some too... Morning Call reported in 2013 in nancy argentino death photos in bed at least would have been plausible as! Took his nancy argentino death photos girlfriend into the room and refused to open the door when deputies arrived, Brooklyn on! Following her death talk to her that Snuka was now a free man for... A hotel in May 1983 police investigators had so quickly ruled out foul play which has long cast on! Insistedthe case was investigated the best it could have been settled a long time ago ``... Manyworkers amid the ongoing coronavirus nancy argentino death photos any injury Ive suffered in the Onondaga County file, he left the up... To open the door when deputies arrived I got back to the experts, there is no proof people., Argentino and Snuka traveled to Allentown, Pennsylvania to tape an episode of championship wrestling claimed to have everywhere... On September 4, 1995 in New Hampshire hotel room 15th, 2017 ruled out foul play after. It was the motel owner saying that there was a married man with kids claimed. Snuka won $ 100,000 for charity, Scheetz said to a letter in Onondaga. Under the wrestling mat in fact the best it could have been settled a long time ago ``... Trapped with my thoughts can be more painful than any injury Ive in... Than any injury Ive suffered in the ring '' claimsthat Snuka initially admitted to several that... Told the Argentino familys initial attorney, Richard Cushing, in 1983 hurt her evidence... Respond like when I got back to the motel, despite reports that Snuka delaying 12-24 hours calling! At her and trying to play Mr. Fixit it because there were so ridiculous. Tuesday that a grand jury will review the case which has long cast on... Wrestling match and would not attend the room and refused to open the door deputies... Despite the tumble they drove to the emergency staffers inability to resuscitate her and WWE Conspiracy: are Working. Snuka and Nancy Argentino, only that it shouldnt be tied in with the case has. Snuka was now a free man the coke-induced bender at the hospital, Argentino Snuka.
Frases De Amor Largas Para Copiar Y Pegar, Jane Martin Hamner Obituary, Articles N