Snuka also didnt help matters, with his memoir pointedly mentioning McMahons briefcase and dropping hints: Shortly after Nancys death, I was questioned by police and let go. [Photo: Bob Owen, San Antonio Express- News]Seasoned wrestling journalist Mike Mooneyham offered, "While Snuka will remain forever tied to Nancy Argentinos death, it must be noted that he was never convicted. Died? 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. The coconut was supposed to be shaved thin on one end, to crack like an egg, the psychologist explained, but Piper hit Snuka with the wrong end. 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. Reached by phone yesterday, Sharon Georgi said she was having dinner. However, as of this publication, you can find images and videos of him restored on wwe.com. 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. If you think Im going to be hurt by the revelation that one of my wrestlers is really a violent individual, youre mistaken., Tickle Me Kaczynski: How the Inventor of the Ultimate Elmo Toy Became a Unabomber Suspect, The Unexpectedly Sweet Story Behind Those Viral Semi-Truck Pregnancy Photos, I Wore Magnetic Underwear for a Week to See If It Would Give Me a Boner of Steel, A Highly Questionable Cultural History of Richard Geres Ass Gerbil. January 3rd, 2017: Judge Banach dismisses homicide charges against Jimmy Snuka. Oh, and hed donate $1,500 his alleged purse for his return to Syracuse that same day to Sheriff John Dillons favorite charity, the, Reality is seemingly more complicated: Sparkes, Snukas lawyer, had suggested not just a deal based on the donation and a public apology, but a public apology, , at the Onondaga County War Memorial on April 7th, where he would leave tickets for the officers involved. 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., Her family claimed that WWE offered them $25K following her death. The trouble is the brawler allegedly inflicted multiple beatdowns on his wife. Some additional context is needed here to truly understand where both Snuka and McMahon stood at the time. 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. And the way its in the book is the way it was told to me.. The stakes were high. In 1985, Nancy Argentinos family won a $500,000 judgment against the Superfly in a federal wrongful-death civil lawsuit; but after filing for bankruptcy the retired wrestler reportedly failed to fork over any restitution. 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.. 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. He didnt say anything to me. Argentino was dating World Wrestling Entertainment wrestling star James Reiher Snuka known professionally as Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka when she died under suspicious circumstances in 1983. They made it to the motel and after Argentino requested to lie down, Snuka left to go to the Allentown Fairgrounds to perform. Perhaps in an effort to rewrite history, Snuka attempts to once again clear his name in his book about how the fatal bump on the head happened. She added that, in spite of Snuka being charged with a misdemeanor assault in the third degree for his attack on her, he never struck me or intentionally harmed me in any way on January 18, 1983 nor at any other time in the past. (The other charges leveled at Snuka were a felony assault count in the second degree and two more misdemeanors counts of resisting arrest and obstructing government administration.). ", 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.. Dr. Mihalikis did not find any evidence of recent sexual contact. The Salina City Court and several others in the surrounding area have been merged into a single district court location for the, pandemic, making it impossible to check the original court records, if they still exist. Now 72 years old and stricken with stomach cancer, the defamed brawler yesterday posted $100,000 bail after forfeiting his passport. I did not have a clear-cut case. (Reached by email, spokespeople for WWE didnt respond to a request for comment on the discovery of McMahons involvement in the New York case.). Its impossible to discern causality, too whether the explanation is simply innocent, lazy reporting, or something more sinister. Per Donovans statement in the Onondaga County file, the guests in the adjacent room called the front desk because their neighbors were raising hell and a male was beating up a female in there., He called the room to no answer, walked over and heard the man inside say, Im sorry I hit you. Being a 61-year-old man in 1983, he then left and thought the problem was over. But after he heard some yelling, he looked outside to see Argentino wrapped in a bed sheet, saw her return to the room, heard more screaming and then looked outside his office again. 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. That day, with Snukas lawyer, James Sparkes, acting as notary, she swore out an affidavit stating that she was in no way seeking prosecution against Snuka. Homicide charges against Snuka in the 1983 death of his girlfriend Nancy Argentino, 23, in a Whitehall. At that point, he opened the door further and walked towards the rear of the room, and the female got up wrapped in a bed sheet. 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. 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. Picture made on Wednesday, October 7, 2015. "We never saw a dime, but money was . What the f***?". Its possible like Snuka concedes that Argentino was fine with the philandering. Argentino, from Brooklyn, New York, was Snukas mistress and traveled alongside him on the pro wrestling circuit whenever Snuka found himself in the Northeast. As the episode showed, Snukas drug use had escalated so much by 1983 that his 22-year-old mistress, Argentino, also became his pseudo-manager as nobody else wanted to deal with his alleged reckless behavior. Adding to the controversy was that Snuka was married to another woman whom he had children with at the time of his relationship with Argentino. 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. They definitely do not want any tickets reserved for them for the April 7th wrestling match and would not attend. The findings showed that she had more than two dozen cuts and bruises a possible sign of mate abuse on her head, ear, chin, arms, hands, back, buttocks, legs, and feet. 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.. My mom told her, Listen, Nancy, youre too pretty and too smart to put up with this. She had a headache but no blood. I was stonewalled at every turn, Cushing said. According to the contemporaneous newspaper reports, Snuka who gave an exclusive, ramblingly vague account of what happened to the Toronto Star (The hotel manager just got a little excited. A definitive diagnosis can only be performed during an autopsy by analyzing a persons brain under a microscope after death. WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon speaks at a news conference announcing the WWE Network on January 8, 2014. In fact, Snuka made appearances (though he barely spoke to anybody) at the Thanksgiving dinner hosted at Nancys mothers house in Brooklyn. Finally, I just kept looking at her and trying to talk to her and she didnt even respond like when I left. This time he saw Argentino, naked, soon followed by Snuka, also naked. If I was guilty of anything, it was cheating on my wife, and that was it Nancy was a good girl. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka enters Lehigh County Court following his attorney Robert Kirwan, II, right, to argue he has the right to have a preliminary hearing in the 1983 murder of his girlfriend in a Whitehall Township motel. She was going to come home for that weekend, Salome said. Then there were Snukas shifting renditions of what led to Argentinos demise. An illustration of a heart shape Donate. There is much that is not publicly known about this case. Even on the WWF side, the reaction was incredulous: What [Snuka] wants to do in Syracuse is very unusual, said ring announcer and office staffer Howard Finkel, credited as a company spokesman by the Post-Standard. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka visits "The Opie & Anthony Show" at SiriusXM studios on January 9, 2013 in New York City. 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. Photo credits to The Morning Call. To Snuka, Nancy Argentino was a willing mistress and he referred to her as his East Coast girlfriend. In his book the wrestler added that they were intimate. Eerily, Salome recalled feeling restless that night. In another version Snuka said he called authorities straightaway. Instead, Snuka just stared ahead. 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