She would sadly die at the young age of 23 in a Pennsylvania motel room. And in the ring Snuka remained true to his native island roots by swearing off wrestlings regalia of boots, opting to go barefoot instead; as well as donning a distinct headband and leopard-printed garb as odes to his on-screen idol Tarzan. Snuka, a native of Fiji who lives in Waterford Township, New Jersey, was charged last year in the death of 23-year-old Nancy Argentino, whose body was found in their Whitehall Township hotel. His wife maintains that her husbanddid not kill Argentino. From excessive horseplay amongst them to a lovers quarrel where accidents happen, to her simply slipping and falling. With Sam Fatu, Valerie Franzen, Jim Garfield, Chris Jericho. They definitely do not want any tickets reserved for them for the April 7th wrestling match and would not attend. Feel free to discuss this on the Pro Wrestling Stories Facebook and Twitter pages. I didnt see it happen, but I remember she told me she was jumping over a little stream that was there and she slipped.. The WWE has also furloughed manyworkers amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Specifically, those other incidents of domestic abuse were that of Snuka hospitalizing his then-wife Sharon in September 1983 (no charges filed, but testified to by both Sharon and then-neighbor Debbie Rogers); and Snukas January 18, 1983 arrest for beating Argentino. 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. Oh my, she looks terrible, Jimmy Superfly Snuka was heard crowing as he wept and strung his hand through Nancy Argentinos dark and dead locks. 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. WWE has not responded to Oxygen.coms request for comment. A follow-up interview with Snuka was conducted by investigatorson June 1. The original investigation went cold on June 1, 1983, after prosecutors met with Jimmy Snuka and World Wrestling Federations Vince McMahon in the district attorneys office law library. Charges were not immediately pressed at the time against Jimmy Snuka though the case was left officially open. So I told her to come on out and she ran past him. Obviously, there was enough there to arouse my suspicion but not enough to take it to trial., Mihalakis would later say, Just because she was beaten doesnt mean she was beaten to death.. 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. All I remember is he had a briefcase with him. What else could I possibly say? Snuka was previously ruled incompetent to stand trial in. Died? ), That was when several deputies arrived and unsuccessfully tried to handcuff Snuka. 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. He was very protective, a showman, Steinberg said. 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. Trying to prove that Jimmy Snuka was mentally and physically capable of standing trial, the prosecutors showed fliers from charity events that Snuka attended during times the psychologist said he showed signs of dementia. According to the experts, there is no proof that people who suffer from CTE are also legally incompetent. During one of the hearings, prosecutors noted Snuka did not begin complaining of head trauma until after he learned he was under investigation. Also, to reinforce the aforementioned, Dr. Manish Fozdar, a Raleigh, North Carolina expert in Neuropsychiatry and forensic psychiatry, said, "There are no cause-effect relationships as Snukas defense attorney argued. This has been very hard on me and very hard on my family I never hit Nancy or threatened her. According to police interviews obtained by The Morning Call, Snuka originally told at least five people, including the responding police officer, he shoved Argentino, causing her to fall and hit her head. And despite the caked on foundation applied by the ambitious mortician on this day the grim sight haunted her pro wrestling beau to the core. It is a deterioration of brain tissue and function and was discovered in 2004 at the Allegheny County medical examiners office after performing an autopsy on former Pittsburgh Steelers player, Iron Mike Webster. Adding to the controversy was that . That was a blatant lie, said Muchnick. Citizenship and Immigration Services in 2017 after his death, which actually contradicts those reports. He drove his Oldsmobile Delmont 88 off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island, which is near Marthas Vineyard. I went online, and there was a lot of stuff that I also heard that I took to him. Most of the information was gathered from articles by The Morning Call, who, with several different writers, covered the Jimmy Snuka and Nancy Argentino case from when it was revived in 2013 to his hearings and until his passing in 2017. He testified that Snuka is a shell of a man whose brain is damaged beyond repair from years of wrestling and who was suffering from dementia that is worsening by the month.. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Ive never heard of anything like it before., To the credit of the Sheriffs Office, it looks like they did everything they should have both in terms of doing right by Nancy Argentino, and trying to avoid a public spectacle. The case remains open to this day. 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. It was six men in blue with police dogs and everything, he writes, while he was dressed only in his skivvies. 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. On May 10, Concussion Inc. published JUSTICE DENIED: The Untold Story of Nancy Argentino's Death in Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka's Motel Room.This short ebook sells for $2.99, with 100 percent of the royalties being donated by the Argentino family, in Nancy's memory, to the White Plains, New York-based My Sister's Place women's shelter and resource center. In 1969, Senator Ted Kennedy left a party near midnight with Kopechne. At one point Argentino hopped over a stream before she lost her footing. Thirty years later, Nancy Argentino's death remains unsolved. Three weeks after The Morning Call published the story recalling the death of Nancy Argentino and revealing an autopsy report and police interviews never seen by the public, Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin asked Chief Deputy District Attorney Charles Gallagher and Detective Gerry Procanyn "if theres anything to be gained by opening a grand jury investigation." Her sisters, Louise Argentino and Lorraine Salome, tell me that they believe that this was the first time Snuka had gotten violent, meaning that Argentinos resolve wouldnt necessarily be worn down yet. The DAs office and the media certainly failed to do their jobs following Snukas first horrific assault. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka enters Lehigh County Court to argue he has the right to have a preliminary hearing in the 1983 murder of his girlfriend in a Whitehall Township motel. If Snuka wanted to donate some money to a local charity they would not be a part of it. Her family claimed that WWE offered them $25K following her death. A nurse observed Snukas strange demeanor when he visited Argentinos room after she was admitted at Lehigh Valley Hospital Centers ER. Complicating matters is Snukas alien file, obtained from U.S. I dont like confrontation.. 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. They blew it up, brother.), copped a plea for harassment and got a conditional discharge. I was devastated, he wrote. The autopsy report told cops to consider Nancy Argentinos death a homicide. ). Menu. (Reached by email, spokespeople for WWE didnt respond to a request for comment on the discovery of McMahons involvement in the New York case.). The hospital received a call for an ambulance from Snuka when he came back to the motel. "We never saw a dime, but money was . Reached by phone yesterday, Sharon Georgi said she was having dinner. 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. If he does, hes responsible., On the matter, Jim Cornette lamented, "The word started getting around. Other doctors in 2010 said they also noticed developing signs of dementia. I woke her up, but she could hardly breathe.. Former professional wrestling star Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. I never wanted to harm her. , 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 alleged that s 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. The cops just didnt give me the chance to explain. I think Vince Jr. picked me up from the hotel and took me there. Bronstad, describing a shorter, older man wearing a hat, remembers being pissed off and quoting the manager a figure of $25,000 for Snukas bail, which would actually turn out to be just $5,000. 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. Snuka, a cliff diver and bodybuilder with a vertical leap as impressive as his physique, was the WWFs newly minted top good guy. After being informed of her ex-husbands murder charges, she told The Daily Beast, I have nothing further to offer.. Argentino swore in a deposition after the alleged assault that Snuka never hit her or intentionally harmed her. A year after Argentino was killed, with her family having retained lawyers from Schonwald, Schaffzin & Mullman, one of the lawyers on the case travelled to Allentown, Pennsylvania, to meet with Lehigh County District Attorney William Platt. In addition, Mihalikis absolutely, find, bruises, lacerations or other indications of a beating or prior injuries. Over two dozen, to be more specific, to the point that the report states that they could suggest mate abuse., But the revelation that if we take Procanyns contemporaneous interview with Bronstad and Romanenko at face value Vince McMahon may have been one of these failures is something that, in 2020, casts her death in a different light. Ultimately, it took eight deputy sheriffs and K-9s to bring Snuka under arrest. The memo was first published in Justice Denied, an ebook that Argentinos sisters collaborated on with Irvin Muchnick, who had been doing the seminal reporting on the case since 1992, as a benefit for a battered womens shelter. I think we stopped drinking after thatshe did at least, according to Snuka. At around 4 a.m. trucks were approaching Argentino, who had found a bush to squat and pee. 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. Months later, on May 10, 1983, Argentino and Snuka traveled to Allentown, Pennsylvania to tape an episode of championship wrestling. If you bring up pro wrestling to someone from the Northeast whose fandom peaked around this time, theyll inevitably: 1) gush about Superfly being their favorite; and 2) reminisce about imitating him by jumping off their bed or dresser. 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. I dont know what happened. His wife maintains that her husbanddid not kill Argentino. Track back 30 years to the documented interview with Detective Gerald Procanyn of the Whitehall Police Department at the hotel. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Surrounded by family and his lawyer, former professional wrestler Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, right, arrives at Lehigh County Courthouse in Allentown, Pa. on Friday, May, 13, 2016. The writer was onto the flimsy slip-and-fall storylines Snuka had peddled to police and prosecutors. The excerpts of the interview were provided by WrestlingInc.com. . 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. In fact, Snuka made appearances (though he barely spoke to anybody) at the Thanksgiving dinner hosted at Nancys mothers house in Brooklyn. The docuseries recounted one incident in January 1983 in which Snuka allegedly assaulted Argentino in a hotel. Homicide charges against Snuka in the 1983 death of his girlfriend Nancy Argentino, 23, in a Whitehall. And yet the pro wrestler was never charged. This time he saw Argentino, naked, soon followed by Snuka, also naked. [Photo: WWE Network]In 1999, with internet usage still somewhat in its infancy, when writer Irvin Muchnick first published the story of Snuka and Argentino online, it circulated and gained steam amongst fans and underground newsletters. 0. Nancy Argentino, in happier times. Kyle Dunning. Images. The Genius Cast with Lanny Poffo (2018-19), HOMAGE.com Our favorite in retro wrestling attire! At this point, [Snuka] attempted to close the door[,] but I started to talk to him about letting us in or her out. It is believed that Snuka delaying 12-24 hours in calling for medical help contributed greatly to the emergency staffers inability to resuscitate her. Thats to say nothing of any potential reputational harm to the organization. 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. I love women, he writes. Does [Snuka] understand whats going on? However, the file for the investigation of her murder from Pennsylvanias Whitehall Township Bureau of Police which I obtained from the same lawsuit appendix that included the New York file points to one possible reason. An ambulance was called and not two hours later at the hospital did Argentino die. Robert Kirwin, defense attorney of Jimmy Snuka, called Snukas wife Carole with the news and said that she wept with joy and wanted to know if it was truly over. What the f***?". Instead, her mother received the phone call that no mother wants to receive. Snuka definitely says he saw Argentino hit the ground. After he comforted Argentino by bringing some chow and later setting wet towel compresses on her head, her status turned critical. Then, he along with his (since deceased) handler Buddy Rogers, beelined it to the exit vowing Ill come back for the church [service]., He never showed, Argentinos oldest sister Lorraine Salome told The Daily Beast. 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. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka (center) arrives with his wife Carole (right) for day four of his competency hearing at the Lehigh County Courthouse in Allentown on June 1, 2016. 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.. As it would later transpire, the paragraph contradicts the complete, , which I obtained as part of the same civil case appendix mentioned earlier. The George Washington Motor Lodge as seen on April 6, 1993. Whats more, the 12-24 hour delay for Snuka to call for help contributed to the emergency staffers inability to resuscitate Argentino. Homicide charges against Snuka in the 1983 death of his girlfriend Nancy Argentino, 23, in a Whitehall Township motel, have been dismissed after Snuka was ruled incompetent to stand trial. 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