And he was an innovator, and he inspired so many people. Snuka definitely says he saw Argentino hit the ground. Ultimately, this legal matter will be decided by our judicial system. Check out his weekly wrestling history podcast, Between The Sheets, on all major podcast platforms, and subscribe to his Substack at BabyfacevHeel.com. Lorraine reveals that Nancy's childhood friend Ellen was engaged to Johnny Rodz, a legendary journeyman wrestler and trainer, and this was how she was introduced to the world of wrestling. Snuka also has difficulty reading road signs. In the same interview, McMahon would, in Procanyns words, tell the detective that he did not ever see or hear of any problems between the victim and Snuka, in spite of the New York arrest having been national news. In the wake of Argentinos death, one of Snukas confidants came to his aid. I did not have a clear-cut case. Snuka alleged that s Media Manager Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system . I dont like confrontation.. What else could I possibly say? I just look at the whole thing as a shame because theres a loss of human life there.. 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. Snukas attorney, Robert J. Kirwan, argued that the fliers and videos did not prove anything about Snukas competency. And yet the pro wrestler was never charged. 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. 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. I dont know what happened. We tried to talk some sense into her but she went back on the road with him, Salome said. I think we stopped drinking after thatshe did at least, according to Snuka. The docuseries noted that police documents prove that the meeting took place and lastedan hour but there are no notes to indicate what was discussed duringthat meeting. Some additional context is needed here to truly understand where both Snuka and McMahon stood at the time. 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. WWE has not responded to Oxygen.coms request for comment. The hospital received a call for an ambulance from Snuka when he came back to the motel. In addition, Mihalikis absolutely did 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.. Alistair McGeorge. Today, I bring you the 9th edition of a series looking at the TV show Dark Side of the Ring. If you think Im going to be hurt by the revelation that one of my wrestlers is really a violent individual, youre mistaken.. At one point, I went with Vince McMahon Jr. to either a court or law office, I dont remember which because I was still in shock. It was attended by WWE CEO Vince McMahon, the Allentown Morning Call reported in 2013. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka found Nancy Argentino gasping for air inside a motel room here in May 1983. Conjour insistedthe case was investigated the best it could have been investigated. We slept together each time, but we also hung out., But while he admits his marriage to his wife, Sharon, was terrible and that he was unfaithful, he seems to misremember how he put a brutal beating on her months after Argentino died. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka wrestles September 4, 1995 in New Hampshire. Homicide charges against Snuka in the 1983 death of his girlfriend Nancy Argentino, 23, in a Whitehall Township . How did she die? her distraught mom said. As those in the center of the true crime/wrestling fan Venn diagram will likely be aware, VICE TVs pro wrestling documentary series, death of Nancy Argentino, the then-girlfriend of then-top WWF (now WWE) star, . It was a. It was a very worrisome case. In his 2012 memoir Superfly: The Jimmy Snuka Story the pro wrestler claims he showed respect to Argentinos parents. The man responsible for the original autopsy, Dr. Isidore Mihalakis, in 1983 commented to The Morning Call about the investigation. https://prowrestlingstories.com/pro-wrestling-stories/life-death-chris-benoit/, All of these wrestlers in the WWE have head trauma, they cant avoid it, its part of their job, Hamilton stated. The same goes for a dismissed charge of issuing a bad check, mentioned on the same certificate. Now 72 years old and stricken with stomach cancer, the defamed brawler yesterday posted $100,000 bail after forfeiting his passport. He even remembered telling her, Ill see you later, honey. If he does, hes responsible., On the matter, Jim Cornette lamented, "The word started getting around. 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. If Snuka wanted to donate some money to a local charity they would not be a part of it. 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. I dont know if he gave Nancys family money or anything., Procanyns single line about McMahon while recounting the interview about the New York investigation, though, is the first time evidence of McMahons presence in the New York case has been offered in the public domain. 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. 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. Look, Im in the garbage business, McMahon purportedly said. The 1983 death of Nancy Argentino has become one the most infamous chapters in pro wrestling history. [Photo Courtesy of The Daily Beast] Nancy Argentino was just 23 when she died in 1983 after being rushed to a hospital with a serious head injury. Other sources have been linked where applicable. While there has always been debate about what exactly happened to Nancy Argentino on May 10, 1983, some basic facts have been confirmed. As a result, the case was brought before a grand jury and Snuka was charged with murder in 2015. To this day, nearly four decades later, the death of Nancy Argentino remains unsolved. One of the then-WWF's biggest stars, Jimmy Snuka, was present at the Allentown, Pennsylvania motel where Argentino suffered the traumatic brain injuries that ended her life after just 23 years. June 21st, 2016: Prosecutors ask Judge Banach to force Snuka to undergo mental health treatment. The Argentinos have provided high-resolution copies of all four pages to me: It contains some information that wasnt reported in the 1980s, but its importance becomes more clear in light of the paragraph that discusses Argentinos autopsy. 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. It was devastating.. And just like that, only 12 days later, Jimmy Snuka passed away on January 15th, 2017. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka wrestles in a match on September 4, 1995 in New Hampshire. Nobody Ive spoken to from Argentinos sisters, to law enforcement officers, to Snukas lawyer has any recollection of this or anything related, such as the judge rejecting the proposed plea deal. They definitely do not want any tickets reserved for them for the April 7th wrestling match and would not attend. Indeed, the champion grappler gained infamy by soaring like human ammo. Muchnick is the author of Wrestling Babylon: Piledriving Tales of Drugs, Sex, Death, and Scandaland the 1992 book JUSTICE DENIED: The Untold Story of Nancy Argentinos Death in Jimmy Superfly Snukas Motel Room. 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. Its hard because were talking about a human life that passed away. But it appears Snukas big mouth or fuzzy memory caught up to him. During one of the hearings, prosecutors noted Snuka did not begin complaining of head trauma until after he learned he was under investigation. Former professional wrestling star Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. , which aired April 12. His wife maintains that her husbanddid not kill Argentino. 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. Snuka died 10days after the ruling. He drove his Oldsmobile Delmont 88 off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island, which is near Marthas Vineyard. 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. 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. [Photo: Patriotpost.us]As told to The Daily Beast, Muchnick, while researching the incident, says that Detective Procanyn never told him that they didnt have enough evidence to indict Snuka. Yes, that Vince McMahon, then Snukas promoter as the owner of Titan Sports d/b/a the World Wrestling Federation, and now the chairman, CEO and owner of the WWFs successor, World Wrestling Entertainment. At the time of Argentinos death, the leaping phenom was a married man with kids and claimed to have girlfriends everywhere. 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