-. 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. In his autobiography, Jimmy Snuka publicly admitted to drinking heavily, smoking tobacco, liberal marijuana use, ingesting cocaine and using anabolic steroids throughout his adult life. This helps us provide free content for you to enjoy! What else could I possibly say? It should also be noted that Snuka allegedly regularly abused his wife Sharon physically and sent her to the hospital five months after Argentinos death. It was 4 a.m and I was already up. Accident is accident brudda., To the responding police officer, according to the complaint, Snuka said they were fooling around outside [sic] room door when he pushed her and she fell striking her head. That same night Snuka told a paramedic that the couple got carried away in horseplay. "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. I was devastated., Snuka continues, "That night ruined my life. However, the, 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. 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. "We never saw a dime, but money was . I didnt know him as a person, but hes a professional cohort. He was 73. 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. Homicide charges against Snuka in the 1983 death of his girlfriend Nancy Argentino, 23, in a Whitehall Township . And yet the pro wrestler was never charged. Me, personallyif you ask me, Do you think Jimmy did it? No. And his story never wavered. Eyes blood shot. Nancy Argentino's surviving sisters had lobbied authorities to reopen the case into her 1983 death in Lehigh County. 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. His wife maintains that her husbanddid not kill Argentino. [McMahon] states the victim actually guided Snuka from one area to another as Snuka has no conception of time, Procanyn wrote in his report. 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. Nancy Argentino, in happier times. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka visits "The Opie & Anthony Show" at SiriusXM studios on January 9, 2013 in New York City. The autopsy report has never been transcribed, wrote the lawyer. It also chillingly recontextualizes something that, according to Muchnicks reporting, McMahon told the Argentino familys initial attorney, Richard Cushing, in 1983. The Events of Nancy Argentino's Death. In a moment that, with hindsight, should have been the crossroads where someone intervened to help Argentino, the assembled media largely failed her, refusing to take her story seriously enough to tell it properly. Dark Side Of The Ring S02E05 Jimmy Snuka and the Death of Nancy Argentino. The Onondaga County Sheriffs Office file doesnt contain any trace of an explanation as to why Argentino changed her mind. Ultimately, it took eight deputy sheriffs and K-9s to bring Snuka under arrest. I dont like confrontation.. Nancy Argentino, seen in a family photo, was a 23-year-old from Brooklyn, N . 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. The Genius Cast with Lanny Poffo (2018-19), HOMAGE.com Our favorite in retro wrestling attire! I love the smell of the ladies. Her family claimed that WWE offered them $25K following her death. The Salina City Court and several others in the surrounding area have been merged into a single district court location for the coronavirus pandemic, making it impossible to check the original court records, if they still exist. Then they get to the motel and napped. His widow, Carol, claims that he died of CTE, not cancer. An icon used to represent a menu that can be toggled by interacting with this icon. 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. It was 1983 and only days after Nancy Argentino was found barely breathing, oozing yellow fluid from her mouth and nose while laying almost lifeless, while holed up in Room 427 at the George Washington Motor Lodge in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Track back 30 years to the documented interview with Detective Gerald Procanyn of the Whitehall Police Department at the hotel. Former professional wrestling star Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka wrestles September 4, 1995 in New Hampshire. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by mild or repeated head trauma, but the exact amount needed for the condition to occur is yet unknown. Ill say that much. It was obvious. 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. This whole time Jimmy Snuka had claimed innocence and wrote in his autobiography, "Many terrible things have been written about me hurting Nancy and being responsible for her death, but they are not true. 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. It was a. 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. And just like that, only 12 days later, Jimmy Snuka passed away on January 15th, 2017. More. 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. Mick Foley spoke about Snuka, a man who inspired him to pursue a career in wrestling. Snuka told her to hurry up as she jumped across the grass onto the road she slipped and fell backwards and hit her head. 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. He continued, "Where is the line between dementia and normal? Snuka, having lost his physical green card in 2007, began the process to get a new one, which included a new criminal background check. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka and girlfriend Nancy Argentino in an undated photo. His wife maintains that her husbanddid not kill Argentino. In his autobiography, Superfly The Jimmy Snuka Story, written by Jon Chattman, he says that after coming back from the TV tapings, he was surprised to find her still sleeping, and thats when he called for help. She was going to come home for that weekend, Salome said. Indeed, contemporaneous newspaper accounts all reported Snuka as pleading down to harassment, with some mentioning his one-year conditional discharge. When Nancy Argentinos older sister Lorraine Salome was reached by phone, she said she wasnt at all surprised when she got the dreaded call informing her that the judge dismissed charges against the ex-wrestler. The Lehigh County jury will . If Snuka wanted to donate some money to a local charity they would not be a part of it. 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. As it would later transpire, the paragraph contradicts the complete, , which I obtained as part of the same civil case appendix mentioned earlier. We are hopeful that justice will prevail.. 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. Twenty-three year old Nancy Argentino found herself traveling the country with her new boyfriend, wrestling superstar Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. From the autobiography Superfly: The Jimmy Snuka Story by Jon Chattman: "At the funeral, I told her mother and father how sorry I was about her death. Chattman said that while the criminal charges left a blemish on Snukas legacy, he does not think they should define it. And while theyre drinking and having a good time in comes the party-crashing police. 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. So I thought, my God, I better try to call a doctor right away I called the front desk and told my girl is having a hard time breathing, just seems like she cant breathe at all, whatever you do, please hurry up.. 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. Now 72 years old and stricken with stomach cancer, the defamed brawler yesterday posted $100,000 bail after forfeiting his passport. ", 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." 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. Dr. Mihalikis did not find any bruises, lacerations or other indications of a beating or prior injuries. He was suffering from stomach cancer and other ailments. All I remember is he had a briefcase with him. 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. It adds, Given the uncertainty of the situation, the Company also identified headcount reductions and made the decision to furlough a portion of its workforce effective immediately.. 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. All royalties from Irvin Muchnicks 1992 book JUSTICE DENIED: The Untold Story of Nancy Argentinos Death in Jimmy Superfly Snukas Motel Room are donated to organizations fighting domestic violence. Smell of alcohol., To the hospitals chaplain, he said Argentino may have hit her head on the side of the chair or the bed.. He came there in shorts and didnt say anything to my mother. Some additional context is needed here to truly understand where both Snuka and McMahon stood at the time. The episode shineda renewed light about the mysterious death. On that night Snuka claims he was just drinking a lot of booze. He later noted he had been smoking some pot too. However, by the next day, he apparently changed his story and claimed that. 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. However, he accepted a plea deal that dropped all of those charges. 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 was devastating.. After being informed of her ex-husbands murder charges, she told The Daily Beast, I have nothing further to offer.. Jimmy Snuka and the Death of Nancy Argentino: Directed by Jason Eisener. 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. 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. However, their dream relationship quickly turned to horror. If he does, hes responsible., On the matter, Jim Cornette lamented, "The word started getting around. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. But her family thought they were more an item. ), That was when several deputies arrived and unsuccessfully tried to handcuff Snuka. Some additional context is needed here to truly understand where both Snuka and McMahon stood at the time. The medical evidence showed that he was not getting better, and in fact, hes getting worse.". Complicating matters is Snukas alien file, obtained from U.S. 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. In August 2015: Carole, the third wife of Jimmy Snuka, says that he has stomach cancer. Snuka, having lost his physical green card in 2007, began the process to get a new one, which included a new criminal background check. 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. Police say he also battled with responding police. In. Foreman Grill: A $200m Mistake for Hulk Hogan! 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. Dr. Mihalikis did not find any evidence of recent sexual contact. Hello! It was a very worrisome case. (Former ADA Plochocki hasnt responded to my requests for an interview as of this writing, while his then-boss, DA Richard Hennessy, is deceased, as is Justice Harding.). Dementia is defined legally as being unable to understand whats going on. 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.. ", 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. Look, Im in the garbage business, McMahon purportedly said. "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka had an explosive career even after the death of Nancy Argentino in 1983 until his past caught up with him 30 years later. And Tarzan likely never took steroids, boozed or binged on cocaine like The Superfly admitted he had. Adding to the controversy was that . Menu. After he comforted Argentino by bringing some chow and later setting wet towel compresses on her head, her status turned critical. 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. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. 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. I was devastated, he wrote. 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. . Can we still appreciate the mans huge contributions to wrestling, knowing that it is possible that he had a hand in Nancy Argentinos death? ). In a moment that, with hindsight, should have been the crossroads where someone intervened to help Argentino, the assembled media largely failed her, refusing to take her story seriously enough to tell it properly. Many critics, however, would argue that justice delayed was justice denied.". After being pressed about the moment of impact Snuka told the cops he asked Argentino if she was okay and she was lucid. He was very protective, a showman, Steinberg said. [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. Snuka, a cliff diver and bodybuilder with a vertical leap as impressive as his physique, was the WWFs newly minted top good guy. The clear-cut forensics werent there, but the suspicion was there. Picture made on Wednesday, October 7, 2015. 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. 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. 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. Three months before Argentino was pronounced dead she was screaming bloody murder while Snuka was pulling her hair and dragging her naked body through the corridors of a Howard Johnson hotel in Salina, New York. It is a sobering tale filled with possible cover-ups and the needless death of a young woman. They are not against the donation, only that it shouldnt be tied in with the case or the Department., 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, . He has also been published on Slam Wrestling and in G-FAN Magazine. The episode shineda renewed light about the mysterious death. 0. (It would not be the first time that outrageous rumors have swirled aboutwrestling mogul McMahon.). The cops just didnt give me the chance to explain. Documentary. 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