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. I was devastated, he wrote. 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. 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. 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 next local WWF event, at the Onondaga County War Memorial on April 7th, where he would leave tickets for the officers involved. David Bixenspan is a freelance reporter who lives in Brooklyn. Argentino, from Brooklyn, New York, was Snukas mistress and traveled alongside him on the pro wrestling circuit whenever Snuka found himself in the Northeast. Nancy Argentino, seen in a family photo, was a 23-year-old from Brooklyn, N . All Ill say is I think his legacy is intact. Look, Im in the garbage business, McMahon purportedly said. 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 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. I was devastated., Snuka continues, "That night ruined my life. He didnt say anything to me. There was enough to take it before a grand jury in 1983. Argentino fell down on her own when they made a bathroom roadside pitstop on their way into Allentown. 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. After the one hour meeting in the district attorneys law library, there are no records of Jimmy Snuka ever being questioned by police again. 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. 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. She would sadly die at the young age of 23 in a Pennsylvania motel room. Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka wrestles on September 4, 1995 in New Hampshire. I would never hurt any of them.. You have to think about this and get out of this relationship., But it was too late. In 1969, Senator Ted Kennedy left a party near midnight with Kopechne. Its impossible to discern causality, too whether the explanation is simply innocent, lazy reporting, or something more sinister. without a live audience. In 1985: The Argentino family won a $500,000 wrongful-death civil lawsuit against Snuka but never received their money. This has been very hard on me and very hard on my family I never hit Nancy or threatened her. He mentioned that this was a far cry from the Snuka that truly used to leap off cages and turnbuckles. President Donald Trump, to an advisory group dedicated to reopening the country during the coronavirus pandemic, allwhile WWE has continued running its weekly live wrestling, Florida has deemed WWE an essential business. In 2017, Jon Chattman, author of Superfly: The Jimmy Snuka Story, was interviewed by Pro Wrestling Illustrated Senior Writer Al Castle for the PWI Podcast. And of course, as noted earlier, Mihalikis ruled the death a homicide, not an accident. Ill be right back as soon as I get done, as he kissed her, according to the 30-page criminal complaint. 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. 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. 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. Talk moves to Nancy Argentino the person, with Lorraine talking about despite living in a big city that she led a sheltered life and was a very hard worker. Friday, May 10, is the 30th anniversary of the controversial but little-discussed death of Nancy Argentino, Jimmy Snuka's girlfriend at the time. From excessive horseplay amongst them to a lovers quarrel where accidents happen, to her simply slipping and falling. 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. Shawn Michaels And Diesel Good Friends, Better Enemies, Monday Night SmackDown! The autopsy report has never been transcribed, wrote the lawyer. He did not express his apologies or sympathies., Snuka remembers it differently. Vice's "Dark Side of the Ring" took on the death of Nancy Argentino in a new episode, which aired April 12. The WWE has also furloughed manyworkers amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. At this point, [Snuka] attempted to close the door[,] but I started to talk to him about letting us in or her out. 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. 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. 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. referring to a $500,000 wrongful death suit nancy's family won in 1985. Eerily, Salome recalled feeling restless that night. A follow-up interview with Snuka was conducted by investigatorson June 1. 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. Ill say that much. Snuka, a cliff diver and bodybuilder with a vertical leap as impressive as his physique, was the WWFs newly minted top good guy. Picture made on Wednesday, October 7, 2015. 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. All day Snuka claims that he returned to the hotel between TV shoots to check on Argentino. Nancy Argentino died soon after that and despite evidence of a struggle, no one was ever charged. 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.). Menu. Check out his weekly wrestling history podcast, Between The Sheets, on all major podcast platforms, and subscribe to his Substack at BabyfacevHeel.com. 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. Snuka died 10days after the ruling. But if he did this, this should have been settled a long time ago.". Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka arrives for the second day of a competency hearing at the Lehigh County Courthouse on Wednesday, May18, 2016. Kennedy only got a two-month suspended sentence for leaving the scene of an accident after causing injury, but caused irreperable damage to any presidential ambitions that he may have had. Senior Deputy District Attorney Craig Sheetz pointed to medical records showing that Snuka had an appointment with a concussion specialist on January 29, 2014. 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. Instead he said Snuka told one story and it was perfectly consistent every time. The excerpts of the interview were provided by WrestlingInc.com. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka visits "The Opie & Anthony Show" at SiriusXM studios on January 9, 2013 in New York City. Kirwin, speaking about the prosecution publicly for the first time, also added, "Their case was doomed from the start. He was suffering from stomach cancer and other ailments. Snuka was previously ruled incompetent to stand trial in. If I was guilty of anything, it was cheating on my wife, and that was it Nancy was a good girl. 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. Snukas attorney, Robert J. Kirwan, argued that the fliers and videos did not prove anything about Snukas competency. On September 1st, 2015: After a grand jurys recommendation, Martin proceeds to charge Snuka with third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. The autopsy report told cops to consider Nancy Argentinos death a homicide. For the part of the retired members of the Onondaga County Sheriffs Department, Romanenko died last year, and Bronstad, who wasnt at the hospital, doesnt remember hearing about McMahon involving himself. She would sadly die at the young age of 23 in a Pennsylvania motel room. Snuka also didnt help matters, with. He can be contacted by e-mail at jojst1@gmail.com. Again, speculation has long run rampant about whether or not McMahon swooped in after her death with his briefcase to finagle Snuka out of trouble (which has never been proven, and McMahon has denied doing so through counsel and a company spokesperson). In 1983, Nancy Argentinos family hired Richard Cushing, a New York attorney who had spent most of his career defending criminals, to take a second look. The same goes for a dismissed charge of issuing a bad check, mentioned on the same certificate. 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. Dr. Mihalikis did not find any bruises, lacerations or other indications of a beating or prior injuries. PHOTO GALLERY: The strange story of Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka and Nancy Argentino. 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. With this information, the cause of death would have been termed accidental if a formal autopsy report was prepared., As it would later transpire, the paragraph contradicts the complete coroners office file, which I obtained as part of the same civil case appendix mentioned earlier. Despite the tumble they drove to the motel, despite reports that Snuka lacked a drivers license. "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. WWE ECW Relaunch | Where Did It All Go Wrong? The male was forcing the female back towards room #1 while the female was yelling for help., After seeing this, Donovan finally called the Sheriffs Department. 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. "You have a look and an attitude, I think,. The former was from Dr. Isidore Mihalakis autopsy report in 1983, which also urged, "this case should be investigated as a homicide until proven otherwise. 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. 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. Police say he also battled with responding police. Per Donovans statement in the, 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., The Onondaga County Sheriffs Office file doesnt contain any trace of an explanation as to why Argentino changed her mind. I love the smell of the ladies. 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. Following the countys investigative grand jury findings, the WWE issued this statement, "WWE expresses its continued sympathy to the Argentino family for their loss. Me, personallyif you ask me, Do you think Jimmy did it? No. I want the whole story. It was never one of those deals where We must put this in,' Chattman recalled. Movies. Javier Ojst is an old-school wrestling enthusiast currently residing in El Salvador. 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. She moved away as he strode toward her. Based on the forensic evidence, it was curious that police investigators had so quickly ruled out foul play. What else could I possibly say.. 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. 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. It was six men in blue with police dogs and everything, he writes, while he was dressed only in his skivvies. This again was, according to Argentinos oldest sister. 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. The medical evidence showed that he was not getting better, and in fact, hes getting worse.". 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., It stated that the furlough of some employees is expected to be temporary in nature.. Indeed, the champion grappler gained infamy by soaring like human ammo. Investigating the mysterious story of Jimmy Snuka, whose girlfriend Nancy Argentino died in . 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. Snuka does not understand whats going on in court and does not even remember his attorneys name. But there were clear signs that her sisters love affair was rocky. In a televised speech, he firmly denied it was alcohol-fueled. Dr. Mihalikis did not find any evidence of recent sexual contact. , which aired April 12. ", 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." All I remember is he had a briefcase with him. 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