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. 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. In October 1983, Debbie Rogers, the wife of Snukas manager, Buddy, took photos and notes of injuries to Sharon as a result of her beating by Snuka and her hospitalization, according to a criminal complaint. Ultimately, it took eight deputy sheriffs and K-9s to bring Snuka under arrest. It was attended by WWE CEO Vince McMahon, the, reported in 2013. He was suffering from stomach cancer and other ailments. ", 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.. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. PHOTO GALLERY: The strange story of Jimmy Superfly Snuka and Nancy Argentino. Smell of alcohol., To the hospitals chaplain, he said Argentino may have hit her head on the side of the chair or the bed.. Its hard because were talking about a human life that passed away. Whats more, the 12-24 hour delay for Snuka to call for help contributed to the emergency staffers inability to resuscitate Argentino. "He came there in shorts and didnt say anything to my mother. 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. 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. [McMahon] states the victim actually guided Snuka from one area to another as Snuka has no conception of time, Procanyn wrote in his report. She said, "Justice suffers after 30 years because everything decays.". However, he accepted a plea deal that dropped all of those charges. As those in the center of the true crime/wrestling fan Venn diagram will likely be aware, VICE TV's pro wrestling documentary series, Dark Side of the Ring, recently explored the May 11, 1983, death of Nancy Argentino, the then-girlfriend of then-top WWF (now WWE) star "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka. Nancy Argentino died soon after that and despite evidence of a struggle, no one was ever charged. Kirwin, speaking about the prosecution publicly for the first time, also added, "Their case was doomed from the start. 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. At the funeral, I told her mother and father how sorry I was about her death. All day Snuka claims that he returned to the hotel between TV shoots to check on Argentino. Complicating matters is Snukas alien file, obtained from U.S. 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. He abandoned the 28-year-old woman who had crash trauma and drowned. On that date, Nancy Argentino, girlfriend of Jimmy Snuka, was declared dead in a Lehigh Valley Hospital. Without more details, its still uncertain whether Snuka really copped a plea for assaulting Argentino (since there were still witnesses), or received a reduced charge for hitting Bronstad. If he does, hes responsible., On the matter, Jim Cornette lamented, "The word started getting around. It was a. An ambulance was called and not two hours later at the hospital did Argentino die. 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. Alistair McGeorge. Other than Snukas constantly shifting story of what happened, the autopsy report, and even his 2012 autobiography helped put pressure on authorities to delve into the case once more. big money for everything he had planned. 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. In a single sentence summary from the same phone interview between Bronstad and Romanenko referenced above, Procanyn wrote, , Vince McMahon tried to talk her out of making the complaint against Snuka. I went online, and there was a lot of stuff that I also heard that I took to him. "We never saw a dime, but money was . 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 also chillingly recontextualizes something that, according to Muchnicks reporting, McMahon told the Argentino familys initial attorney, Richard Cushing, in 1983. In real time, though, all her sisters knew was that she went from calling late at night in a panic, saying Snuka was chasing her, to saying the next morning that nothing had happened beyond a misunderstanding. He believed that there was enough to take it to a grand jury as a murder case, but William Platt thought otherwise. Her family claimed that WWE offered them $25K following her death. You have to think about this and get out of this relationship., But it was too late. He was very protective, a showman, Steinberg said. 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. 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. He writes, At one point, I went with Vince McMahon Jr. to either a court or a law office, I dont remember which because I was still in shock. 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. This is the disturbing story of Nancy Argentino, who was once the lover of professional wrestler Superfly Jimmy Snuka. I felt bad about it brother. 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. The donation, though, was often conflated with the sentence as if they were related, and none of the articles contained actual details of what happened in the courtroom beyond the disposition. The docuseries recounted one incident in January 1983 in which Snuka allegedly assaulted Argentino in a hotel. ", Argentinos oldest sister, Lorraine Salome, remembers differently. A follow-up interview with Snuka was conducted by investigatorson June 1. I enjoy them. Ultimately, you look at what he did in the ring, and its remarkable. 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,, from the company reads. If this is correct on their part, I do not know. The case remains open to this day. Javier Ojst is an old-school wrestling enthusiast currently residing in El Salvador. 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 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. Foreman Grill: A $200m Mistake for Hulk Hogan! 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. Died? According to the experts, there is no proof that people who suffer from CTE are also legally incompetent. Ronald Hamilton, a doctor of pathology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center who helped discover CTE, said other factors such as drinking, drug use, and depression could also cause mood changes. 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. By using this site, you agree to the legal terms set out in ourDisclaimer, Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Disclosure. 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. Photo credits to The Morning Call. 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. She later dropped charges and claimed he didnt hurt 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. Hello! That might change as prosecutors announced on Tuesday that a grand jury will review the case which has long cast suspicion on Snuka. 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. They definitely do not want any tickets reserved for them for the April 7th wrestling match and would not attend. An illustration of a heart shape Donate. All of these defenses were given in Snukas autobiography, various interviews, and other sources such as what Snuka supposedly told the nurses in the ER and what they reportedly overheard him say. And of course, as noted earlier, Mihalikis ruled the death a homicide, not an accident. Dr. Mihalikis did not find any evidence of recent sexual contact. It was six men in blue with police dogs and everything, he writes, while he was dressed only in his skivvies. 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.. 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. 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.. 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. Today, I bring you the 9th edition of a series looking at the TV show Dark Side of the Ring. (In his notes from a phone interview conducted with Bronstad and Deputy Alex Romanenko four days after Argentino was killed, Detective Gerald Procanyn describes the initial call from the motel in Salina as an attempted rape, but based on Bronstads interview with me, that appears to reflect the managers mistaken assumpion more than anything else.). Menu. 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. Argentino died in May 1983 of traumatic brain injuries consistent with a moving head striking a stationary object. 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. Snuka seemed to faintly recall how his knight dressed in a tailored suit saved the day while he was in a perpetual daze. 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. 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 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. I dont know what happened. [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. , which aired April 12. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka arrives with his wife Carole (right) for day four of his competency hearing at the Lehigh County Courthouse in Allentown on June 1, 2016. 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. 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. He continued, "Where is the line between dementia and normal? Cynthia Porter, an officer in training, recalled in her affidavit that she could hear Argentino repeatedly cry No, no, dont do that! from outside the room right before Sergeant Peter Bronstad showed up as backup. She was going to come home for that weekend, Salome said. After the one hour meeting in the district attorneys law library, there are no records of Jimmy Snuka ever being questioned by police again. 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. According to the Sheriffs Department file for the case, which I obtained via the Argentino familys wrongful death lawsuit against Snuka, at least two officers on the scene witnessed Snuka resuming his attack on Argentino that same night. Other doctors in 2010 said they also noticed developing signs of dementia. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka and girlfriend Nancy Argentino in an undated photo. -. The episode shineda renewed light about the mysterious death. Even the incident with Roddy Piper smashing a coconut on Snukas head was used! They definitely do not want any tickets reserved for them for the April 7th wrestling match and would not attend. And yet the pro wrestler was never charged. In the commotion Argentino managed to call her sister Salome. 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. Citizenship and Immigration Services in 2017 after his death, which actually contradicts those reports. I think she died of a fracture to her skull. 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 struggle for justice. He allegedly said she became lethargic and then unresponsive. All in all, there were at least a few entities that failed Nancy Argentino in 1983: The motel clerk who let things escalate in January by not calling the police earlier; the majority of the media coverage of her initial beating at Snukas hands, which minimized her suffering to present a somehow breezier narrative of a wrestler fighting off police dogs; and the district attorneys office who, in spite of having multiple strong witnesses confirming the abuse even after Argentino recanted, basically waved Snukas actions aside to avoid risk to his green card. . The man responsible for the original autopsy, Dr. Isidore Mihalakis, in 1983 commented to The Morning Call about the investigation. According to the autopsy, Argentino was declared dead hours later at Lehigh Valley Hospital and died of traumatic brain injuries consistent with a moving head striking a stationary object. After that and despite evidence of a series looking at the TV show Side. 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