(Use code PWS for a nice surprise). She ended up driving him to wrestling matches and planning his schedule, which, in turn, may have put Argentino in harm's way. The stakes were high. 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. Oh, and hed donate $1,500 his alleged purse for his return to Syracuse that same day to Sheriff John Dillons favorite charity, the Ronald McDonald House. But according to newly uncovered police records, Vince McMahon himself may have played a larger role in the events that led to Argentinos later death. Police say he also battled with responding police. My mother thought she was on the way.. 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. December 2nd, 2016: Snukas defense attorney says hes in a Florida hospice, and doctors have determined that he only has six months to live. I think Vince Jr. picked me up from the hotel and took me there. Unlike Chris Benoit, the "Superfly" has not been erased from WWEs history books as of yet. 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. By. 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. Thats to say nothing of any potential reputational harm to the organization. Citizenship and Immigration Services in 2017 after his death, which actually contradicts those reports. I went online, and there was a lot of stuff that I also heard that I took to him. Vince McMahon Jr. was not only present but was clandestinely trying to play Mr. Fixit. An illustration of text ellipses. All this is recorded in the police accounts. Nancy Argentino, in happier times. Can we still appreciate the mans huge contributions to wrestling, knowing that it is possible that he had a hand in Nancy Argentinos death? PWSTees.com Your favorite Pro Wrestling Stories, on a tee! He communicated to her that Snuka was now a free man. When we got to the hotel right away I had to call because she wasnt feeling good, he said. All I remember is he had a briefcase with him. What the f***?". The WWE has also furloughed manyworkers amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. 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. 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. Nancy called me at 2 in the morning saying, I have to get out of here, her sister recalled. Argentino died in May 1983 of traumatic brain injuries consistent with a moving head striking a stationary object. Snuka, having lost his physical green card in 2007, began the process to get a new one, which included a new criminal background check. That night I felt very strange. I dont know what happened. Snuka, having lost his physical green card in 2007, began the process to get a new one, which included a new criminal background check. He was the mouthpiece, trying to direct the conversation.. After he comforted Argentino by bringing some chow and later setting wet towel compresses on her head, her status turned critical. Track back 30 years to the documented interview with Detective Gerald Procanyn of the Whitehall Police Department at the hotel. She was going to come home for that weekend, Salome said. 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. Finally, Dr. Mihalikis did not find any unusual amounts of dirt, gravel or other substances on Ms. Argentinos clothing. And in his book Snuka, besides fearing needles (even though the word fear, he vows, is not part of my vocabulary) boasts his respect of women. They definitely do not want any tickets reserved for them for the April 7th wrestling match and would not attend. Picture made on Wednesday, October 7, 2015. In fact, Snuka made appearances (though he barely spoke to anybody) at the Thanksgiving dinner hosted at Nancys mothers house in Brooklyn. Chattman said that while the criminal charges left a blemish on Snukas legacy, he does not think they should define it. 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.). Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. [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. George The Animal Steele His Double Life and Turnbuckle Fetish. As the docuseries points out, there was another passenger in the car with them who doesnt recall any fall. 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. Bronstad would add that Argentino complained of neck, head, back and hand injuries. Per a separate statement from Deputy Lawrence Witter, those were diagnosed as a bruised right thumb, contusion to the neck, possible fractured ribs and injury to the lower back., Snuka, in his ghostwritten memoir, brazenly claimed, We were drinking and having a good time when all of a sudden, the police burst into our room. He added, I dont know why they chose my room maybe mine was the first one they passed but they did. In point of fact, they were there because of a call from Thomas Donovan, the motels night manager. They blew it up, brother.) copped a plea for harassment and got a conditional discharge. I dont know if he gave Nancys family money or anything. Hamilton mentioned the case of Chris Benoit in 2007 who reportedly killed his wife and son. He instead told him that Snuka told one story, and it was perfectly consistent every time. It was a. Based on the forensic evidence, it was curious that police investigators had so quickly ruled out foul play. I was stonewalled at every turn, Cushing said. That was a blatant lie, said Muchnick. Take Dr. Isidore Mihalakiss autopsy report noting that the multiplicity and magnitude of Nancy Argentinos dozen or more craniocerbral blows may even be suggestive of mate abuse and that this case should be investigated as a homicide until proven otherwise.. It wasn't long before she caught the eyes of the wrestlers. The Events of Nancy Argentino's Death. He continued, "Where is the line between dementia and normal? If this is correct on their part, I do not know. I love the smell of the ladies. Jimmy Snuka, Argentino's boyfriend at the time, was investigated in the death but not charged or arrested until 2015. I dont think you erase him from memory, Chattman said. Right from the get-go, the one constant with him was he kept saying, I want the truth. His widow, Carol, claims that he died of CTE, not cancer. 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. A follow-up interview with Snuka was conducted by investigatorson June 1. In 1985: The Argentino family won a $500,000 wrongful-death civil lawsuit against Snuka but never received their money. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. 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. 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. [Argentino] was evidently beaten up and banged up and bruised upyou know, a couple of dozen bruises and cuts on her body, besides a fractured f*****g skull in a wrestlers hotel room that had just been previously arrested, in the f*****g same state I believe, about 6 months beforehand by eight cops and two police dogs for beating up the same girl!, Cornette continued, Even in Snukas book, he wrote that Vince [McMahon] came to represent him at the meeting, which everyone agrees on, but Vince was carrying a briefcase! From excessive horseplay amongst them to a lovers quarrel where accidents happen, to her simply slipping and falling. The George Washington Motor Lodge as seen on April 6, 1993. 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. 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. 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. 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. Author Irvin Muchnick's 1992 article about the incident (later collected in his 2007 book WRESTLING BABYLON) is the most authoritative account of what happened. Some additional context is needed here to truly understand where both Snuka and McMahon stood at the time. big money for everything he had planned. referring to a $500,000 wrongful death suit nancy's family won in 1985. Assistant District Attorney Richard Plochocki, citing Argentinos affidavit with regards to the assault on her person, and the potential negative effects on Snukas green card as a first-time offender, recommended a plea on a single charge of harassment. Some outlets inexplicably found humor in it: , 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, running with the headline, Police, Dogs Win Round.. 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. vice_videos:premiere. 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. Eerily, Salome recalled feeling restless that night. He goes on about how he wished it hadnt happen and says I had no reason to hurt her. Nonetheless, Snuka remained forever tied to 23-year-old Argentinos untimely death on May 10, 1983. Dr. Mihalikis did not find any bruises, lacerations or other indications of a beating or prior injuries. Muchnick considers that to be "a blatant lie." Dr. Mihalikis did not find any evidence of recent sexual contact. 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. , was failed by an editor who gave it the headline, Judging by Bare Facts It Was Quite a Match. Worse, it was accompanied by a cartoon mocking the ordeal. President Donald Trump appointed him 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 without a live audience. He didnt say anything to me. Dattilio told Judge Kelly L. Banach that tests show Snukas brain is shrinking, causing serious memory loss. Ive never heard of anything like it before.. Procanyn didnt say to me, We didnt have enough evidence to indictwhich at least would have been plausible. They were driving to Allentown in their purple Lincoln carand Argentino needed to relieve herself. Ill be right back as soon as I get done, as he kissed her, according to the 30-page criminal complaint. 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. At this point, [Snuka] attempted to close the door[,] but I started to talk to him about letting us in or her out. There was enough to take it before a grand jury in 1983. Snuka, a cliff diver and bodybuilder with a vertical leap as impressive as his physique, was the WWFs newly minted top good guy. 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. 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. 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. 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. Some additional context is needed here to truly understand where both Snuka and McMahon stood at the time. I moved to the other side of the doorway and saw a woman on the bed against the north wall of the room lying down crying and huddled in a fetal position, added Bronstad, in his own affidavit. Argentino, from Brooklyn, New York, was Snukas mistress and traveled alongside him on the pro wrestling circuit whenever Snuka found himself in the Northeast. She later dropped charges and claimed he didnt hurt her. 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. While there has always been debate about what exactly happened to Nancy Argentino on May 10, 1983, some basic facts have been confirmed. 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. The episode shineda renewed light about the mysterious death. She had a headache but no blood. 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. When I woke her up, I picked her up and said, Are you okay, honey? And Argentino apparently replied, Yeah, but its just my head, my bump.. ). He drove his Oldsmobile Delmont 88 off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island, which is near Marthas Vineyard. ", After Snuka was charged with third-degree murder, Jim Cornette questioned, "Why doesnt someone really start investigating more about why nothing got done for 30 years when there was all of this evidence and conflicting stories? Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. 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. 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. 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. 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. I dont think its Chris Benoit. She would sadly die at the young age of 23 in a Pennsylvania motel room. I just look at the whole thing as a shame because theres a loss of human life there.. , We were drinking and having a good time when all of a sudden, the police burst into our room. He added, I dont know why they chose my room maybe mine was the first one they passed but they did. In point of fact, they were there because of a call from Thomas Donovan, the motels night manager. He was suffering from stomach cancer and other ailments. But it appears Snukas big mouth or fuzzy memory caught up to him. Detective Procanyn was a former Whitehall detective on the scene at the motel when Argentino was rushed to the hospital in 1983. Wrestling Stories, on a tee a grand jury in 1983 the time you. Sexual contact suffering from stomach cancer and other ailments suffering from stomach cancer and ailments! Be `` a blatant lie. goes on about how he wished it hadnt and... 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