However, it is known that Argentino died . Hours later, paramedics responded to their motel room where Argentino was found unresponsive. And the way its in the book is the way it was told to me.. When I got back to the hotel, I remember being very surprised that she was still in bed. 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. 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. 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. The man responsible for the original autopsy, Dr. Isidore Mihalakis, in 1983 commented to The Morning Call about the investigation. 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.. pointedly mentioning McMahons briefcase and dropping hints: Procanyn, meanwhile, was no longer available at a phone number that he had been giving out last year; neither the Lehigh Valley DAs office (where he worked more recently) nor the reporter, According to the contemporaneous newspaper reports, Snuka who gave an exclusive, ramblingly vague account of what happened to, The hotel manager just got a little excited. 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. 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. As she did, I moved in front of the doorway and the male ran towards me and struck me in the chest area with his left forearm and pushed me against the wall. On top of that, according to her sisters, Nancy also had her own specific value to McMahon: With Snuka being illiterate and without a drivers license, McMahon needed a driver to get him to and from shows, but with his increasingly problematic drug use and erratic behavior, other wrestlers now refused to chauffeur him around, Speculation has long swirled around McMahons involvement in the murder investigation, specifically his presence during Snukas last police interview, the contents of which unlike every other interview summary in the Whitehall file are notoriously not described in the report at all (a fact that then-Chief Frederic Conjour wrote off as nothing in the, documentary). I was devastated., Snuka continues, "That night ruined my life. On September 1st, 2015: After a grand jurys recommendation, Martin proceeds to charge Snuka with third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. In the commotion Argentino managed to call her sister Salome. He has also been published on Slam Wrestling and in G-FAN Magazine. Check out his weekly wrestling history podcast, Between The Sheets, on all major podcast platforms, and subscribe to his Substack at BabyfacevHeel.com. What else could I possibly say.. It is a sobering tale filled with possible cover-ups and the needless death of a young woman. It also chillingly recontextualizes something that, , McMahon told the Argentino familys initial attorney, Richard Cushing, in 1983. And he never saw the briefcase again? I think she died of a fracture to her skull. Documentary. 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. She moved away as he strode toward her. Nancy Argentino, in happier times. The episode shineda renewed light about the mysterious death. 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.. He argued Snukas head trauma had progressed to the point where he couldnt understand what was happening in a courtroom and commented that his private doctors detected memory impairment in him as early as 2010 and that Snuka might develop CTE in the future. Instead, Snuka just stared ahead. 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. referring to a $500,000 wrongful death suit nancy's family won in 1985. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka arrives for day four of his competency hearing at the Lehigh County Courthouse in Allentown on June 1, 2016. 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. We tried to talk some sense into her but she went back on the road with him, Salome said. . He mentioned that this was a far cry from the Snuka that truly used to leap off cages and turnbuckles. I did not have a clear-cut case. It is considered one of the most authoritative accounts of what happened to Nancy Argentino. "Dark Side of the Ring" looks into the death of Nancy Argentino, and questions if it wasswept under the rug for thesake of Jimmy Snuka's career. If Snuka wanted to donate some money to a local charity they would not be a part of it. It was devastating.. 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. . He continued, "Where is the line between dementia and normal? New information has surfaced regarding the death of Nancy Argentino. 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. . Friday, May 10, is the 30th anniversary of the controversial but little-discussed death of Nancy Argentino, Jimmy Snuka's girlfriend at the time. I remember Vince McMahon being what Vince McMahon has always been very effusive. 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. Snuka, a cliff diver and bodybuilder with a vertical leap as impressive as his physique, was the WWFs newly minted top good guy. A follow-up interview with Snuka was conducted by investigatorson June 1. 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. She was going to come home for that weekend, Salome said. I would never use full force. The Onondaga County Sheriffs Office file doesnt contain any trace of an explanation as to why Argentino changed her mind. And yet the pro wrestler was never charged. 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. And Tarzan likely never took steroids, boozed or binged on cocaine like The Superfly admitted he had. 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. "He came there in shorts and didnt say anything to my mother. So I told her to come on out and she ran past him. , obtained from U.S. Dr. Mihalikis did not find any bruises, lacerations or other indications of a beating or prior injuries. 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.. David Bixenspan is a freelance reporter who lives in Brooklyn. 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. Snuka also didnt help matters, with his memoir pointedly mentioning McMahons briefcase and dropping hints: Shortly after Nancys death, I was questioned by police and let go. After the one hour meeting in the district attorneys law library, there are no records of Jimmy Snuka ever being questioned by police again. When she came back, she told me she slipped on the way and hit her head. The George Washington Motor Lodge as seen on April 6, 1993. The same goes for a dismissed charge of issuing a bad check, mentioned on the same certificate. The autopsy report told cops to consider Nancy Argentinos death a homicide. Charges were not immediately pressed at the time against Jimmy Snuka though the case was left officially open. The docuseries recounted one incident in January 1983 in which Snuka allegedly assaulted Argentino in a hotel. Some additional context is needed here to truly understand where both Snuka and McMahon stood at the time. As it would later transpire, the paragraph contradicts the complete, , which I obtained as part of the same civil case appendix mentioned earlier. For 30 years, Snuka continued with his life as if nothing had happened. 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). Me, personallyif you ask me, Do you think Jimmy did it? No. In August 2015: Carole, the third wife of Jimmy Snuka, says that he has stomach cancer. Nancy Argentino died soon after that and despite evidence of a struggle, no one was ever charged. 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. Adding to the controversy was that . I was devastated, he wrote. 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. The Events of Nancy Argentino's Death. 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. 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. We are hopeful that justice will prevail.. I met him, and he was the kindest man possible. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka wrestles on September 4, 1995 in New Hampshire. 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. 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.. Speculation has long swirled around McMahons involvement in the murder investigation, specifically his presence during Snukas last police interview, the contents of which unlike every other interview summary in the Whitehall file are notoriously not described in the report at all (a fact that then-Chief Frederic Conjour wrote off as nothing in the VICE documentary). 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. Oh, and hed donate $1,500 his alleged purse for his return to Syracuse that same day to Sheriff John Dillons favorite charity, the, 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 Onondaga County War Memorial on April 7th, where he would leave tickets for the officers involved. , 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. Mick Foley spoke about Snuka, a man who inspired him to pursue a career in wrestling. 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. The most detailed story, by Jeanne Bednarski in the Syracuse Herald-Journal, 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. Snuka definitely says he saw Argentino hit the ground. 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. When speaking to the Whitehall Police hours after Argentino died as the result of a skull fracture (four months after the New York motel room attack), McMahon backed up the claims around Snukas needing Argentino to be able to travel between live shows and taping venues. ", 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? "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. Former professional wrestling star Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. due to Snukas apparent mental incompetence mere days before his 2017 death from stomach cancer. The WWE issued a statement after Snukas autobiography was published and the story about McMahon showing up with a briefcase to solve the Snuka situation when it happened in 1983, "The insinuation that a group of medical examiners, detectives, and prosecutors including two who became judges could have their integrity compromised and participate in an improper activity during the course of a meeting is absurd, categorically false and insulting to all parties. Nancy was Italian, 5 feet 7 inches tall, 115 pounds with dark, curly hair and brown eyes. 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.. He later told police he was misunderstood, and Argentino slipped and hit her head when they stopped along the highway to go to the bathroom. Obviously, there was enough there to arouse my suspicion but not enough to take it to trial., Mihalakis would later say, Just because she was beaten doesnt mean she was beaten to death.. Oh my, she looks terrible, Jimmy Superfly Snuka was heard crowing as he wept and strung his hand through Nancy Argentinos dark and dead locks. 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. Smell of alcohol., To the hospitals chaplain, he said Argentino may have hit her head on the side of the chair or the bed.. 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. 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. Right from the get-go, the one constant with him was he kept saying, I want the truth. She ended up driving him to wrestling matches and planning his schedule, which, in turn, may have put Argentino in harm's way. "You have a look and an attitude, I think,. But there were clear signs that her sisters love affair was rocky. 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. S family won in 1985 Salome said Dogs Win Round information has surfaced regarding the death of Nancy &. 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