According to TheGuardian.com, WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka was declared “mentally incompetent” by his legal defense team, who are claiming the wrestling legend is unfit to stand trial for the 1983 death of then-girlfriend Nancy Argentino.
Snuka was present in the Allentown court room today as judge Kelly Banach heard from members of the defense, who are citing decades of blows to the head, resulting in dementia, as well as the long-term abuse of cocaine and alcohol. Dr. Frank Dastillo testified on Snuka’s behalf, claiming that the 72-year-old wrestling legend was unable to provide even the most basic of necessary background information, while the team’s lawyer insists Snuka doesn’t even understand the charges being levied against him.
The judge will hear from members of the prosecution next Wednesday, who are building a case based around a 2015 wrestling match featuring Snuka, as well as interviews that, according to them, should prove his lucidity.
The case surrounding Nancy Argentino dates back to 1983. Snuka placed a call to police following a WWF show in Allentown, PA and claimed to have found his girlfriend unresponsive in bed upon returning to their hotel. She was pronounced dead hours later at a local hospital. A coroner’s report confirmed the cause of death to be traumatic brain injury consistent with “a moving head striking a stationary object”, with more than two dozen cuts and bruises found all over her body.
Despite Snuka being the only suspect in the murder investigation, and both the coroner and forensic pathologist believing there was enough evidence to pursue foul play, the star was never convicted. The case was left open until 2013, when it was once again reviewed and ultimately placed in the hands of a grand jury. Snuka was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter, to which he plead not guilty.
