Netflix's 'Tiger King' begs Donald Trump for murder pardon as he faces long prison stint
Tiger King star Joe Exotic has asked Donald Trump to put him back in the wild in a desperate letter from prison, where he is serving 22 years after a murder-for-hire plot
Joe Exotic, the infamous 'Tiger King' star, has penned a letter to Donald Trump from his prison cell, begging for freedom. The 61-year-old former zookeeper, who was sentenced in 2019 for plotting a murder-for-hire against his adversary Carole Baskin, is hoping for an early release through an appeal for a retrial based on new evidence.
Joe, who became an international sensation with his eccentric behaviour in the Netflix documentary series 'Tiger King', which debuted during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, made a desperate plea to Trump for a pardon. In his letter, he said he was "scared as hell" about Kamala Harris winning the election and wrote: "A lot of people went to bat for you in 2021 who have been living in hell ever since then."
He also stated, "Everyone hopes you keep the promises you made during your campaign, which include pardoning everyone sooner than later in January 2025." Exotic detailed the dire conditions some supporters face, saying, "Some of those very people have been stuck in solitary confinement, forced to live like rats, have killed themselves in prison, or have died."
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If released, Joe Exotic aims to join Trump's cabinet as the new Federal Fish and Wildlife Director, reports the Daily Star. He continued, "Some, like myself, have fought like hell to hang on, hoping for you to win this election."
Joe's rise to fame from the Netflix hit documentary Tiger King ended in tragedy and with Joe in an Oklahoma prison. In 2020, the star was convicted of trying to hire two men to kill animal activist Carole Baskin, as well as abusing animals at his private zoo - confirming one of Baskin's main concerns about his treatment of tigers.
The blonde bombshell - who has always maintained his innocence - was arrested after he offered an undercover FBI agent $10,000 (£7,900) to kill Carole, who runs a sanctuary for big cats in Florida.
Joe Exotic's sentence is 21 years in prison. In late January 2022, the trial court reduced his sentence by one year after a U.S. appeals court ruled that the convictions for his two murder attempts were treated as separate.
Despite his incarceration, Joe revealed last month that he had gotten engaged to his new partner, Jorge Marquez from Mexico.
Tiger King's Joe Exotic has revealed his new romantic interest following his break up with ex-fiance Seth Posey last year. In a heartfelt social media post, Joe gushed: "Meet Jorge Marquez he is 33. He is so amazing and is from Mexico."
He added a twist to their love story, stating: "Now, the quest of getting married in prison and getting him asylum or we be leaving America when we both get out.
"Either way, I wish I would have met him long ago."
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