Obviously the big story of the past couple of days has been the indictment against Jimmy Snuka in the 1983 death of his girlfriend Nancy Argentino. Snuka has been charged with third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in the death after an investigation was opened last year into the incident after the Allentown Morning Call published a story on the alleged murder that included the autopsy, which labeled the death a homicide.
The Morning Call has published a new report looking at the primary pieces of evidence that resulted in the indictment. The site notes the following factors:
The Autopsy
According to the autopsy, Argentino died of traumatic brain injuries and had suffered thirty-nine cuts and bruises to her head, ear, chin, arms, hands, back, buttocks, legs and feet. The cuts and bruises were labeled as a possible sign of domestic abuse. The autopsy also determined that the fatal injury was consistent with being hit with a stationary object between twelve to twenty-four hours before she died.
The autopsy was not released by the DA’s office until 2013. As mentioned, it was ruled a homicide and the Argentino family won a default judgment of $500,000 judgment in a wrongful death suit against Snuka. Snuka never paid the family, alleging that he was too poor to afford a legal defense.
Snuka’s Conflicting Story
As our previous article noted, police considered the fact that Snuka’s story at the time of the incident — that Nancy Argentino hit her head on the ground after he pushed her while they were horsing around outside of their motel room — differed wildly from his autobiography in which he said Argentino slipped and fell on her own while she was using the restroom at a rest stop. The Morning Call’s report notes that there are at least seven different public stories that Snuka has offered surrounding her death. The original grand jury report in 1983 noted, “We believe it is important to note that James Snuka changed the location of the injuries in his discussion with the chaplain to happening on the highway traveling to [the George Washington Motor Lodge], but still admitted that she sustained her injury after he shoved her and she fell backward, hitting her head on the concrete.”
Past Domestic Abuse Allegations
Snuka has been accused of domestic abuse in the past, including in regard to Argentino. He was arrested in January of 1983 for allegedly assaulting her in Salina, New York and pled guilty to harassment. In addition, Buddy Rogers and his wife Debbie alleged that Snuka beat his wife Sharon Georgi in October of 1983.
Snuka’s attorney William E. Moore told the New York Daily News that Snuka is not only battling stomach cancer but also suffers from partial dementia. Moore said, “Ask him a question, he smiles and nods. Ask him enough questions, and he’ll admit to the Kennedy assassination — ‘Yeah, I was there on the grassy knoll.’”
A hearing is set for September 21st. Snuka was reportedly wheelchair bound and using a feeding tube when he surrendered to authorities on Tuesday.
