US Edition
Supreme Court turns away ‘Tiger King’ Joe Exotic’s appeal of murder-for-hire conviction
The Supreme Court upheld Joe Exotic's 21-year sentence for a murder-for-hire plot after reviewing new evidence claims and prosecutorial conduct, confirming lower courts' rulings.
- On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review Joseph Maldonado-Passage's appeal, leaving his 21-year sentence for the 2019 murder-for-hire conviction intact and ending his latest bid to overturn the verdict involving rival Carole Baskin.
- Maldonado-Passage was convicted in 2019 of hiring two men, including an undercover FBI agent, to kill Baskin; the 'Tiger King' star sought a retrial in 2023, claiming witnesses recanted testimony and new evidence had emerged.
- U.S. District Judge Scott Palk noted that Maldonado-Passage's own words served as "the most credible and damning evidence" against him during a prior retrial effort, and the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected his appeal in July.
- Defense attorneys argued that lower courts failed to properly weigh evidence; meanwhile, the 62-year-old has made headlines for his personal life, including a 2024 marriage to fellow inmate Jorge Flores Maldonado at the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas.
- With Supreme Court avenues now closed, the 21-year prison term remains in effect for the former zoo operator, while Carole Baskin continues her wildlife advocacy work outside prison.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Supreme Court refuses to hear case of Louisiana man sentenced to life imprisonment, “Tiger King” appeal
The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to weigh in on a procedural question arising from a pregnancy discrimination case – specifically, whether a defendant can raise an affirmative defense (that is, a legal excuse or justification) later in the proceedings when it did not raise that defense in the answer to the plaintiff’s complaint. Younge v. Fulton Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office was the lone case in which the court granted review on …
WCCUSD must hire qualified teachers, court rules, setting statewide precedent
A California appeals court has ruled that West Contra Costa schools violated state law by failing to hire qualified teachers for each classroom. The ruling says a teacher shortage is no excuse. The appeals court last week overturned a 2024…
Supreme Court Rejects Bid by Imprisoned Netflix Star
Joe Exotic's latest legal gambit has ended with a one-line rejection from the Supreme Court. The justices on Monday declined to hear the former Netflix star's bid to overturn his 2019 conviction for plotting to have rival Carole Baskin killed, reports the Hill . Exotic—real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage— became a...
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