January 03, 2017
Murder charges against former WWE wrestler Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka were dismissed Tuesday by a Pennsylvania judge.
According to WFMZ, Lehigh County Judge Kelly Banach decided to drop the charges against 73-year-old Snuka during an unscheduled hearing because the former wrestler's medical condition has not improved since he was previously found incompetent to stand trial.
In September 2015, Snuka had been charged with third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in the death of his former girlfriend, 23-year-old Nancy Argentino, in 1983.
The court ruled in June that Snuka was unable to assist in his defense of those charges, but refused to dismiss the charges pending a reevaluation in December. The defense claimed that Snuka is suffering from dementia while the prosecutors argued that he could be faking symptoms.
Last month, Snuka's attorneys said that the former wrestler was in a hospice and has six months to live.
The Lehigh County District Attorney's Office alleged that Snuka beat Argentino to death inside an Allentown motel room after a wrestling event. Snuka acknowledged the incident in his 2012 autobiography, denying that he is not responsible for her death.
However, the Allentown Morning Call discovered that Snuka had pleaded guilty to harassment for a violent confrontation with Argentino four months before her death.
County prosecutors said they considering additional options while Snuka's lawyers did not comment on the dismissal of charges.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
