The legal team for Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness star Joe Exotic was so confident that he would have his jail sentence commuted that a limo was hired to sit outside his prison, awaiting his release, though Donald Trump opting not to grant him a pardon has left him and his team understandably disappointed. Despite Exotic and his team being disappointed with this outcome, Carole Baskin, who Exotic hired someone to kill, isn’t at all disappointed, and even noted that, if Exotic truly felt remorse for abusing animals under his care, that he could offer valuable information to authorities in hopes of reducing his 22-year sentence.
“140 million Joe Exotic fans had a hard time getting out of bed this morning,” Exotic’s team told TMZ. “We are as disappointed that the President did not sign Joe’s pardon, as we were confident yesterday that he would.”
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His team also noted that it was due to efforts from Exotic’s fans raising awareness about him that the pardon seemed like a possibility in the first place. Despite his team reporting that 140 million people hoped for his release, many other viewers of Tiger King are relieved that his many federal charges for animal abuse won’t be ignored.
“If I understand the notice I got from the prison system, he’s already gotten another month added to his sentence by not obeying prison rules,” Baskin shared with the outlet. “If Joe really had a change of heart, he could do what Mario Tabraue did to lessen his 100-year drug trafficking conviction to 12 years by turning state’s evidence against the other animal exploiters.”
Most audiences became familiar with the situation when Tiger King debuted on Netflix last year, as the series chronicled the larger-than-life figures in their real-world conflicts over keeping large cats captive.
Exotic caught the attention of Baskin early in his career, as he would take tiger cubs to various locations throughout the Midwest to allow the public to play with them, with Baskin often contacting local authorities to have these events shut down. Exotic instead opted to open his own private zoo, allowing guests to come to him, while also attempting to expose alleged abuse at Baskin’s Big Cat Rescue. The rivalry escalated to the point that Exotic would violently attack effigies of Baskin on his internet show, ultimately leading to his attempts to hire someone to murder Baskin.
Stay tuned for details on the future of Tiger King.
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