A judge dropped all charges Tuesday against WWE Hall of Fame wrestler Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, who was charged with third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in the death of his former girlfriend Nancy Argentino in 1983.
Lehigh County (Pennsylvania) Judge Kelly Banach determined that Snuka was incompetent to stand trial based on medical records and testimony provided by his defense attorney, Robert Kirwan II.
Snuka, 74, has been diagnosed with dementia and showed signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, according to Kirwan. He went into home hospice care in October and was moved to in-hospital hospice care at Broward Medical North near his home in Florida on December 17.
Ex-wrestler Jimmy Snuka pleads not guilty in '83 slaying
Kirwan filed a petition in February in which he asked the judge to rule Snuka incompetent to stand trial. The court held a four-day competency hearing in June, and the judge let six months pass in order to see whether his condition improved or worsened.
At an unscheduled hearing Tuesday, Banach ordered all charges against Snuka dismissed. "The court is satisfied that the defendant remains incompetent and the Court is satisfied that the defendant will not regain competence and it would be unjust to resume the prosecution," the court order said.
Snuka was charged in September 2015, 32 years after Argentino's death. She was found unresponsive in a room at the George Washington Motor Lodge in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on May 10, 1983. Snuka called the paramedics, but once they arrived, he was gone. Argentino was pronounced dead a few hours later.
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