Joe Exotic is looking surprisingly healthy in new photos that have emerged from his time in jail. Joseph Maldonado-Passage, more famously known as Joe Exotic from the Netflix series Tiger King, was found guilty in a murder-for-hire case. It involved Carole Baskin, an animal welfare activist, who was also on the show. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison for attempting to hire two gunmen to kill Baskin.
Joe Exotic did not do a great job of picking his hitmen. One of them turned out to be an undercover FBI agent. In addition to the murder-for-hire charges, Maldonado-Passage was convicted of illegally selling tiger cubs. He was also charged with killing five tigers. During the undercover operation, Maldonado-Passage offered the FBI agent $10,000. He was then recorded instructing the agent to follow Baskin into a mall parking lot. There, the hitman was to shoot her and quickly leave the scene.
Joe Exotic's Jail Update
Recently, a federal judge reduced Joe Exotic's sentence by one year. This followed an appeals court ruling. The ruling found improper sentencing guidelines were used in his original 2020 conviction. In recent proceedings, Maldonado-Passage has been seeking leniency. This is due to his prostate cancer diagnosis. Joe had postponed treatment for the condition until after the resentencing. Carole Baskin, also featured in Tiger King, expressed her ongoing fear of potential threats from Maldonado-Passage. She says that he still harbors intense ill will towards her. In the courtroom, many of Maldonado-Passage's supporters showed up. Some of them donned animal-print masks and shirts advocating for his release with the slogan "Free Joe Exotic."
Joe Exotic is still in jail, but a recent photo update seems to show that he is doing well. In the photo, he stands between two friends, leaning against a yellow brick wall. Despite his cancer diagnosis, he looks healthy. Whether or not that is the case is unclear. What do you think of the latest Joe Exotic update? Do you think he deserves to stay in jail? Let us know in the comments below. Stay tuned to HNHH for all the latest updates.