Murder Case Against Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka Dismissed

The murder case against former pro wrestler Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka has been dismissed, according to multiple reports. The decision ends what seemed less than two years ago like a chance to finally see a court trial in the bizarre 1983 death of Snuka’s then-girlfriend Nancy Argentino in Allentown, Pa. For decades, the case was the subject of rumors about why Snuka wasn’t charged soon afterward and how much Vince McMahon knew about what happened.

Snuka was charged with one count of third-degree murder and one count of involuntary manslaughter in September 2015. In June, Snuka’s legal team argued that the wrestler was suffering from dementia and that this made him incompetent to stand trial. Prosecutors said Snuka was faking it. The judge sided with Snuka, but despite his having been ruled incompetent, the charges of third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter remained. More recently, Snuka’s lawyer said he was in hospice care with possibly six months to live.

Back in August, prosecutors asked Lehigh County Judge Kelly L. Banach to either send Snuka to treatment or dismiss the charges. Banach, today, did the latter. The  reported that Banach “made the decision after viewing medical records” for Snuka. Banach’s order, according to the , said this:

“The Court is satisfied that the defendant remains incompetent and the Court is satisfied that the defendant will not regain competency and that it would be unjust to resume the prosecution.”

Argentino died in 1983, when she was with Snuka in Allentown while he filmed a show for WWF. Her death got new attention in 2013 after a that previously hadn’t been made public, including police records showing how Snuka changed the story he told authorities and an autopsy that ruled her death was a homicide due to “traumatic brain injuries consistent with a moving head striking a stationary object,” with her body showing signs of “mate abuse.”

Snuka’s defense lawyer, Robert Kirwan, told the Express-Times his next move was clearing Snuka’s name with new information he would release “at the appropriate time.” A spokeswoman for local prosecutors said they were considering all their options and then “will decide at the appropriate time what actions we’ll take.”