WITH his leopard-skin print undies, country crooning and gun-toting madness Joe Exotic was an instant Netflix hit.
Ever since documentary series Tiger King aired 18 months ago in the teeth of the first lockdown, a fierce debate has raged about whether the former big cat park owner should be serving a 22-year prison sentence.
Oddball Joe has an army of fans across the world who believe the 58-year-old American is not guilty of hiring a hitman for an attempt to kill his chief critic Carole Baskin.
But now in a dramatic twist, a second series provides fresh evidence which could clear his name.
Today we can reveal that one of the prosecution’s key witnesses retracts what he said in court and instead claims it is Joe who was the victim of a deadly plot.
Incredibly, it is alleged that a plan was hatched to bump off Joe rather than animal rights campaigner Carole.
The five-part series, available to stream from today, also features numerous revelations about the fate of Carole’s former husband Don Lewis.
HAPLESS ASSASSIN WENT TO THE POLICE
Both Joe and internet sleuths have tried to lay the blame for Don’s disappearance in 1997 at the door of his ex-wife, even claiming she fed him to her rescued lions.
But the new documentary provides intriguing testimony to back up 60-year-old Carole’s insistence that she played no part in multi- millionaire Don’s apparent death.
Joe, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, is hoping to appeal against his conviction and asked for an early release from his sentence because he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
His chances rest on proving that others are guilty of the crime for which he has been put behind bars.
From prison he says: “Everybody from the zoo is out there making money from Joe Exotic.
“I’m paying the price for every one of them people.
“I’m done with it. I will die making sure they end up in prison.”
Tiger King began when conservationist Eric Goode and director Rebecca Chaiklin decided to make a documentary about privately owned big cat facilities in the United States.
Along with exposing cruelty and the illegal trade in endangered species, they also uncovered an array of colourful and dangerous characters.
At the centre of the story was Joe, who ran Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma and animal rights veteran Carole, who was campaigning to shut his business down.
In 2017 the peroxide blond zookeeper paid hitman Allen Glover £2,000 to cut off Carole’s head, but instead the hapless assassin went to the police.
An undercover officer posed as a second hitman and recorded Joe telling him: “Just follow her into a mall parking lot and just cap [shoot] her and drive off.”
But co-director Rebecca says: “I’m not sure that Joe’s case was investigated properly. I believe there has potentially been a miscarriage of justice on the murder-for-hire charges.
“So that is something I have been keen on exploring.” The most explosive testimony comes from Glover, who has changed his story and now admits to plotting against Joe. The hitman-for-hire says his target was not Carole.
Glover confesses on film: “I was going to kill Joe.”
Rebecca’s explorations also led to allegations that Joe’s former business partner Jeff Lowe played a part in the plot. Ashley Webster, an ex- employee at their zoo, claims in series two: “On my very first day, Jeff said something about killing Carole Baskin, about how she needs to die.
“Jeff Lowe was very much behind Carole Baskin’s murder plot as Joe was.”
A campaign group called Free Joe Exotic has long claimed that businessman Jeff might have tried to set up his partner in order to get him out of the way.
Jeff has always denied having any involvement in the murder plot and he bought the zoo from Joe in 2016, prior to Glover being hired.
But since the first series of Tiger King aired, Jeff has been accused by the authorities of “recurring inhumane treatment and improper handling” of tigers and lions.
When law enforcement tried to take action against the bandana-wearing zoo owner in May this year, he allegedly said he was “gonna kill” one of them.
In the end the Department of Justice confiscated 68 of his big cats from his new Tiger King Park in Thackerville, Oklahoma.
It is clear that the Netflix series has resulted in a crackdown on rogue big cat parks.
Tim Stark, who also appeared in the first series, gets his comeuppance for mistreating his animals.
In one shocking scene, it is revealed that he allowed 112 animals to die in 38C heat when the air-conditioning in his trailer failed.
Stark, who ran a zoo called Wildlife In Need in Indiana, is caught on camera kicking an owl and is accused of declawing tigers.
He threatens to “slice the throat” of one of his accusers and launches an expletive-laden tirade against whistleblowers outside of court following a hearing.
In August 2020, Stark fled police after the authorities confiscated all of his animals and he was later arrested in New York. The police sealed off the area because he had posted an image on social media of himself with a grenade — which turned out to be a plastic toy.
Rebecca also chose to keep investigating because “I was a bit shocked at how resounding the public court of opinion was on Carole.”
‘MANY PEOPLE WOULD HAVE WANTED DON DEAD’
Social media is packed with conspiracy theories about what Carole allegedly did to Don, who was formally declared dead in 2002.
Carole, who runs a big cat park in Florida, is trying to sue Netflix for breach of contract, claiming the streaming giant has no right to include footage of her in the new series.
But the revelations in Tiger King 2 tend to suggest she did not play a part in Don’s demise.
A document from the Department of Homeland Security reveals that Don had been sighted in Costa Rica after his disappearance and the authorities believe he fled the United States in August 1997.
They recorded financial transactions between Don and business associates.
Don’s former bodyguard and chauffeur allege that there were many people in the Central American country who would have wanted him dead.
Driver Alex Mora says: “He told me he was in danger. It was over money. He had some problems with some men in the US. I asked, ‘Bad men?’ He said, ‘Very, very bad.’ ‘They will kill you.’ ”
Alex and his former minder Rey Rodriguez both say that the property tycoon had an obsession with “young” girls.
Rey alleges: “Don was attracted to Costa Rica because it is a paradise where little girls are sold.
“His favourite I believe was about 15. These people have families and they will find out and kill you for that”.
The minder also tells how Don flew in boxes filled with cash, some containing £150,000, and that he was warned by the CIA that some of his boss’s operations were illegal.
Rey comments: “Don liked to play with dangerous things”. One person who won’t be watching Tiger King 2 is its star.
Joe is not allowed to access Netflix and he hasn’t even seen the first series.
That’s despite some of his guards singing his songs and telling him they will be buying Tiger King underwear.
The prisoner comments: “It would be nice if I could actually see me being famous out there, but I’ve seen these same four walls for a year and a half now.
“I would love to be able to watch the documentary.”
The mystery is not over.
With Joe caged and Don’s body yet to be recovered, this story is set to captivate fans for a long time.
- Tiger King 2 is streaming on Netflix now.
