Zookeeper Joseph Maldonado-Passage, better known as "Joe Exotic," has been found guilty on all charges in relation to a murder-for-hire plot. The 56-year-old apparently paid someone to kill an animal sanctuary owner, Carole Baskin, who publically criticized Joe's treatment of animals. Maldonado-Passage was busted after an FBI agent posed as a hitman for hire. Joe claims that he knew he was being played and decided to play along in order to gather information.
However, a series of Facebook messages paint a completely different picture of the former zookeeper who prosecutors say was out for blood. One clip posted to his page Maldonado asks, “You want to know why Carole Baskin better never, ever, ever see me face to face ever, ever, ever again?” While in another clip, he can be seen shooting a blowup doll named Carole with a revolver.
Baskin told the jury that the mounting threats prompted her to get a concealed carry permit. She said, “I felt like my life was in danger, [...] I believe that he blames me for everything that’s gone wrong in his life.”
Maldonado-Passage was also found guilty on Tuesday of killing tigers and selling the cubs. PETA praised the guilty verdict issuing a statement which read in part:
“PETA already succeeded in getting 39 tigers, three bears, two baboons, and two chimpanzees out of his hands and into reputable sanctuaries, [...] The world will be a safer place for all living beings with this man behind bars, where he can no longer harm animals or the animal advocates he hanged in effigy.”
Source: nypost.com
