'Tiger King' Joe Exotic May Be Free From Murder-For-Hire Charges Thanks to 'Secret Texts'
Netflix star Joe Exotic may be free from murder-for-hire charges because of secret bombshell texts unearthed by private investigators.
These said texts are now being questioned whether the "Tiger King" really gave the alleged hitman, Allen Glover, a burner phone.
According to the prosecution's case, Exotic paid Glover to kill his nemesis, Carole Baskin, and then gave him a pizza place's phone number to communicate on.
Investigators working to free Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, believe that new evidence could be the get-out-of-jail card he has been longing for.
In one of the said texts, Exotic allegedly wrote, "F----- Allen stole the pizza phone."
Glover was Joe Exotic's zoo handyman at that time.
It is worth noting that the former zoo operator claimed he never had the pizza phone.
Federal prosecutors believe that the phone in question is said to have helped carry out the murder plot, but they failed to disclose that the text messages existed.
Texas-based lawyer Francisco Hernandez revealed that these texts could prove that the "Tiger King" is innocent.
Speaking to The Daily Mail, "The text messages that we extracted from not only the cellphones but from computers that were provided to us from Anne Patrick, a power of attorney for Joe, we know for a fact that these text messages prove Joe's innocence."
Being part of Team Tiger, Hernandez added, "When you look at the text messages and look where they came from, look where they went to, look who sent them."
He further claimed, "The hitman said Joe gave him the phone - absolutely not. He stole it from the pizza place. It's a stolen phone. The text messages that we've recovered are literally standing up and telling the truth."
Veteran private investigator Eric Love is responsible for putting up the Team Tiger and Hernandez and legal partner Jeff Hover.
Love has twenty years of experience in law enforcement. He said that he is set to right the wrong of Exotic's conviction and claimed that they could prove the government is out to target the former zookeeper.
He got involved in the case after his wife urged him to wife the Netflix documentary series back in April. Love also recalled that his daughter remembers going to Exotic's zoo in Oklahoma and met the animal rights activist.
Aside from Team Tiger, filmmaker Theresa McKeown also threw her support behind Exotic.
She believes that the new mobile phone evidence could be the "smoking gun" to free her friend finally.
McKeown has known Joseph Maldonado-Passage for six years and has been a constant support for him.
She regularly spoke to him on the phone for hours while he's in jail, and they exchanged emails periodically.
He is also one of the executive producers of the special "Joe Exotic: Tigers, Lies, and Cover-up."
Joe Exotic was jailed for 22 years after being found guilty of plotting to murder Big Cat lover Carole Baskin.
Attorney Hernandez is reportedly not stopping until he gets Joe Exotic "released from his cage, no matter how long it takes."
