Joe Exotic Thinks Erik Cowie Deserved To Die? Reality Star's SHOCKING Statement After Zookeeper's Death Revealed
Joe Exotic is finally speaking out after the death of his former fellow zookeeper Erik Cowie, but his statement seems to sound off as he mentioned that his pal deserved his death.
Speaking to Daily Mail UK, the Tiger King said he was not shocked that Cowie died because he's been trying to cure his alcohol problems ever since.
He also claims that he paid for the zookeeper to enter a rehabilitation facility to battle his alcoholism seven years ago after suffering from a "horrible disease."
Exotic, whose real name is Joe Maldonado-Passage, did not hold back his feelings in a statement by saying, "never wish evil upon anyone else," after Cowie publicly said Exotic would die in prison.
The two zookeepers ended their friendship after Cowie gave evidence against Exotic in a criminal trial. Because of Cowie's testimony, Tiger King is not serving a 22-year prison sentence in Texas for attempting to hire someone to murder Carole Baskin, his business rival.
Since Exotic is behind bars, he wrote a letter to the outlet saying the last time he spoke to Cowie was when he left the zoo. He mentioned that his former pal was fired for being an alcoholic and not coming to work.
Following his termination, Exotic claims he offered him a job with a few of his tigers in Oklahoma; however, his drinking habits never stopped, so "they made him leave."
Their following interaction was at his trial, Exotic mentioned that Cowie was "lying his a** off" because he wants to be painted as "the big cat hero" on the hit Netflix documentary series, "Tiger King."
Erik Cowie's Untimely Death
In early reports, Erik Cowie was found lying face down in the bedroom of a house; authorities are still investigating who owns the property.
Per TMZ, there was nothing suspicious surrounding his death as no drugs were found from the scene. However, the outlet stated that his death could be related to substance abuse.
Law enforcement sources later told the outlet that the zookeeper was visiting a friend at her apartment in New York City. Authorities found out that Cowie drank an excessive amount of alcohol, and a big bottle of vodka was found at the scene.
