Joe Exotic, also known as the ‘Tiger King’, has written a letter to Donald Trump from behind bars, pleading for his freedom. The 61-year-old former zoo owner, who was convicted in 2019 for a murder-for-hire plot against rival Carole Baskin, is seeking an early release by appealing for a retrial on the grounds of fresh evidence.
Joe, who shot to global fame with his outlandish personality in the Netflix docuseries ‘Tiger King’, which premiered as the Covid-19 pandemic began, has made a fervent appeal to Trump for clemency. In his letter, he expressed being “scared as hell” about Kamala Harris’ election victory and stated: “A lot of people went to bat for you in 2021 who have been living in hell ever since then.”
He also remarked, “Everyone hopes you keep the promises you made during your campaign, which include pardoning everyone sooner than later in January 2025.”
Exotic highlighted the grim reality faced by some of his fellow supporters in his desperate plea to escape his lengthy sentence for attempting to kill his rival. He said: “Some of those very people have been stuck in solitary confinement, forced to live like rats, have killed themselves in prison, or have died.”
Should he be granted release, Joe Exotic has ambitions to serve in Trump’s cabinet as the new Federal Fish and Wildlife Director, as reported by the Daily Star. He added, “Some, like myself, have fought like hell to hang on, hoping for you to win this election.”
Joe Exotic, made famous by the Netflix hit documentary ‘Tiger King’, saw his dramatic rise to fame end in sorrow as he was sentenced to a stint in an Oklahoma prison. The star’s downfall came in 2020 when he was convicted of hiring two men to assassinate animal activist Carole Baskin, and for violations relating to animal abuse at his private zoo – substantiating one of Baskin’s key accusations against him concerning his treatment of the big cats.
Exotic, who has consistently protested his innocence, found himself behind bars after he propositioned an undercover FBI operative with $10,000 (£7,900) to execute Carole, who runs a refuge for large felines in Florida. Joe Exotic is currently facing 21 years in confinement.
However, in late January 2022, his sentence was amended by a year following a decision by a US appeals court that judged the two counts of conspiracy to murder should not have been counted separately. Despite being incarcerated, last month Joe disclosed that he had become engaged to his new beau Jorge Marquez hailing from Mexico.
Joe Exotic has recently unveiled his new romantic intrigue subsequent to his split from former fiancé Seth Posey the previous year. In an impassioned social media declaration, Joe enthused: “Meet Jorge Marquez he is 33. He is so amazing and is from Mexico.”
He introduced an unexpected turn in their tale, revealing: “Now, the quest of getting married in prison and getting him asylum or we be leaving America when we both get out.”
He reflected on their relationship with sentiment, expressing: “Either way, I wish I would have met him long ago.”
