WWE legend Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka is reported to have just six months to live and be receiving hospice care in Florida.
His lawyer made the disclosure during a hearing to reassess the 73-year-old’s mental fitness on Friday - six months after a judge ruled he was incompetent to stand trial in the death of his girlfriend more than three decades ago.
Snuka, a Fijian retired professional wrestler, was charged with murder and involuntary manslaughter last year over the death of 23-year-old Nancy Argentino whose body was found in their hotel room in 1983. While prosecutors allege she was beaten, Snuka has maintained that she died from a fall.
According to The Morning Call newspaper in Allentown, his wife Carole Snuka told the judge via live video that the family finds it difficult to keep him from leaving home during periods of psychosis in which he believes he is late for a wrestling match.
Prosecutors have speculated about whether Snuka might be faking his symptoms and claimed his brain shows normal aging signs.
His lawyer Robert Kiran told the judge that last week doctors had declared the wrestler too sick to travel and had just six months to live.
Snuka himself also testified via live video feed, responding to questions about the presidential election result and Thanksgiving. He was unable to specify who had won the recent election but said he had eaten Thanksgiving dinner alongside all of his children. But his wife later said the Thanksgiving dinner had not happened and he had imagined it.
The judge has yet to make a ruling after the hearing but said she wanted to review Snuka's most recent medical records before deciding if she would dismiss the case or if she believes his condition is likely to get better.
Snuka is most well-known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF which is now the WWE) in the early to mid-1980s and is recognised for bringing the high-flying style of wrestling to the WWF. In 1996, the wrestler, who previously lived in New Jersey, was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
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