—whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage—was first sentenced to 22 years in prison in April 2020, after he was convicted of trying to hire two men to
activist Carole Baskin and abusing animals at his private Oklahoma zoo, including shooting and killing five tigers to make space for cats.An appeals court left Maldonado-Passage’s conviction in place but tossed out his prison sentence in July, ruling the lower court should have combined the two murder-for-hire attempts during sentencing instead of treating them separately.
Baskin, who attended Friday’s resentencing with her husband, said she was fearful Maldonado-Passage could threaten her, adding “he continues to harbor intense feelings of ill toward me,” the Associated PressSupporters of Maldonado-Passage filled the courtroom, with some wearing shirts that read “Free Joe Exotic,” according to the AP.
Maldonado-Passage has maintained his innocence, and according to the AP his attorneys said they plan to