In 2019, Joseph Maldonado-Passage, known popularly as Joe Exotic from the Netflix series “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness,” was convicted of 17 counts of animal abuse and two counts of attempted murder-for-hire. Maldonado-Passage was sentenced to 22 years in prison, but the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in July 2021 that Maldonado-Passage will be resentenced on January 28, 2022.
In making this decision, the 10th Circuit cited an improper calculation of the sentencing guidelines. The previously used sentencing range considered Maldonado-Passage’s two murder-for-hire counts separately. However, the 10th Circuit ruled that Maldonado-Passage’s sentencing range really should have been calculated at 17 ½ years to 21 years and 10 months rather than a maximum of 27 ¼ years. The new range recognizes that the two murder-for-hire charges shared the same target: Carole Baskin.
This is the only relief Maldonado-Passage can expect com January 28. The 10th Circuit upheld Maldonado-Passage’s convictions, meaning it will only be his sentence that is reconsidered on January 28 and not the charges.