Joe Exotic says his ‘soul dies a little each day’ and his ‘heart will stop like an animal’ in solitary confinement – The Sun

JOE Exotic has revealed his torment in solitary confinement in letters to a pen pal from jail in Texas.

The Tiger King star says his "soul dies a little each day" he is locked away and he feels like his "heart will stop like an animal".


Exotic, 57, also claims he has been blocked from making phone calls to his husband Dillon Passage, 22.

The Netflix sensation – real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage – poured his heart out in a hand-scrawled note to pen pal Kathleen Lafferty, 29.

He told her of life in jail: "They do all they can here to make my life suck, locked down, 24/7 alone.

"Can't even call Dillon.

"My soul dies a little each day. Not long and my heart will stop like an animal that morns [sic] itself to death."

Kathleen – who he has never met him – wrote to him because she had "sympathy" for him after watching Tiger King on Netflix.

He replied to her in May and wrote a second note this month titled "Media Statement" in which he begs Kathleen to be his voice to the public.

Exotic says: "No email, 4 calls per month, no commissary like others get, unable to buy shampoo-conditioner or basic health care needs."

He goes on to ask President Trump and his son to pardon him and "make the world smile during this pandemic."


Kathleen, of Wisconsin, said she decided to write to him because she had spent time in solitary confinement in a medical facility.

She said: "Normal people don't know what it's like and how dangerous it is.

"You can have hallucinations and panic attacks. I feel bad for the guy.

"It doesn't seem like he has a lot of people left. Drug addiction will do that to you.

"I think he's going mentally insane in that cell. He said 'I love you' in the letter."

Five-times wed Exotic – who once had 176 tigers – is serving 22 years at Fort Worth prison for plotting to kill animal rights campaigner Carole Baskin.

He claims he has been denied the regular blood transfusions he needs to treat his autoimmune disease CIVD.

Last week another note from Exotic emerged in which he said he feared he'd be dead in three months.

He said: “It’s like I have been send to Death Row. They stopped all of my medication except one. This place is hell on earth.

"I struggle every day to hold onto what little hope I can find… I don't even know if I'm married any more.

"Seems like everyone is too busy making money and being famous, I don't even get a letter from Dillon."

TRUMP PARDON BID

Fifth husband Dillon said on Instagram: "My heart is breaking after reading Joe’s letter.

"He is living in hell right now and I’m outraged by the way he is being treated. I can’t even begin to imagine how that is breaking his spirit."

Exotic's attorney Francisco Hernandez claimed the big cat tamer is in solitary and has also been denied visits from lawyers.

He said: "He is in the Special Handling Unit for unexplained reasons. All his mail is being held up to a month and they're screening mail from his attorneys.

"It's unprecedented. Why would they have you in solitary confinement if you haven't done anything wrong?

"[Solitary] is supposed to be a maximum of 14 days. He hasn't seen the sun in two years."

He said he plans to sue the prison over the alleged lack of medical care, then pursue a presidential pardon.

Emery Nelson, spokesman for the Bureau of Prisons, said Exotic's situation was due to temporary Covid-19 safety protocol.

He said: "On June 1, in light of extensive protest activity occurring around the country, the Bureau of Prisons – in an abundance of caution – implemented a national lockdown.

"These additional, temporary security measures were implemented to ensure the good order and security of our institutions, as well as ensure the safety of staff and inmates.

"On June 8, these additional security measures were lifted and all operations returned to Phase 7 of the COVID-19 Action Plan.

"During the lockdown, inmate access to telephones and electronic communication was limited.

"However, inmate mail through the U.S. Postal Service was collected and delivered regularly to every inmate."






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