Original subtitles

This call is subject to being recorded or monitored,

except for privileged calls between attorney and client.

I'm in a cage.

Do you know why animals die in cages?

Their soul dies.

This is where the new zoo will be located.

We have to be open by spring break.

Even if it's not completely done,

we have to have this center part done.

So I offered Tim Stark a partnership.

We are partners.

We are going into this zoo together.

I'm bringing two or three million dollars' worth of equipment

and hundreds of animals.

See, I'm smarter than most people.

They say you can't get nothing done with a monkey on your back,

so you put them on your fucking front and you can still get shit done.

It's a collaboration between two of the most notorious assholes

in the industry.

We're stronger in numbers,

so I'm glad that Tim's down here.

Are you worried about the fallout of Joe's case?

Oh, no, not a bit. Not a bit.

- Who should be worried? - Joe.

I just worry whether or not you're gonna be there when I get out.

I'm not going anywhere.

You don't have anything to worry about.

I'm still here talking to you.

When I married you, I just wanted it to be different than everything else was.

I know.

I'll make this up to you. I promise.

Right now I just want you to worry about getting out of there

and keep your head on your shoulders.

All right, I'll call you later.

All righty. I love you.

I love you.

Those are our conversations every day, three times a day.

The current owners of what used to be Joe Exotic's park say

they've been cooperating with the feds

ever since the murder-for-hire allegations came to light.

And with his trial looming, other investigations are unfolding.

Jeff Lowe let the feds into Joe's house.

They went through

and... took Joe's documents, jump drives, and all this other stuff.

It just opened up so many cans of worms for Joe.

Federal authorities made some key discoveries:

bones of big cats.

They said that Joe had shot five tigers, and they dug them up...

and found the skulls.

They trumped up all the wildlife charges to put pressure on Joe

because the murder-for-hire charge was so flimsy.

That's why they came up with the other 20 silly-ass charges.

The mix of all that together takes this poor dolt

and gets him into a position

where he appears to be this great big felonious murderer.

From the government's point of view, both the murder-for-hire

and the wildlife charges

were crucial to bring and bring together.

Both counts one and two

charged Mr. Passage

with murder-for-hire.

Counts three through seven of the indictment

are for shooting and killing five tigers that were at his facility

in October of 2017.

The remaining counts are all related to the sale of tiger and lion cubs.

You know what they threatened me with?

Seventy-nine years.

They superseded my indictment with all these stupid wildlife charges

because the first two charges for murder for hire would not have stuck.

But Joe, did you shoot those tigers?

I euthanized five tigers, okay?

If you have a sick tiger or a lion that needs to be put to sleep,

you've got to shoot it or dart it.

There's only two options.

This isn't my park.

This is Joe's park.

The ghost of Joe walks this place.

I'm embarrassed to tell people when they say, "What do you do?"

I say, "I have the zoo down in Wynnewood."

"Are you that crazy bastard?" "No, I'm not the crazy bastard."

We are looking at some little tiger cubs.

Look at them. They're so cute.

Kind of a "purrfect" afternoon for me if you ask.

So you guys are actually moving locations here pretty soon, right?

We are. We're going to close this facility down

as soon as we get the new one down in Thackerville built.

We're building it. It's just a slow process.

That zoo down in Thackerville, that was my idea.

But things started to sour.

Jeff Lowe didn't really care who he screwed.

I think James' mentality was... He says...

"Look," he says, "you came to me with a problem of Joe."

He says, "I helped you out."

Jeff would be indicted if it wasn't for me.

I'm the one that got Jeff the deal.

He says, "And I stuck my neck out for you.

And why wouldn't you put my name on your zoo?"

And I said, "You know what, James, it just doesn't work like that.

I think the cages will start just the other side of those trees.

Where it went bad with James and I is

he couldn't have possibly afforded to pitch in.

What we're building here will be immaculate, amazing.

We're going to continue

until we're number one top zoo in the country.

We're gonna keep bringing animals in, more and more and more,

as we keep building. Anything and everything, we want it all.

Everybody wants to be "the biggest,"

but nobody focuses on being "the nicest."

They'll just stick you in the back.

This is how Jeff does business, okay?

With James Garretson,

Jeff saw... an opportunity,

and he took it.

So how involved was Jeff Lowe

in plotting this whole plan to kill Carole?

You're not gonna show this to the defense attorney when I lay it out?

Don't... don't free that motherfucker. No.

So basically what happened is Jeff Lowe helped...

put the thing together.

And because he obviously knew about it,

because Jeff Lowe told me on the phone that he was going to use Allen Glover.

Joe, he offered me...

money to go and murder that lady.

First it was $5,000, but the only thing he come up with was three grand.

So I took that and I ran.

Remember, this is about getting Joe in trouble,

even locked up for what he did.

They would have to fucking promise me not to fucking lock my ass up for that.

Right.

They're gonna do the same thing with me.

Before they give me immunity,

they want to meet with me and make sure that what I have to tell them

is good enough for a conviction.

Once that happens, then they say, "Okay, well here's your..."

- Here's your deal. - "Here's what we'll do for that."

And they'll have to do the same thing with you.

Now the trial begins on Monday, March 25th at 9:00 a.m.

and could last about two weeks.

But the jury was selected.

The 55-year-old introduced himself to the jury saying,

"I'm Joseph Maldonado-Passage, and I'm the reason you all are here."

I know some things that are going to come out in this trial.

I'm telling you, I can't eat, I don't sleep.

I'm up all night long.

I lost a lot of weight. None of my pants fit me anymore.

That's another thing. I had to buy pants.

I haven't worn pants in 20 years. I gotta buy business attire.

I keep telling myself over and over,

I'm involved in a federal murder-for-hire plot.

Who'd have thought?

Just because I stopped by a zoo to feed a bear one day.

I've dealt with Joe for 14 years at that zoo.

And my job was to get him out of trouble.

But I don't know if I can get him out of this.

They have the people who were closest to him,

people who were

so interwound with him for years and years and years and years.

They're the very people who are testifying against him.

I never mess with the feds.

I don't really like the feds.

Um, I'm a Libertarian, so technically, fuck the feds.

But you know, I don't want to be dealing with them.

I was contacted by an FBI agent,

um, and he said point-blank,

"You're going to be on team government, or you going to be on team Joe."

It was the scariest moment of my life.

The federal trial started today for a former zoo owner

and Oklahoma gubernatorial candidate.

He could be looking at nearly 80 years in prison,

but he is pleading not guilty.

It's pretty fucking crazy.

I don't go to court.

I don't get traffic tickets.

I'm a good boy, and that's not my arena.

In the news, we talk about shootings and killings every day,

but people will protest,

and they will not tolerate, animal abuse.

It was almost strategic

to bring all of these charges at the same time.

You know, let's strike while the iron is hot.

Let's strike while this is on the front of everyone's mind.

Former park employees called to testify against him Monday

include Erik Cowie.

He came up with this .410 in his hand,

and I knew he just shot Cuddles. I heard it.

And he came up the hill and goes, "Goddamn, Erik,

if I knew it was gonna be this easy,

walk right up to the cage, I'll kill 'em all."

There was no way for me to stop it.

It was going to happen.

Y'know, those cats trusted me.

And so they could look me in the eye...

when they died.

I was the guy that was right there.

That means a minute to me.

A heavy minute.

You ever walked a lion?

You ever walked a tiger?

Motherfucker, man.

God damn.

They get so big so fast.

The woman Joe Exotic allegedly wanted dead

took the witness stand today.

Joe Exotic's murder-for-hire trial is now in its second day.

Carole Baskin is speaking out about some of the threats

she says she and her husband have endured for years.

I'm surprised he didn't want to do it himself.

But I wasn't surprised that he would try to follow through.

The only silver lining to it is

that if someone were to kill me,

I think it would push this movement so far forward

that it would be worth it.

Another dramatic day as the trial

for former big cat owner Joe Exotic continues.

One former employee even told jurors...

You're testifying mostly about the movement of animals.

No. I'm testifying against him on both.

The murder-for-hire...

and the animals.

I was Joe's right-hand man for 16 years.

I don't know what I could go to prison for.

But... I'm trying to make sure I don't go.

Let's check in with our Sylvia Corkill who's live downtown.

She tells us that witness got emotional today.

That witness told the jury

he was more than just an employee at that park.

He said for 11 years,

he was in a romantic relationship with Joseph Maldonado-Passage.

In 2017,

he said Joe asked him to drive a man to Dallas

to purchase a fake ID.

Joe told him the man needed the ID

so he could drive to Florida to kill Carole Baskin.

Then in September, the witness said...

I didn't see anybody there for Joe. I didn't...

There was people sitting on his side, but there was, like, nobody there...

for him as a person.

How do you think it's going to go for Mr. Exotic today?

I'm not sure. We'll see what happens.

And what's your role today?

Telling the truth.

The state's second witness, an informant,

alleged that Jeff Lowe not only knew about the plot to kill Carole Baskin,

but that he took an active role in hatching that plan.

In court, James admitted that when they were sitting there

watching Carole go down the bike path

and looking in her house

to see where he could sit and shoot her through a window,

Joe was back at his desk minding his own business.

The informant said Lowe provided maps of Baskin's property

and recommended her murder take place on the bike path near her home.

When Jeff found out Joe was embezzling money

and Joe was killing tigers,

I was telling him, "Take the motherfucker down.

Slit his fucking throat and leave him laid."

Me and Jeff, I mean, we have our quarrels,

you know, but the main thing I wanted was a business partner.

I got a lot of damn earth to move for one person.

Sixteen, 18-hour days, seven days a week.

- Yeah, he just does what I tell him to do. - Yeah, I'm his bitch.

Jeff can't work for a living. He's gotta con somebody.

So when he runs out of cons, he's gotta steal from people.

Jeff Lowe is a very skilled con man.

How is he not facing any charges?

I don't think that it is any surprise that he did not testify.

Was he a witness? Yes.

Did he testify? No. Why? He would have perjured himself.

I mean, letting the hit man loose tells you...

it's kind of a witch hunt because

this guy went down there to fucking murder a lady.

And he's not even going to get fucking probation or nothing.

I hate to be a part of this shit.

Wish I wasn't.

But yeah...

he deserves...

every fucking thing he gets, sir.

Or more.

Yup.

How could they possibly give testimony, and you believe what they were saying,

when clearly...

they cannot be trusted.

Why wasn't Allen Glover confronted about lying on the stand?

Like that story about going to Florida.

It never happened.

Well, there were mixed stories, but Allen apparently testified

that he actually came to Florida...

so I believe him.

We had phone recordings to prove that Allen never went to Florida.

I didn't go to fucking Tampa. What would I want to go there for?

I wasn't gonna kill no-motherfucking-body.

He could've gave me a million fucking dollars,

I wouldn't have went and killed that fucking woman for nothin'.

I wouldn't even went to fucking Florida on a vacation.

Apparently, I chickened the fuck out,

and didn't make it there.

Lyin' under oath is supposed to mean something.

They should be charged with perjury.

And you would think that it would be a mistrial.

In a surprise move, the so-called Tiger King

took the stand today in his own defense.

He is on trial in federal court...

I was really shocked.

His attorneys didn't want him to testify.

They stood up and said that they didn't want him to testify.

He went ahead and testified.

Joe took the stand and that's something that I don't think anyone expected.

He had an answer for everything,

for everything that the prosecution said.

I testified.

I told 'em that right before Thanksgiving,

I call Jeff and I say, "Jeff, Allen won't wear a uniform.

He won't do anything I ask him to do.

He says he doesn't work for me."

We have the text message where Jeff said,

"Okay, well, maybe he'll be better off in South Carolina."

Thanksgiving day...

I had cooked dinner for 150 people,

and they donated enough,

I could put together $3,000 to give Allen,

so he could get the hell outta there.

Here, sweetie, I'll help you.

Get your plate up here.

It was out of the cash register on Jeff's orders

to give it to Allen.

Now, Joe can be convincing.

I was nervous that it only takes one holdout

to make it a hung jury.

To me, it appears he was set up each step of the way.

He's not smart enough to go through with what he did.

Who hires a $3,000 hit man?

He's also stupid.

A cross-country, traveling, high-end hit man...

cannot cost three grand.

I don't think it could cost thirty grand.

I think it's probably a hundred grand to find that guy,

and you certainly don't find him from a new friend.

Jeff Lowe set him up.

That is the truth of the matter.

It's a tragedy.

It's a goddamn tragedy, because Joe was set up.

What is setting up a person? Turning them in?

Or allowing them to talk while you're recording them?

Is that setting them up?

You know, they call it set up,

I'd call it investigate.

And did I encourage him from time to time?

Probably, because I wanted that sound bite

to give to the authorities to convict him

and get him out of this business.

This call is subject to being recorded or monitored,

except for privileged calls between attorney and client.

How are you feeling tonight, Joe?

I think testifying went very well.

I feel good about my jury.

I think I'm going home.

If I win and get out,

I've got to completely start my life all over again.

And I'm looking forward to starting all over again,

because I don't have to look over my shoulder,

I don't have all this drama hanging over me anymore.

My life can start over fresh.

It was part of the government's evidence

that we showed the jury a variety

of the social media postings that Mr. Passage had made

that referenced Miss Baskin in a violent way:

having her killed or wishing her dead.

We hear it's Carole's birthday next month.

Mr. Passage built his own kingdom.

He was the Tiger King.

But here's the problem with kings.

They get used to making all the rules.

Carole, you can guaran-goddamn-tee I'm gonna put a cap in your ass.

Mr. Passage believed that his kingdom was under attack.

So Mr. Passage attacked back.

He talked to everyone around him about his hate for Miss Baskin.

Before I'm done with this, I'm gonna have the bitch's head in a jar.

But we aren't here today because of what Mr. Passage said online.

We are here today because of what he said when he thought no one was listening.

And he decided that, as the king, he would protect the kingdom at all costs.

He was going to simply assassinate his rival.

And it's your job now to make sure that no one,

not even the Tiger King,

is allowed to be above the laws of the United States.

You know, I had some different change of hearts.

Do I want to see this guy put away and others free

that have done just as bad things?

I'm like, uh... no.

It's gonna be kind of hard to sleep with, if he gets life in prison or something.

It's gonna be... You know, hey,

I'm not the only one that was there to testify,

you know, there's a lot of other people, but, yeah, I'll feel somewhat responsible.

I was actually approached early on about testifying,

and then I never heard from anybody.

I ran that zoo for 14 years.

Why would they not want to talk to me?

I don't know which way this is going to go.

It's in the fate of 12 strangers though,

I do know that.

From News 9, this is breaking news.

News 9's Sylvia Corkill in place outside the federal courthouse.

She was in the courtroom as the verdict against Joe Exotic was read.

Let's go to Sylvia right now for the very latest. Sylvia.

Kelly, last week we told you

that it could take some time in order for the jury to come back

with its verdict, seeing that there were 19 counts.

However, after just three short hours, nearly four hours,

the jury came back, finding Joseph Maldonado-Passage

guilty on all 19 counts.

Two of those largest ones, for the alleged use of interstate commerce

for murder-for-hire...

Guilty.

Did Joe do wrong? Yeah, I'm sure he did wrong.

Yeah, he did sell cubs.

He did transport cubs.

The murder-for-hire, I don't think

it woulda went this far without somebody pushing.

A lot of people questioned, is Jeff Lowe...

- Should he face charges as well? - He's a director of a zoo.

I mean, it's the same zoo that Joe had, so...

They all got what they wanted.

The Tiger King in jail, in a cage.

It's pretty ironic.

It's sad.

The man's going to die in jail.

I just need out of here so bad.

It is... It is...

I'm telling you, man. It's worse than what you can ever treat an animal.

I'm being treated like that in here.

I can't do much more of this.

I generally keep these little bottles of champagne

for when good things happen.

That definitely was a champagne and Brie evening.

♪ If ever I would leave you ♪

♪ It couldn't be in springtime ♪

♪ Seeing you in springtime ♪

♪ I never could go ♪

You are something else.

All he had to do was convince one juror.

I told Howie it's gonna be 15 minutes.

I was thrilled...

and relieved with the outcome.

The man known to many Oklahomans as Joe Exotic

will be going to federal prison.

Soon these 300-plus animals will have a new place to call home.

We are planning to shut the zoo down in a few months.

It will be better to have a fresh start.

We take Lauren in next Tuesday

to be induced to give birth to

Sarah Evelyn Lowe...

...and then we get Lauren back in the gym.

- Are you ready? - Ready for that nanny. Quit it.

Yes, we're getting a nanny. I need help.

I said you can get a nanny as long as I get to pick her.

If you're gonna bring in one, why bring in one

that's not enjoyable to look at?

I mean, you're going to have to have this person living in your home.

Well, some of these are bilingual or multilingual,

and that'd be great, for them to teach a baby that too.

So that'd be really good.

With Jeff Lowe, the suspicion is

he could still face charges down the road.

Rumor has it it will be for something much larger.

For the last two years,

everybody's accused me of all these crimes,

and I got the evidence,

but it's never materialized.

You know, I'm not an angel, but god...

put up your proof, you know, stop talking about it.

I think Lowe will get arrested soon.

I mean, he said a lot of things...

and all that stuff incriminates him.

You know, and I don't think Joe will be in a cell alone.

I think other people are going too.

I mean, they don't know what I'm gonna do.

I don't think I'm finished in this.

All right.

Turn that shit off for a minute.

It's so crooked, the way they do it.

James Garretson is right involved in this damn deal with Joe,

and they ain't doing nothing to him.

I called. I called and I asked the feds.

"What's going to happen to these people that's done all this stuff?"

They said it is far from over.

In 20 years, I have bit my tongue, and I have kept my mouth shut...

to the point that I am just not gonna do it anymore.

I've got a list of 37 names. I can shut 'em all down.

I have the proof of everything.

So, I wanna give my evidence to PETA.

A lot of documents, like legal documents and permits...

hard drives are all over here.

- What kind of permits? - Transfer papers for animals.

Did I ever dream that PETA would be my ally right now?

Fuck no, but I'm done with the animal world,

so let's just shut all the troublemakers down.

Joe was public enemy number one for my department.

But we went to the jail where he's held in Oklahoma

and we met with Joe and his attorneys for two days.

He was able to share information with us

about wildlife trafficking in the United States,

the abuse of animals that's going on behind the scenes

by a lot of the players.

So here's one to Doc Antle.

- Two male tigers... - Stop.

Oh, that's bad?

Why do you think PETA or the animal rights groups

hasn't really targeted you?

I'm not fucking around.

I can't be targeted.

How do you target me?

Joe told me that

Doc Antle puts tiger cubs who have aged out of playtime events

in a gas chamber...

to kill them...

and then that he cremates their bodies in his on-site crematorium.

He said, "That feels good."

Brittany was quite shocked

because, fuck, I gave her information on everybody.

She says, "We'll get something done. Are you willing to testify against them?"

I said, "I'll testify against all 30 of them."

I think that Joe's motivation in this case is revenge.

He really wants to see a lot of the other people

in the big cat trade go down with him.

Right now is the time that everybody needs

to tighten the noose around Jeff Lowe.

Jeff and Tim are at war.

It seems like everybody starts out well with me and then it ends bad.

...like I told you when I left there, Jeff.

You're stirring up shit...

I've had so many calls.

He'll scream, I hang up. He'll scream, I hang up.

Fuck you, you little pussboy!

I'm done.

I didn't go 900 miles to build the damn zoo by my-damn-self

so he could take the glory.

Having Tim as a partner

sounded like a good idea at the time.

So did helping Joe.

I was paying for it all.

I was paying to have all the stuff shipped out there.

It was supposed to be a 50/50 business.

Tim finally figured out that Jeff Lowe doesn't have no money,

and he's footing the bill.

And he can't take it anymore.

Keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer.

So, hey, Jeff.

Here I come, motherfucker.

Now you got Tim talking to Joe, Joe talking to PETA,

and all these people hated one another six months ago.

Once we start trying to shut a person down

and end their abuse of animals, we don't stop.

When you're conducting a war,

you don't bemoan the fact

that you're winning battle after battle after battle,

knowing that you will win if you keep going.

And we're going to be patient and persistent, and we will win,

and whether it's five years or ten years,

we will make it happen.

Nobody wins.

Everyone involved is a so-called animal advocate.

Not a single animal benefited from this war.

Not a single one.

A lot of drama in the zoo world, and, you know, I've changed my life.

I'm doing different things now.

I'm 52 years old.

I'm done with this "he said, she said" stuff.

If I need to stop, take a breather, you just let me know.

The zoo took a big chunk out of my life.

It just played its toll on my marriage.

I didn't want to be unhappy anymore,

so I just... I left my wife.

After 30 years.

So I live on my own now.

Who is Joe Exotic?

A nobody now.

Nobody?

He will be after we're done with this tattoo, huh?

- Yeah. - Be just a memory.

No, won't even be a memory.

I miss the babies a lot.

I really, really do. I miss Bonedigger and Cletus.

And, you know, they told me unless I just had

shitloads of money to dump in Jeff's lap,

I'd never get my animals back.

So I just had to walk away from them.

Yeah, that's a tender spot now.

Everyone has lost in this.

What started out as this feud between two people,

a good and noble fight to stop cub selling, cub petting,

turned into a personal and legal court battle,

and it just became about them.

Think of that. It has to be millions of dollars. It has to be.

Think of the hundreds of thousands

they spent investigating Joe.

Think of what millions of followers, donors and whatnot...

think of how far that could go saving these tigers

in their natural habitats.

We've completely lost sight

and lost touch of what really matters here.

And that's the conservation protection of the species of this planet.

There's a new home for exotic animals that's opening up.

It's a refuge for unusual creatures...

The G.W. Exotic Park has over 70 big cats in their park.

These are very dangerous animals,

very beautiful animals, that have a place in the world,

and that's in Africa and Asia and India, not in Oklahoma.

I truly believe

that Joe started the zoo for good purposes, good reasons.

The state needs to pass laws that this breeding has got to stop.

But, as the money rose,

I think his care for the animals declined...

God damn.

...to the point that he didn't really care for the animals at all.

At all.

And what was really sad is I had to...

film a reality show

to make it look like he did.

I ain't lived with that till this moment.

Sweet money right here, buddy.

Five thousand right here.

God, they're tiny, aren't they?

Are the animals happy?

Who the hell knows?

I finally moved my two chimpanzees last week.

Probably one of the hardest days of my life.

They sat in cages next to each other

for over ten years.

And we moved them to the Great Apes Center in Florida.

And in two days, they were out in a big yard

hugging on each other.

Did I deprive them of that for ten years?

Yep.

I... I deprived them of... of...

being chimpanzees.

Did I do it on purpose?

No, I was wrapped up in... in...

having a zoo.

♪ Tell all the hunters ♪

♪ To lay down their guns ♪

♪ Tell them that the tiger ♪

♪ Needs a little bit of love ♪

♪ Let 'em run the jungle ♪

♪ Let them roam their land ♪

♪ Then stand back and marvel ♪

♪ What a beautiful cat ♪

♪ 'Cause I saw tiger ♪

♪ Now I understand ♪

♪ I saw tiger ♪

♪ And the tiger saw man ♪

♪ I can give him a home ♪

♪ Safe and warm ♪

♪ But the law wants to ban me ♪

♪ Can you tell me who's wrong ♪

♪ Every time they move ♪

♪ Every time they breathe ♪

♪ I can feel their power ♪

♪ I can feel their heat ♪

♪ 'Cause I saw tiger ♪

♪ Now I understand ♪

♪ I saw tiger ♪

♪ And the tiger saw man ♪