Joe Exotic is moved from solitary confinement after four months

Tiger King Joe Exotic is finally released from solitary confinement and moved into a medical facility in prison after spending four months in isolation amid coronavirus fears

  • Joe Exotic was placed in solitary confinement amid coronavirus fears in April
  • The Tiger King’s reps revealed he has been moved to a medical unit in prison 
  • Statement posted on Instagram included a plea to have Trump pardon Joe  
  • Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19

Tiger King Joe Exotic has finally been released from solitary confinement and moved into a medical unit in prison after he was placed in isolation amid coronavirus fears.  

The Netflix star’s reps announced the news on Instagram on Tuesday saying he is now in a room ‘with a hospital bed and a window’ following a months-long campaign to have him removed.

‘Two thousand of you were kind enough to take time out of your busy lives, in spite of all that is going on in the world around us today, to write and ask that he be released,’ a statement posted on social media said. 

‘For the first time in two years he is able to simply look out of a window into the world beyond while being lifted out of hopelessness and desperation by the kindness shown from all of you.’

Joe Exotic rose to fame in Netflix’s hit docuseries about the eccentric Oklahoma zoo owner and his hare-brained scheme to hire a hitman to kill his arch nemesis Carole Baskin

The Netflix star's reps announced the news on Instagram on Tuesday saying he is now in a room 'with a hospital bed and a window' following a months-long campaign to have him removed

The Netflix star’s reps announced the news on Instagram on Tuesday saying he is now in a room ‘with a hospital bed and a window’ following a months-long campaign to have him removed

Joe, who is currently serving a 22-year sentence, was being held in isolation at Grady County Jail in Chickasha, Oklahoma following a COVID-19 outbreak at his previous prison in April.  

The former zoo owner, real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage, was quoted in the media release saying ‘I am in a real hospital bed with a window.’

Tiger King star Joe Exotic detailed his torment of spending ¿two years¿ in solitary confinement to his 29-year-old pen pal, a letter obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com reveals

Tiger King star Joe Exotic detailed his torment of spending ‘two years’ in solitary confinement to his 29-year-old pen pal, a letter obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com reveals

The post also included an advertisement asking Trump to pardon the Joe, who was jailed on a 17 counts of animal abuse and two counts of murder-for-hire after concocting a plan to kill rival and nemesis Carole Baskin.

The bizarre story of the zookeeper’s downfall was documented on the hit docu-series that was released on Netflix earlier this year. 

Joe’s release comes just days after husband, Dillon Passage, 22, said he hasn’t been able to see his spouse because he has been held in solitary for four months. 

Passage told Australia’s The Sunday Project: ‘He’s still locked up in solitary confinement. He can’t have face-to-face visits. We only get to chat when he’s talking to his lawyers.

‘[He’s been in solitary confinement] four months, yeah. It’s cruel and unusual punishment to the max for sure.’ 

He added:  ‘I’ve only been able to speak to him maybe six times since the show. It’s pretty ridiculous.’

Earlier this month DailyMailTV obtained a letter penned by Joe that detailed his torment behind bars.

The 57-year-old wrote to pen pal and fan Kathleen Lafferty describing how his soul ‘dies a little each day’ and how his ‘heart will stop like an animal’ while he’s locked up.

He was convicted of the murder-for-hire plot and 17 charges of animal abuse in 2019 and was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison this January. Pictured: Carole Baskin

He was convicted of the murder-for-hire plot and 17 charges of animal abuse in 2019 and was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison this January. Pictured: Carole Baskin

In a second note titled ‘Media Statement’, Joe begs Lafferty to be his voice to the public: ‘No email, 4 calls per month, no commissary like others get, unable to buy shampoo-conditioner or basic health care needs,’ he wrote.

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

Joe’s lawyer, Francisco Hernandez, corroborated the claims the Tiger King star made in his letter to Lafferty.

‘He is in the Special Handling Unit for unexplained reasons,’ explained Hernandez, 55, a Criminal Law Specialist based in Texas.

‘The worst part about it is they’re denying him visits with his lawyers. You have a [constitutional] right to counsel.’

‘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?  

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk