The trial for former professional wrestling star Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka in the death of his mistress more than three decades ago has been postponed after his defense attorney said Snuka is not competent for the proceedings.
Robert Kirwan II filed a motion in Pennsylvania's Lehigh County Court for competency hearing for the 72-year-old resident of Camden County, New Jersey, who was scheduled to go on trial in March.
Snuka has been charged with third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in the 1983 death of 23-year-old Nancy Argentino, of New York.
The wrestler called 911 after finding Argentino gasping for air and oozing yellow liquid from her mouth and nose in their hotel room on May 10, 1983.
She died the next day, and an autopsy turned up injuries consistent with a pattern of domestic abuse.
Snuka has pleaded not guilty and his lawyer has called Argentino's death an 'unfortunate accident'.
Kirwan told Judge Kelly Banach on Friday that the former WWE wrestler's mental health has declined steadily in recent months and he no longer understands the charges or even knows that he was arrested.
'He had no idea what charges he faced,' Kirwan said, and added, referring to Argentino's death, that 'He has no recollection of the incident.'
Chief Deputy District Attorney Charles Gallagher called for an independent evaluation of Snuka's fitness for trial, but Banach said she wanted to research the law to see whether that was required.
Gallagher said he will challenge the defense motion for a competency hearing, noting that the defendant's mental health was considered during the grand jury process.
He also suggested that Snuka 'has had a career in entertainment', only to be told by the judge that 'He's also had a career in head trauma theater'.
TMZ reported in November that during a court appearance Snuka also said he cannot read or write English and is suffering from dementia.
Snuka added that because of the dementia he did not know where he was or the day of the week.
Snuka, who had been at a World Wrestling Federation taping at the Allentown Fairgrounds, told police shortly after Argentino's death that he had returned to the couple's Whitehall Township hotel room to find her unresponsive in bed.
An autopsy determined she died of traumatic brain injuries and had more than two dozen cuts and bruises, and said her injuries were consistent with being hit with a stationary object.
Snuka was the only person of interest in the case, but he was never deemed an actual suspect or charged with any crime connected to Argentino's death until October.
The former professional wrestler wrote about Argentino's death in his 2012 autobiography, maintaining his innocence and saying the episode had ruined his life, even writing: 'I never hit Nancy or threatened her'.
Three months before Argentino was found dead, she called her family in a panic saying she had to get away from him, her family claim.
Her sister Lorraine Salome vividly recalled the 2am phone call in which the frantic young woman confided in her that her drunk and intoxicated boyfriend dragged her naked by the hair through the hallways of a Howard Johnson hotel in Salina, New York.
A short time later, Salome got another call, this one coming from the manager of the hotel, telling her that 'a guy was running after her [Nancy].'
Snuka was known for diving from the ropes and even the top of steel cages in a career that spanned four decades. He was admitted into the World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame in 1996, according to the organization's website.
He has had various, small-time stints with the WWE since his semi-retirement from professional wrestling in 1996.
In October, Snuka's wife announced that he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer.