Was The Tiger King Set Up?
“Tiger King” took the Netflix world by storm during the 2020 quarantine. When you exhausted the topic of Corona, the conversation almost certainly turned to the Tiger King. Joe Exotic was a character to say the least and did not lead the most law-abiding life for sure. But, was he really part of a murder for hire conspiracy against Carol Baskin or just another victim of Jeff Lowe?
The commercial stunts by Joe Exotic of shooting a dummy with Carol Baskin’s face on it and consistently talking about taking her down do not sound good. They especially do not sound good when taken out of context, which a seasoned prosecutor will do in front of a jury. As a viewer of the show however, we see the background and how Joe was a man of spectacle. Did he truly want Carol dead? Maybe. But did he want to be the one that takes her life? No. He was smart enough to understand that she was the fuel in making him famous.
To prosecute a conspiracy case, the government needs to prove that you took affirmative steps in furtherance of the crime you intend to be committed. The government said that the affirmative step Joe Exotic took in furtherance of murdering Carol was investigate and map out where the hit was to take place. Looking at where Carol rode her bike and where it would be a good spot to shoot her without being detected is the act that the government said was making this a conspiracy.
Jeff Lowe, Jeff’s right-hand man, and the wire-wearing jet skier were tongue in cheek when questioned about whether Joe Exotic was set up. The hit man said he guesses he got cold feet and that’s why he never went to Florida to carry out the hit. The guy who wore the wire said his hands were tied behind his back by the FBI because he didn’t want to go down for owning a femur. And Jeff Lowe, the con artist with a new zoo in hand, had nothing to do with the crazy conspiracy Joe Exotic concocted with muscle provided by Jeff. These ideas are laughable. The idea that the government can use out of context snippets and weak men as pawns to build a case is not.
Joe Exotic had many enemies, including the government. It was only a matter of time before he was arrested, and the government was definitely waiting for something big. Yet, you can’t help but think conspiracy to commit murder was a stretch. Since day one Joe Exotic said he wanted Carol Baskin dead. Things like that are said, unfortunately, every day. But people don’t always act on things they say. Carol was more alive the more and more Joe wanted her dead. Then all of a sudden, when Jeff Lowe gets into the picture and the government starts blackmailing men without backbones, these threats become a real conspiracy. A court of law is often criticized as not bring out the truth but rather what the government can convince a jury is true.