ALLENTOWN -- Former pro wrestler Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka is now facing charges in Lehigh County for the death of his girlfriend in 1983.
Many people remember Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka from his pro wrestling days with the World Wrestling Federation in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Lehigh County's district attorney says a grand jury found enough evidence to charge a former pro wrestler with third-degree murder.
"The weight of the evidence clearly indicates that James Snuka repeatedly assaulted Nancy Argentino on May 10, 1983, and then allowed her to lie in their bed at the George Washington Motor Lodge," said Lehigh County District Attorney James Martin.
Argentino's sisters reached out to investigators in 2013 and they decided to reopen the case.
Prosecutors say new evidence and new witnesses were key factors in that decision.
Investigators say Snuka and Argentino were staying at the George Washington Motor Lodge in Whitehall in May of 1983.
"Mr. Snuka gave various accounts of the events that led up to Ms. Argenito's death, gave various locations of where she struck her head, and indicated at points they were fooling around," said Martin.
Snuka's girlfriend died at what is now Lehigh Valley Hospital. An autopsy found she suffered dozens of blows, including several to her head.
Inside the 37-page presentment are all of the reasons the grand jury believes Snuka needed to face third-degree murder charges. Some of those reasons came straight from his autobiography.
Snuka wrote in his book, "that day she fell on the concrete, we didn't do drugs together, we just drank. We just drank together and were having a good time."
Grand jury paperwork also shows that Snuka was charged with assaulting Argentino in January of that same year.
Prosecutors believe in no way did Snuka's pro wrestling fame keep him from facing these charges for so long.
"No, I don't think that at all, because it's not a factor. It wasn't a factor in determining if we would reopen this investigation," said Martin.
Snuka is also charged with involuntary manslaughter in addition to the third-degree murder charge.
He was arraigned and released after posting bail.
His preliminary hearing in Lehigh County has yet to be scheduled.
