The former private zoo operator Joe Exotic, known from the Netflix hit documentary "Tiger King", will not be released from prison.
A court in the US state of Oklahoma on Friday sentenced the 58-year-old, whose real name is Joe Maldonado-Passage, to more than 20 years in prison for the attempted murder of his nemesis Carole Baskin.
The documentary series, which started in March 2020 at the beginning of the corona pandemic, revolved around Exotic - an eccentric private zoo operator with a mullet hairstyle, mustache and a penchant for colorful shirts - and his years-long dispute with animal rights activist Baskin, who accused him of animal cruelty and the wanted to force the closure of his zoo.
Exotic was arrested in 2018 and sentenced to 22 years in prison in January 2020 for using two assassins to target Baskin.
However, one of the two was an undercover agent for the US federal police FBI.
Exotic appealed his conviction and won due to a procedural error.
The court ordered a review of the sentence.
At the Oklahoma City hearing, the "Tiger King" star asked for a second chance, local media reported on Friday.
"Please don't let me die in prison," pleaded Exotic, who has prostate cancer.
Baskin, on the other hand, asked the judge not to release her rival from prison because she still fears for her life.
The judge eventually imposed a sentence of 21 years in prison, according to court documents.