Just when it seemed the Tiger King craze was settling down, the Netflix docu-series' main subjects just keep making headlines in the show's wake. Joe Exotic's famed tiger zoo was awarded to Carole Baskin, and while the establishment's current operator Jeff Lowe has promised to make that experience miserable for her, she may have far bigger issues on the way. A sheriff involved in the case of Baskin's ex-husband has shared intriguing details about his death and disappearance, confirming there's more shadiness involved than viewers may have known.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister has confirmed new information about the death of Don Lewis, as well as some of the suspicious activity that led investigators to believe Carole Baskin had a hand in his initial disappearance. Chronister talked specifically about observations made concerning Lewis' will, which transferred his fortune solely to Carole Baskin after his death. Here's how he put it to Tampa Bay's WTSP.
They called in some experts to say that the will was a forgery, and I had already told them that two months ago. . . . They had two experts deem it 100 percent a forgery. But we knew that before.
Though there were big suspicions previously that the signature on the will had been forged, based on the claims made by a woman who said she was forced to lie about being a witness for the will's signing, but having it now be proven true by two different experts is hopefully a step in the right direction. But the reason why authorities hadn't been able to move forward with a case there is because the statute of limitations had already expired. In Chad Chronister's words:
The will had already been executed at that point, but, it certainly cast another shadow of suspicion, by all means.
That suspicion has been enough to keep authorities interested, and having that confirmation could help to take things to the next step. As reported, the will of Don Lewis awarded his $10 million estate to Carole Baskin. The rest of his family was cut out of the fortune entirely, which is made all the more relevant now that experts have justified the police's suspicions that the will's signature was forged. That's enough to make even the most casual Tiger King viewer raise an eyebrow, much less all the conspiracy theorists who peg Baskin as the guilty party.
Chad Chronister has gone on the record and said he believes Carole Baskin played a role in Don Lewis' death, which may be why the department is still talking about the case years after its conclusion. As for the latest, Chronister revealed there's some new news in regards to the case that could become bigger news down the road, even if he couldn't share details. In his words:
Investigators have some great leads. They're working through them. I hope something pans out.
Each passing day is only giving Netflix more content for Tiger King Season 2, but that's not a thing yet. While the streamer has added an after-show special with Joel McHale, it seems like anyone waiting for more Tiger King episodes will have to continue waiting until someone pulls the trigger. Personally, I'd say there's already more content than what Netflix had for Season 2 of Making A Murderer, so here's hoping the streaming service picks things up with Baskin and the zoo and see what happens next.
For anyone who still hasn't seen Tiger King yet, all episodes are up and currently available to stream on Netflix. Continue to stick with CinemaBlend for the latest news and updates on popular docuseries, and for a look at what's happening in television and movies the rest of 2020 and beyond.
