According to the Associated Press, Joe Exotic’s new allocated prison term is technically less of a reduction and more of a resentencing. As the outlet explained, the court hearing was the result of a ruling made by a federal appeals court last year, which concluded that Exotic’s sentence should be shortened due to an earlier error. Per The Hill, the adjudication surmised the 22-year mark was slightly over the acceptable range in congruence with the nature of his conviction.
Before his new sentence was read aloud in court, Carole Baskin — the woman who had been the target of his murder-for-hire plot — appeared in court for a victim’s impact statement, one which urged the judge to take her safety and life into account. She relayed to the judge that despite Exotic’s imprisonment, she had received “vile, abusive and threatening communications” from Exotic, which have done little to convince her Exotic would not pose a danger to her if freed, per AP.
Ultimately, it looks like Baskin won’t have to worry about a substantially earlier release for Exotic, with the judge resentencing him to 21 years — only one year less than his original sentence. Despite this, Exotic’s defense team promised they are “going to continue our post-conviction litigation” in order to fight for his release, as AP noted.
