By James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor

Why did it take 32 years for formal charges to be brought against Jimmy Snuka in the death of his 1983 girlfriend, Nancy Argentino?

The Morning Call publication, which has been at the center of covering the cold case in Pennsylvania, dove into the topic in a new report published HERE.

- New York attorney Richard Cushing was hired by the Argentino Family in 1983 to examine evidence surrounding Nancy's death to see if there was foul play involved.

Cushing visited then-District Attorney William Platt to convince him to investigate Nancy's death.

"I was stonewalled at every turn." Cushing claims. "It became clear pretty soon that he had no intention of presenting the evidence that I amassed."

Current District Attorney Jim Martin claimed last week that Platt was not intimidated from pursuing the case; Martin claimed that Platt felt the forensics was not strong-enough to piece together the investigation.

Cushing disagrees. "All the pieces were there. There was enough to take it before a grand jury in 1983. I could not understand why the district attorney could not see it," he said.

Forensic pathologist Isidore Mihalakis provided his own perspective. "The clear-cut forensics weren't there, but the suspicion was there," said Mihalakis, who examined Argentino's body. "I did not have a clear-cut case. It was a very worrisome case. Obviously, there was enough there to arouse my suspicion but not enough to take it to trial... Just because she was beaten doesn't mean she was beaten to death."

- The family eventually obtained a "wrongful death" judgment against Snuka in 1985, but Snuka did not pay, claiming he was broke. The case then went into the archives.

- In 2013, the archives were re-opened. Inside was the original autopsy report that recommended Nancy's death be treated like a homicide. The goal was to conduct an investigation to try to resolve some of the murkiness surrounding Nancy's death, especially Snuka's timeline of events on the day that Nancy died.

- In 2014, D.A. Jim Martin turned over the evidence to a Grand Jury to examine the case. "The grand jury did not look at anything that occurred in 1983 other than the evidence in Nancy Argentino's death," Martin said. "They did not look at or consider why there was a delay and why it took 32 years to file charges. That wasn't their function."

- Snuka's own words in his 2012 autobiography also helped open up the case. Snuka wrote about Nancy's death and a meeting with WWE CEO Vince McMahon and Lehigh County (Pa.) officials after her death.

"All I remember is [McMahon] had a briefcase with him," Snuka wrote. "I don't know what happened. The only thing I know for sure is I didn't hurt Nancy."

There is no record of the meeting, but Robert Steinberg, who was an assistant D.A. at the time, attended the meeting.

"I remember Vince McMahon being what Vince McMahon has always been - very effusive. He was very protective, a showman," Steinberg said. "He was the mouthpiece, trying to direct the conversation."

Snuka was not interviewed again and the case went cold for 30 years until it was re-opened and presented to the Grand Jury. Snuka was brought before the Grand Jury, but according to reports, he did not testify.

Now, Snuka is facing trial after being charged with third degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. The preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 21 in Lehigh County, Pa.

[Torch photo credit Wade Keller (c) PWTorch.com]

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