Joe's wild life running a private zoo became fodder for the Netflix documentary Tiger King and made him an international sensation.

Much of the documentary focused on Joe's hatred of Big Cat Animal Rescue's Carole Baskin, an animal rights activist who had tried to get Joe's zoo closed.

He paid Allen, 51, the money to travel to Tampa, Florida where Carole lived to assassinate her.
But Allen had no intention of following through with that plan because he "hated" Joe.

He told the Daily Mail: "I never had any intention of harming Carole, let alone kill her.
"I was working for Joe at the time and I just couldn't stand being around Joe anymore and I wanted to get out of there and go back to South Carolina. But I didn't have any money to leave, I was only making $150 a week."
Allen added: "My only plan the entire time was to drain every dime I could get from Joe, I hated that guy.
"Joe's plan would have never worked, even if he had hired a legitimate ''hitman'".

Joe was eventually convicted and sentenced to 22 years in jail for his plot to kill Carole and for several animal violations.

Allen testified against Joe at his trial and is convinced the former zoo owner will spend his life behind bars, saying "he deserves every year he got, he screwed so many people over".

He said:"He's not going to ever set foot alive outside of prison again, he won't do his full sentence, I give him five years at most before he's dead.'

"He knows he's never getting out and that sets the course for depression, I wouldn't be surprised if he even makes it out of medical where he is currently being housed.

"I should know the mindset it takes to survive, I've spent a long time in prison, and Joe doesn't have what it takes."

Allen revealed Joe had changed his mind multiple times about how he wanted Carole killed.

First he told Allen to shoot her, then kill her with a bow and arrow, finally telling him to decapitate Carole and "feed her out to the swamps".

Allen did travel all the way to Tampa but rather than murdering Carole "partied, bought drugs, alcohol and women with the money" Joe had paid him.

He had thought about telling Carole about Joe's hit on her because he was so close to her house but then changed his mind.

He said: "I would be in jail too, I didn't want to get involved".

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