Joe Exotic's Former Campaign Manager Speaks Out

Joe Exotic's former campaign manager is speaking out about Joe's deceased husband. 

Since his murder-for-hire indictment last week several bizarre stories have surfaced, including one claiming Joe had a hand in his husband's death.

Travis Maldonado's death was pretty much an open and shut case, with police ruling it an accident.

 And while some are casting doubt, Joe's former colleague says there's no doubt it was anything but a tragic accident.

“I can tell you 100 percent that it was a horrific accident,” Joe Maldonado-Passage's former campaign manager Joshua Dial said.

Dial says he knows that because he witnessed Travis Maldonado's death.

“It’s been a life changer, it's taken a big part of me away but I’m trying to work on it and pick up what pieces I can and start over,” Dial said.

He says as hard as it is to believe, Travis killed himself while showing off a new gun.

“It was a Ruger, and he said you know a Ruger won't fire without the clip, at that time he pulled the trigger and it did indeed fire,” Dial said.

Dial says the accident shook Joe to his core.

“I can still remember his screaming, it was awful he was torn, he was ripped apart by that,” Dial said.

Dial said Travis was a good man who was deeply in love with Joe, and Joe with him. He says anything suggesting the contrary just isn't true.

“I don’t agree with speaking ill of the dead and as far as I’m concerned that’s exactly what this is,” Dial said.

Dial said the two were so deeply in love, that even in death---Joe insists Travis is always with him.

“He was insistent that Travis was a bee, he would even kiss the bees, take them on his finger and kiss them,” Dial said.

Joe remarried just two months after Travis’s death.