Carole Baskin First Husband Don Lewis
That title belongs to a man named michael murdock.
Carole baskin first husband don lewis. Carole baskin and don lewis got married in 1991 and they opened big cat rescue in 1992. According to intelligencer mike was carole s boss at a discount department store when she was 17. She ran out of their home barefoot and met her next husband don lewis on nebraska avenue in tampa. She and lewis engaged in an affair while both were still married.
Carole baskin and big cat rescue became household names following the 2020 release of the netflixdocuseries tiger king which documents the feud between joe joe exotic schreibvogel and carole. Carole baskinwas first married to a man named mike murdock when she was 17. Don lewis went missing in 1997 and was declared legally dead five years later. Don lewis wasn t carole baskin s first husband.
The cold case of carole baskin s first husband don lewis was magnified on the tiger king docuseries and while the big cat enthusiast continues to maintain her innocence in his alleged. When 19 year old carole stairs was escaping from her abusive husband one night in 1981 she met 42 year old don lewis. Even though her missing husband s fam thinks she might have something to do with his disappearance. It starts on an unusually chilly night in.
In january 1981 lewis met carole murdock née stairs jones on nebraska avenue in tampa on a night when she fled her house after being attacked. According to baskin in 1981 when she was 19 she threw a potato at murdock as he attempted to attack her. By 1981 he was a self made millionaire through his real estate and used car businesses. Lewis was married to his first wife gladys lewis cross and had three daughters and an adopted son.
Don lewis was a native of dade city florida. The story of carole baskin s life with don lewis like so many florida stories begins like a pulp fiction novel any reputable publisher would reject. Don was a self made millionaire and while there was a 22 year age difference between the two things. New witness in disappearance of carole baskin s first husband don lewis speaks out.