WILMINGTON—After closing last month, the Cape Fear Serpentarium may be reopening soon – although the parties involved are dealing with an exceptionally complicated case.
The Serpentarium closed for the first time on May 13, 2017, when owner Larry Dean Ripa was shot and killed by his wife Regina. The facility reopened shortly afterward, with assistance from the Fort Fisher Aquarium, and was run by new director William Beard.
While Beard was running the Serpentarium, the Superior Court of New Hanover County began handling Ripa’s estate case. Regina Ripa, meanwhile, remains in custody at New Hanover County jail awaiting trial on murder charges.
Then, on March 22, the Serpentarium closed again. The reasons are complicated.
Exotic, expensive and dangerous
According to attorney Deb Butler, who represents Beard in the estate proceedings, the initial re-closure of the Serpentarium stemmed from state wildlife officials.
When Ripa died, his sister – Terri L. Hunnicutt – was recognized by the court as the executor of his estate; Hunnicutt also formed an LLC to manage the Serpentarium. However, neither Hunnicutt or the LLC have the necessary state permits to own the endangered reptiles–including dangerous snakes–that are kept at the Serpentarium.
Court documents show that, “in lieu of destroying the reptiles,” the North Carolina Wildlife Commission transferred them to Beard, who possesses the necessary endangered species permits to care for them. It appears the state had few options, as many of the snakes cannot be sold because they are endangered or native species.
“Mr. Beard trained for many years with Mr. Ripa, and he’s the only person we’re aware of who is competent – and licensed – to handle these snakes. We’re talking about hundreds of exotic animals, many of which are very dangerous to handle, and illegal to sell,” Butler said.
This leaves the snakes–and the Serpentarium–in limbo. Beard can care for the snakes, but the Serpentarium can’t legally operate with the snakes present. That’s why, on March 22, the Serpentarium was forced to close.
Beard wants to lease the building at 20 Orange St. and take over the operation of the Serpentarium, as documented in the estate filings. And, according to Butler, Ripa’s family was happy with Beard running the Serpentarium,
However, the court cannot allow Hunnicutt to simply sell or lease the property to Beard.
Estate proceedings
Because a post-nuptial arrangement between Ripa and his wife–signed in 2009–kept their property separate, Regina Ripa would not inherit the Serpentarium, even if she was cleared of all charges in the murder of her husband. That makes Lawrence Arkin Ripa, the couple’s 4-year-old son, the sole inheritor of his father’s property with Hunnicutt, his aunt, as executor until he is 18.
“So, yes, that makes (Lawrence) Arkin the heir,” Butler said. “Right now a 4-year-old owns the Serpentarium.”
Because Lawrence Arkin – referred to as “Arkin” in court documents – is a minor, the court has assigned a guardian ad litem, Lawrence Craige. That means Craige is part of negotiating what becomes of the Serpentarium to ensure it benefits Arkin.
Those negotiations currently include working on a lease for Beard.
“We’ve worked with Craige and the family to come up with a lease (for Beard), hopefully with an eye on eventually owning the property,” Butler said.
Up for auction
Hunnicutt petitioned the court to sell some of Ripa’s property to help cover expenses, including the care of Arkin. In July of 2017, the court approved the auction sale of the warehouse next to the Serpentarium that currently houses the Museum of the Bizarre.
Likewise, the Serpentarium and the private residence upstairs would be put up for auction. The tax value of the property is $727,000 but, according to court documents, it was recently appraised at a higher value, $985,000.
Although the property is valuable, Butler said it seemed unlikely anyone but Beard would bid on it.
“That building was custom built to hold those animals,” Butler said. “It would take an extraordinary amount of money to up-fit that building for any other use. You’d have to really, really want that property.”
Because of the property’s unique nature–and exotic residents–Butler said she was confident Beard would be able to come to an agreement with Craige over the use of the property.
“We are very optimistic that we will be able to work through all the issues are reopen in a few weeks,” Butler said. “So, all those tourists – and locals – that want to visit, there’s no reason they shouldn’t be able to.”
Send comments and tips to Benjamin Schachtman at ben@localvoicemedia.com, @pcdben on Twitter, and (910) 538-2001.
