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[announcer on TV] From Las Vegas, Nevada.
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It's the Buffalo Jim
Buffalo Wrestling Show.
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{\an8}[rock music playing on TV]
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He was Buffalo Jim,
and he was a light of joy and life.
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No matter where you go, "Buffalo Jim!"
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[Jennifer Barrier]
The Las Vegas Review-Journal voted him
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Las Vegas's Most Colorful Character
in 2005.
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He even beat out the current mayor.
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- Peace and love.
- [customer] We can do that.
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- From the heart.
- [customer] Thank you.
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[Buffalo Jim Barrier] From the heart,
my friends.
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{\an8}This weekend, outspoken enemy of the mob
Buffalo Jim Barrier,
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{\an8}was found dead in a local motel room.
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{\an8}There were no obvious signs of foul play,
but, tonight,
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Barrier's friends and relatives
are voicing their strong suspicions.
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My family, we all believe he was murdered.
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[reporter on TV] Despite what he thought
were ongoing threats to his safety,
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Jim Barrier refused to back down.
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[Jerica Barrier] We thought it was,
like, a setup.
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It didn't feel right.
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[Jennifer Barrier]
I know that there's people out there
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that want the truth as bad as I do.
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We deserve justice for our father.
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[mysterious music playing]
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[tense music playing]
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[Lewis A. Roberts]
On April 6th, 2008, at 11:30 a.m.
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at a Motel 6 on Boulder Highway,
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housekeeper knocks on the door to room 105
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to check to see if it's okay
to clean the room.
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{\an8}When she opens the door,
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{\an8}she notices a gentleman asleep on the bed.
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She comes back at 12:30
and notices that he's still asleep.
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At 1:10 p.m., the housekeeper returns
and finds him in the same position.
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Another housekeeper shakes him
to see if he's awake,
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at which time they believe he's dead.
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The violent crimes detectives responded
out to the scene in the early afternoon.
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The body was found lying face up
on the bed with his shirt open,
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with a pillow behind his head,
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and his pants down around his ankles.
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There was a white powdery substance
found on his beard and on his shirt.
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The nature in which the body was found
was a little suspicious
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because there wasn't a clear sign
as to why he was deceased.
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At some point, they identified him
as being James Barrier.
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Went by the name of Buffalo Jim.
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I'm Buffalo Jim,
and it's another Friday night, brother,
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here in Vegas Town!
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[reporter on TV]
Barrier was a true Las Vegas character,
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a pro-wrestler, auto mechanic,
political candidate...
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Here you go, sir. Buffalo Jim Barrier.
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{\an8}[reporter on TV] Barrier built a gigantic,
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{\an8}animated,
smoke-belching papier-mâché buffalo.
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{\an8}I thought the people of Las Vegas
would like it, brother.
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[Jennifer] My father,
Buffalo Jim Barrier, loved Las Vegas.
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The bright lights
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{\an8}and the excitement,
the shows, the restaurants.
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[Jerica] And he was someone
who was larger than life.
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{\an8}He was someone who just lit up a room
when he walked in.
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Just a character.
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His dad was a Cherokee Indian.
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{\an8}[Jerica] He would
educate us on our background
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{\an8}and always would remind us, you know,
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that remember your ancestors
and remember your bloodline lineage.
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It's important.
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His childhood wasn't very easy.
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[wistful music playing]
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[Jerica] He began working
at a gas station at the age of 15
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with his older brother doing oil changes.
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He slept on the gas station floors,
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you know, and his older brother
was teaching him the ropes.
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[Jennifer] He started off
doing mechanics out of his van.
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And eventually made his way up
to the level he was at
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with owning his own auto repair shop
that he started in the late '70s.
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[phone ringing]
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Auto & Marine, can I help you?
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He fixed a lot of incredible cars.
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I know that he fixed a car once
for Wayne Newton and Robert Goulet.
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I know there are celebrities
even in other states
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that would bring their cars
to his shop as well.
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He was a very caring
and hardworking person.
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He always made sure
to provide for our family.
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There were four of us growing up.
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I have an older sister named Jessica.
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Then I have a sister named Elise.
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And then our baby sister Jerica.
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My mother was in love with my father.
She still loves him.
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But in the year 2000,
my mother left my father,
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and we moved to Seattle, Washington,
because my mom has a sister up there.
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But, eventually,
Jerica went to live with my father,
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and he treated Jerica like a queen.
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They went everywhere together.
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They were just inseparable.
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Every day was an exciting day.
Something new.
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[all exclaiming]
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He was so much fun.
He would always bring the excitement.
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[all laughing]
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[all] Yay!
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And he always loved wrestling.
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[commentator] Fireman's carry!
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Oh, man!
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New Heavyweight Champion of the World,
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Johny "Psycho" Paine!
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[Johny] Buffalo wanted to run
his own school and wrestling company.
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I'm here tonight at the Buffalo Jim's
Pro Wrestling School, brother.
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{\an8}So he called it
Buffalo Wrestling Federation.
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[commentator 1] Whoa!
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{\an8}[commentator 2]
There goes out the Tall, the Twin!
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{\an8}His style was badass!
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A ring on every finger.
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It's Friday night!
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He would wear this bulletproof vest
that was literally made with bullets.
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It's Buffalo Jim!
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[Johny] Everybody
wanted to be up around Buffalo.
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We're going to the top, Buffalo!
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[Johny] Buffalo, he was just
cool to be with, and we clicked.
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Became very good friends
right off the bat.
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[commentator] He's got him up! Body slam!
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[Steve Miller] His television show
was on late-night cable TV.
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{\an8}And he had a tremendous following.
It was so camp.
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It's another Friday night.
Buffalo Jim's Wrestling Show!
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I'm here with Little Buffalo!
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I decided that I'd participate
in his wrestling show for an episode.
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[Buffalo Jim] Get him, Buff!
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The name Little Buff came about
because I was like his sidekick.
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[Buffalo Jim] I like it! I like it!
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[Jerica] It was fun.
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I mean, he knew how to put on a show.
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You never know what's gonna happen.
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[Jerica] It was for about six years.
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It was just him and I.
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So we're standing in front of
my family's home.
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Um, this is the home that we lived at.
This was my father's dream home.
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He loved it up here.
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He looked up at the mountain, and to him,
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he saw an Indian chief in the mountain,
and he was like,
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"This is going to be my mountain."
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[voice breaking] And being back here now,
it just doesn't feel the same.
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It's not the same without him.
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[somber music playing]
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[Jerica] That night, my father mentioned
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that he was going to go meet
with a friend for dinner.
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He said, "I'll be home by 12:00."
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[suspenseful music playing]
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[Jerica] Around 9:30 p.m., I texted him,
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but he didn't reply.
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I gave him another call
later in the evening,
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and he didn't answer.
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I tried calling my father
in the morning again,
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and he didn't answer.
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And that really was alarming for me.
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Like, "Dad's not answering his phone."
Like, "What's going on?"
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[phone ringing]
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[Jerica] So around, like, 2:00 p.m.,
I was with my sister Elise,
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and I get a phone call
from a police officer
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saying that she's calling about my father.
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And she said,
"I need to speak to an adult."
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I was only 15.
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Elise was 20 years old at the time.
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So then I frantically
went to go get Elise.
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Um, I turned the volume of my phone up
so I can hear the conversation,
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and Elise took the call, and I heard
the police officer on the phone say,
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"Your father is dead."
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"And we need you to come to Motel 6
on Boulder Highway
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to come and identify the body."
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During the whole
car ride there to the Motel 6...
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we were just crying uncontrollably,
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and Elise was driving,
like, 100 on the highway.
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And we were trying to make it there
as fast as we possibly can.
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When we pulled up
to the front of the motel,
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we both were approached
by a police officer from Metro
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and invited into the motel room
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to identify my father's body.
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This is the room
that my father was found dead in.
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He was right here on the stretcher
when we walked in the room.
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He was in a body bag
and the bag was unzipped.
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[Jerica] That moment...
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is so painful to...
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to remember and think about.
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[Jerica] They found him
lying on the bed here.
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[Jerica] We were in a state of disbelief
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that our father was lying dead
in front of us at a motel.
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[breathes deeply]
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[sniffling] It's, um...
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It's really difficult to...
It's really difficult to see this room.
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It was the last place I saw him
before the funeral,
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and I gave him a hug.
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The last time I touched him
was in this room.
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And he was so cold.
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And I just remember
that the police actually had to...
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to tell me to let go
'cause they needed to take his body away.
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I didn't wanna let him go.
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[somber music playing]
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The police didn't give us any information
and details of how he was found
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or what happened to my father.
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[Jerica] The police
handed my sister Elise and I an envelope
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with his car keys, his wallet,
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his cell phone,
and the receipt to the motel.
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I immediately took out the phone
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and thought that I should look
through the call log
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to see who the last person was
that he had spoken to.
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[intriguing music playing]
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[Jerica] There was a message.
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So I went ahead
and I listened to his voicemails
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to find out who had left that message.
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This person may be the last person,
you know, that he spoke to.
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In her message, she had said,
"Hey, Buffalo, this is Lisa."
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"Is everything okay?"
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And she had said it
with a tone of concern.
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00:13:41,029 --> 00:13:45,534
And so I called the number,
and the woman picked up, and I said,
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00:13:45,534 --> 00:13:47,035
"Are you Lisa?"
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00:13:47,786 --> 00:13:49,162
And she didn't reply.
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00:13:49,705 --> 00:13:51,790
I said, "Do you know Buffalo Jim?"
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And she goes, "I don't know Buffalo Jim,"
and she hung up.
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00:13:57,754 --> 00:13:59,840
The woman that spoke on the voicemail
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was the same woman
that answered my phone call.
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00:14:03,260 --> 00:14:07,806
Why would she leave a voicemail
voicing concern for my father?
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00:14:07,890 --> 00:14:11,476
I was telling Elise, like,
"No, she knows something!"
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00:14:11,560 --> 00:14:15,105
"She knows something. She's lying.
How could she not know our father?"
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"There's call logs here.
She left a voicemail."
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[Jennifer] I was in California
on a vacation,
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00:14:28,702 --> 00:14:32,080
and I receive a phone call
from my sister Elise.
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And she said,
"Jennifer, Dad was found dead."
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"I just signed off on the body."
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00:14:39,087 --> 00:14:41,381
I was shocked.
I just didn't know what to say.
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[pensive music playing]
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00:14:47,930 --> 00:14:52,100
[Johny] It was weird 'cause Buffalo
hadn't called me for a couple days.
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And then, phone rings.
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It says "Buffalo Jim."
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And when I picked it up,
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it was his daughter.
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She goes,
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00:15:03,737 --> 00:15:06,949
"Johny, Dad's gone."
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00:15:10,243 --> 00:15:13,956
To go from that
presence in your life all the time...
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It was different
when everything just shut down.
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00:15:19,503 --> 00:15:20,587
Boom. Right there.
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[Dr. Lary Simms]
On the morning of April 7th, 2008,
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00:15:30,514 --> 00:15:32,808
{\an8}I was assigned Mr. Barrier's autopsy.
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Anytime anybody is found dead
in a hotel room,
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00:15:37,646 --> 00:15:39,856
it's out of their normal environment.
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00:15:39,940 --> 00:15:42,651
If you're gonna be conservative,
which I was,
240
00:15:42,651 --> 00:15:45,987
you would want to consider that
a homicide until proven otherwise.
241
00:15:48,031 --> 00:15:51,827
Mr. Barrier had
no significant external trauma.
242
00:15:53,203 --> 00:15:57,582
He wasn't shot. He wasn't stabbed.
He wasn't beaten. He wasn't strangled.
243
00:15:58,333 --> 00:16:02,379
He had a white powdery substance
on his nose and on his beard.
244
00:16:02,963 --> 00:16:05,757
There was a number of drugs
that I tested for
245
00:16:05,841 --> 00:16:07,759
in addition to the standard drugs.
246
00:16:09,136 --> 00:16:11,596
The only positive was cocaine.
247
00:16:12,472 --> 00:16:15,434
The minimum lethal levels for cocaine
248
00:16:15,434 --> 00:16:20,856
is kinda in the 100 to 200 nanograms
per milliliter range.
249
00:16:21,565 --> 00:16:24,526
Mr. Barrier's blood level
was right around 250.
250
00:16:25,736 --> 00:16:27,863
Mr. Barrier had significant heart disease,
251
00:16:27,863 --> 00:16:32,409
and his cause of death was a combination
of the heart disease and the cocaine.
252
00:16:34,619 --> 00:16:38,915
I put his death between 7:00 and 9:00 p.m.
on April 5th, 2008.
253
00:16:41,585 --> 00:16:47,299
Once we got the information back
from a toxicology report,
254
00:16:48,425 --> 00:16:49,843
I was in so much shock.
255
00:16:49,843 --> 00:16:51,303
And we couldn't believe it
256
00:16:51,887 --> 00:16:55,974
because I never saw him once use any drug
257
00:16:56,975 --> 00:17:01,146
or drink any alcohol or party.
258
00:17:04,191 --> 00:17:08,111
[Johny] Buffalo loved to go out
and have a great time.
259
00:17:10,155 --> 00:17:12,991
But he never did any drugs around me.
260
00:17:13,742 --> 00:17:17,079
I have this memory in my mind
of Buffalo saying, "I'm eating clean,
261
00:17:17,079 --> 00:17:19,706
and I'm in the best shape of my life."
262
00:17:21,625 --> 00:17:24,044
[Jennifer] My dad told me
that in the '80s,
263
00:17:24,044 --> 00:17:26,713
he used to take some cocaine
every once in a while.
264
00:17:27,798 --> 00:17:29,966
He was not proud of that,
265
00:17:30,634 --> 00:17:34,346
but in my entire 24 years
of knowing my father,
266
00:17:34,346 --> 00:17:37,349
I've never seen him ever do
any drugs of any kind.
267
00:17:38,767 --> 00:17:43,730
{\an8}If it was true that he had cocaine in him
and that he had done it himself,
268
00:17:43,814 --> 00:17:44,815
{\an8}I would be shocked.
269
00:17:46,733 --> 00:17:50,195
That would have been
completely uncharacteristic
270
00:17:50,195 --> 00:17:51,863
of the Buffalo that I knew
271
00:17:52,739 --> 00:17:56,451
because Buffalo had a cocaine problem
in his early years
272
00:17:56,535 --> 00:17:58,495
and was proud
of the fact that he had beaten it.
273
00:17:59,454 --> 00:18:01,623
[Jerica] When we
went to identify his body,
274
00:18:02,457 --> 00:18:06,920
there was no evidence of cocaine
in the motel room at all.
275
00:18:08,880 --> 00:18:12,092
Where did this cocaine come from
and why wasn't it at the scene?
276
00:18:13,343 --> 00:18:17,055
The white powder substance that was
found on his beard and on his mustache,
277
00:18:17,139 --> 00:18:19,808
we don't even know
if it was really cocaine or not.
278
00:18:21,434 --> 00:18:23,520
[Steve] They don't know
if it was straight cocaine.
279
00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:26,940
They don't know if it was cut cocaine.
They don't know what it was.
280
00:18:26,940 --> 00:18:28,775
All they said was it was white powder.
281
00:18:28,859 --> 00:18:31,653
Did anybody ever test the cocaine
that was on his nose,
282
00:18:31,653 --> 00:18:34,698
or on his shirt, or on his beard
to see what the level of it was?
283
00:18:34,698 --> 00:18:36,032
No.
284
00:18:36,116 --> 00:18:38,743
We're sitting around
at the dining room table,
285
00:18:38,827 --> 00:18:42,289
and my sisters looked at me and said,
"Jennifer, he was set up."
286
00:18:42,289 --> 00:18:45,167
"What are we gonna do?
Is anything going to be done?"
287
00:18:45,167 --> 00:18:46,585
Something was not right.
288
00:18:47,919 --> 00:18:49,296
Foul play was involved.
289
00:18:52,299 --> 00:18:53,675
[Jennifer] The night my dad died,
290
00:18:54,301 --> 00:18:57,804
we know he received a voice message
from a woman named Lisa.
291
00:18:59,598 --> 00:19:03,059
And I told the police,
I said, "Please look into this woman."
292
00:19:07,063 --> 00:19:09,941
[Lewis] Detectives, at some point,
had tracked down
293
00:19:10,025 --> 00:19:14,779
a young lady who was in the room with
Mr. Barrier on the night of his passing.
294
00:19:17,199 --> 00:19:18,617
And she had told them that
295
00:19:19,951 --> 00:19:23,914
she had a long relationship
with Mr. Barrier.
296
00:19:25,457 --> 00:19:27,667
She stated she called Mr. Barrier
297
00:19:27,751 --> 00:19:31,254
and put a friend on the phone,
another male,
298
00:19:31,338 --> 00:19:34,257
who wanted to discuss
selling him a motorcycle.
299
00:19:36,176 --> 00:19:38,178
According to her statement,
300
00:19:38,178 --> 00:19:41,014
she said that the reason
why she called him
301
00:19:41,014 --> 00:19:44,434
was because she had
a friend with her in town from Arizona,
302
00:19:44,434 --> 00:19:47,270
and he needed money
and wanted to sell the motorcycle.
303
00:19:47,979 --> 00:19:50,857
However, that person
was never brought up ever again.
304
00:19:52,609 --> 00:19:56,613
My dad somehow left the house,
decided to leave and go meet her.
305
00:19:57,822 --> 00:20:00,617
[Lewis] Lisa said she and Buffalo Jim
306
00:20:00,617 --> 00:20:03,578
agreed to meet at the gas station
on Charleston Boulevard,
307
00:20:04,996 --> 00:20:07,958
and then they drove to the Motel 6
on Boulder Highway.
308
00:20:12,212 --> 00:20:15,048
The young lady said
that Mr. Barrier parked a Rolls-Royce
309
00:20:15,048 --> 00:20:17,050
around the back of the Motel 6.
310
00:20:23,848 --> 00:20:28,478
At 8:22, Buffalo Jim is seen
in the lobby of Motel 6
311
00:20:28,478 --> 00:20:30,563
getting a key card for room 105.
312
00:20:37,696 --> 00:20:39,114
And about 30 seconds later,
313
00:20:39,114 --> 00:20:43,618
Buffalo comes shuffling
in front of the motel office very slowly.
314
00:20:43,702 --> 00:20:48,248
And behind him
is a short female in silhouette.
315
00:20:49,416 --> 00:20:52,002
And she's following him
three or four steps behind.
316
00:20:52,002 --> 00:20:53,169
That was Lisa.
317
00:20:57,382 --> 00:21:00,635
[Lewis] Lisa says
once inside the room 105...
318
00:21:04,139 --> 00:21:06,516
they were playing a sexual fantasy game.
319
00:21:08,101 --> 00:21:11,896
The young lady stated that
Mr. Barrier was using a lot of cocaine
320
00:21:11,980 --> 00:21:13,356
and acting paranoid.
321
00:21:14,441 --> 00:21:17,527
She tried to calm him down by
telling him he needs to drink some water.
322
00:21:17,527 --> 00:21:20,322
She says that Mr. Barrier
lays down on the bed
323
00:21:20,322 --> 00:21:21,906
and he starts convulsing.
324
00:21:23,366 --> 00:21:28,079
He's clutching his chest with both hands,
she says, a little like a mild seizure.
325
00:21:28,163 --> 00:21:30,165
[suspenseful music playing]
326
00:21:32,167 --> 00:21:35,003
She leaves Buffalo Jim in the motel room.
327
00:21:41,843 --> 00:21:46,014
Lisa said she took a taxi back
to the Chevron, where she left her car.
328
00:21:48,892 --> 00:21:50,435
[phone ringing]
329
00:21:50,435 --> 00:21:54,856
[Lewis] At 9:30, she leaves a message
on Buffalo Jim's cell phone
330
00:21:54,856 --> 00:21:58,276
asking if he's okay,
but he never answered her back.
331
00:22:00,278 --> 00:22:03,573
She mentioned that
she had known him for years.
332
00:22:03,573 --> 00:22:06,993
So if you had known someone
for many years,
333
00:22:07,577 --> 00:22:11,331
why wouldn't you call the police
if they have a seizure?
334
00:22:13,792 --> 00:22:16,836
[Jennifer] And, also, I still wonder
about the guy that she was with
335
00:22:16,920 --> 00:22:19,005
who wanted to sell the motorcycle.
336
00:22:19,714 --> 00:22:20,840
Where was this guy?
337
00:22:22,050 --> 00:22:23,551
He was never interviewed.
338
00:22:24,511 --> 00:22:25,929
Where is the motorcycle?
339
00:22:28,515 --> 00:22:33,520
Another thing, my father checks in
at the motel at 8:22 p.m.
340
00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:37,440
However, his room was accessed
seven minutes before he got there
341
00:22:37,524 --> 00:22:38,775
by a guest room key.
342
00:22:38,775 --> 00:22:41,653
There was a key swipe,
meaning the room had been entered
343
00:22:41,653 --> 00:22:44,197
shortly prior to Buffalo going in.
344
00:22:45,907 --> 00:22:48,701
[Jennifer] It was late in the evening.
Could it have been a maid?
345
00:22:49,536 --> 00:22:51,079
Highly unlikely.
346
00:22:52,205 --> 00:22:54,332
Maids usually work in the afternoon.
347
00:22:55,750 --> 00:22:59,379
Also, on the key access report,
348
00:22:59,379 --> 00:23:02,841
it identifies which key is being used.
349
00:23:02,841 --> 00:23:05,844
Like, if it's a manager's key,
a housekeeping key.
350
00:23:05,844 --> 00:23:08,138
It said it was a guest key.
351
00:23:08,805 --> 00:23:13,601
That tells me that someone was in the room
waiting for him to check in.
352
00:23:13,685 --> 00:23:18,898
{\an8}We just are in shock that
that wasn't investigated or looked into
353
00:23:18,982 --> 00:23:23,903
{\an8}as possible foul play,
and that is alarming to us.
354
00:23:28,783 --> 00:23:32,203
[Jennifer] When my father
was found dead on the Motel 6 bed,
355
00:23:32,745 --> 00:23:35,415
he had a one-dollar bill
in his wallet folded.
356
00:23:35,957 --> 00:23:38,251
He never folded money in his wallet.
357
00:23:39,085 --> 00:23:41,880
My father was known
to carry large amounts of cash.
358
00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:44,632
Why was my father left
with a one-dollar bill?
359
00:23:45,383 --> 00:23:49,345
I had heard that
that's a very notorious mob hit sign.
360
00:23:49,429 --> 00:23:54,267
The message behind having a dollar left
in his wallet was a message of,
361
00:23:54,267 --> 00:23:58,229
"Hey, we got you.
Hey, this is a hit. Joke's on you."
362
00:23:59,856 --> 00:24:03,026
[reporter] Barrier's longtime friend,
former councilman Steve Miller,
363
00:24:03,026 --> 00:24:04,569
suspects foul play
364
00:24:04,569 --> 00:24:07,906
and says Barrier had
received death threats in recent days.
365
00:24:10,408 --> 00:24:11,743
[Jennifer] Before he died,
366
00:24:12,660 --> 00:24:15,205
there were numerous
death threats my father had received,
367
00:24:15,205 --> 00:24:16,915
and they came in various forms.
368
00:24:19,209 --> 00:24:23,129
[Jerica] The first time I noticed
that my father was getting
369
00:24:23,213 --> 00:24:26,174
threat letters and threat calls
370
00:24:26,174 --> 00:24:28,635
was two years before he passed on.
371
00:24:28,635 --> 00:24:30,637
He'd get phone calls...
372
00:24:30,637 --> 00:24:32,680
[phone ringing]
373
00:24:32,764 --> 00:24:36,184
[Jerica] ...at his office
from unknown numbers,
374
00:24:36,684 --> 00:24:40,104
with a male screaming in the phone,
375
00:24:40,188 --> 00:24:42,524
"I'm going to kill you!
I'm going to kill you!"
376
00:24:46,194 --> 00:24:50,198
I used to tell him, "Dad! Oh my gosh!
You're getting threats! Are you worried?"
377
00:24:50,198 --> 00:24:53,910
He's like, "No, no, no, I'm just..."
You know, "I just laughed it off."
378
00:24:53,910 --> 00:24:55,662
"I just have to be careful."
379
00:24:56,162 --> 00:24:57,455
"Watch my back."
380
00:24:58,373 --> 00:24:59,958
He said, "I will not back down
381
00:24:59,958 --> 00:25:02,544
and let anyone
take anything away from me."
382
00:25:03,670 --> 00:25:06,172
The death threats that my father received
383
00:25:06,256 --> 00:25:08,466
were believed to come from
the long-standing feud
384
00:25:08,466 --> 00:25:14,138
between a neighboring business,
The Crazy Horse Too, and my father.
385
00:25:14,222 --> 00:25:17,183
The Crazy Horse Too
was a gentlemen's club.
386
00:25:17,267 --> 00:25:19,394
[sensual club music playing]
387
00:25:19,394 --> 00:25:22,897
{\an8}[Steve] It was right next door
to Buffalo's garage.
388
00:25:25,316 --> 00:25:29,320
And it was ultimately the most successful
club the city could ever have imagined.
389
00:25:30,488 --> 00:25:33,616
It was owned by a man named Rick Rizzolo.
390
00:25:36,536 --> 00:25:39,539
[Gus] Rick Rizzolo had a reputation
around Las Vegas
391
00:25:39,539 --> 00:25:44,586
{\an8}as not a nice person
to folks that were adverse to him.
392
00:25:45,420 --> 00:25:49,966
There was some rumors
of mob involvement with the Crazy Horse.
393
00:25:50,508 --> 00:25:53,094
Some of it been substantiated? Yes.
394
00:25:54,596 --> 00:25:57,140
[Steve] The feud started about maybe 1998
395
00:25:57,140 --> 00:26:01,436
when Buffalo wouldn't relinquish his space
396
00:26:01,436 --> 00:26:03,980
for the expansion of the Crazy Horse Too,
397
00:26:03,980 --> 00:26:05,440
and it just got worse.
398
00:26:05,440 --> 00:26:07,108
They wanna move me out,
399
00:26:07,108 --> 00:26:09,736
and I've got four children to feed,
and I don't think so.
400
00:26:10,987 --> 00:26:15,658
It was probably worth a million and a half
to move him out of there, correctly,
401
00:26:15,742 --> 00:26:17,577
but they were offering him zip.
402
00:26:18,077 --> 00:26:20,079
Buffalo says, "Why should I move?"
403
00:26:20,163 --> 00:26:22,290
"If you're not gonna pay me, I'm staying."
404
00:26:22,290 --> 00:26:25,585
And that's when the problems arose,
from that moment forward.
405
00:26:29,589 --> 00:26:31,591
[Gus] He's got an Auto Marine store,
406
00:26:31,591 --> 00:26:35,720
and so, like any other mechanic,
people leave their car overnight.
407
00:26:39,515 --> 00:26:42,435
[Jennifer] There was a lot of vandalism
that occurred at the shop.
408
00:26:44,562 --> 00:26:46,064
My father would leave for the night.
409
00:26:46,064 --> 00:26:49,025
The next day he would come and,
you know, show up at the shop,
410
00:26:49,025 --> 00:26:50,818
and cars were damaged...
411
00:26:53,488 --> 00:26:54,864
tires were flattened.
412
00:26:56,199 --> 00:26:57,659
My father would lose business.
413
00:26:58,534 --> 00:27:00,161
It was an ongoing battle.
414
00:27:00,161 --> 00:27:04,999
My father had to come out of his pocket
to repair any damages that had been done.
415
00:27:05,083 --> 00:27:07,168
[reporter] Auto mechanic Jim Barrier says
416
00:27:07,168 --> 00:27:10,797
the topless club has brought nothing
but trouble to the neighborhood.
417
00:27:10,797 --> 00:27:13,341
[Buffalo Jim] They put in
phony fire lanes,
418
00:27:13,341 --> 00:27:16,928
use city parking enforcement to come by
and ticket only my customers.
419
00:27:20,223 --> 00:27:21,641
[Steve] Over the years,
420
00:27:21,641 --> 00:27:25,895
the club had begun to really
develop this reputation for violence.
421
00:27:27,814 --> 00:27:34,153
There was a lot of talk about bouncers
who were beating up some of the patrons.
422
00:27:34,237 --> 00:27:39,409
[reporter] One of the alleged victims
is this man, Kirk Henry, a Kansas tourist
423
00:27:39,409 --> 00:27:41,411
who said he had his neck broken
424
00:27:41,411 --> 00:27:45,248
after a night of lap dances
and drinking at the Crazy Horse.
425
00:27:46,207 --> 00:27:49,919
[Gus] There was a host of things
that were alleged,
426
00:27:49,919 --> 00:27:52,171
a lot of them documented
that were occurring.
427
00:27:52,255 --> 00:27:55,049
And it got to the point where now
428
00:27:55,133 --> 00:27:57,927
Buffalo's got
a tremendous amount of damage.
429
00:27:57,927 --> 00:27:59,262
And it was getting up there
430
00:27:59,262 --> 00:28:01,806
in the hundreds of thousands of dollars
over time here.
431
00:28:02,807 --> 00:28:07,186
And so with all this lost income
and the interference with his business,
432
00:28:07,270 --> 00:28:12,024
and intentional infliction
of emotional distress on Buffalo,
433
00:28:13,151 --> 00:28:17,697
I did file a lawsuit on Buffalo's behalf
for a million dollars on this matter
434
00:28:17,697 --> 00:28:19,574
to try to get him some relief.
435
00:28:21,409 --> 00:28:23,661
While this lawsuit went forward,
436
00:28:24,287 --> 00:28:28,583
it came out that sometime about 1995,
437
00:28:28,583 --> 00:28:33,796
the feds had actually been taking a look
at the Crazy Horse
438
00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:37,258
before Buffalo was even
having his battle with them.
439
00:28:47,727 --> 00:28:52,815
[Robert Clymer] I was assigned to work
the organized crime program with the FBI.
440
00:28:56,652 --> 00:29:00,990
And back in the '80s, and '90s, and 2000s,
441
00:29:00,990 --> 00:29:05,328
{\an8}the mafia was involved in running
these various strip clubs around town.
442
00:29:06,662 --> 00:29:13,127
Strip clubs make more money
per square foot than a casino.
443
00:29:15,713 --> 00:29:19,717
For the most part, it's cash.
Nobody paid taxes on any of this money.
444
00:29:21,302 --> 00:29:26,390
One of the places in Las Vegas
where you could find representation
445
00:29:26,474 --> 00:29:31,187
of every single mafia family
in the United States
446
00:29:31,187 --> 00:29:33,731
was in the Crazy Horse Too,
447
00:29:33,815 --> 00:29:38,569
and Buffalo Jim's auto garage
was next door.
448
00:29:42,323 --> 00:29:46,536
So we had an ongoing investigation
because they, at the club,
449
00:29:46,536 --> 00:29:50,790
were involved in tax evasion, extortion,
450
00:29:50,790 --> 00:29:54,919
and various other types
of illegal activities.
451
00:29:54,919 --> 00:29:59,382
[reporter] Numerous employees of the
Crazy Horse have come under FBI scrutiny.
452
00:29:59,382 --> 00:30:01,509
{\an8}The club's owner, Rick Rizzolo,
453
00:30:01,509 --> 00:30:05,137
{\an8}freely admits hiring people
with criminal backgrounds,
454
00:30:05,221 --> 00:30:10,268
{\an8}but he has denied engaging
in any criminal wrongdoing at the club.
455
00:30:13,813 --> 00:30:18,943
[Gus] During that timeframe,
Buffalo was supplying the FBI information
456
00:30:18,943 --> 00:30:21,445
about what was going on
at the Crazy Horse.
457
00:30:21,529 --> 00:30:25,116
Buffalo Jim was sending us
boxes of evidence,
458
00:30:25,116 --> 00:30:28,452
usually on a weekly basis,
459
00:30:28,536 --> 00:30:32,081
for I would say approximately two years.
460
00:30:32,582 --> 00:30:36,210
He would write down what people told him
and send it in to us.
461
00:30:36,961 --> 00:30:38,504
It was very helpful.
462
00:30:41,465 --> 00:30:44,594
On February 20th, 2003,
463
00:30:45,469 --> 00:30:49,140
we executed the search warrant
on the Crazy Horse Too.
464
00:30:52,101 --> 00:30:54,312
{\an8}We had two SWAT teams
465
00:30:55,771 --> 00:30:59,066
and, like, 80 or 100 agents.
466
00:31:00,276 --> 00:31:02,028
[Buffalo Jim]
It's been a long time coming.
467
00:31:02,028 --> 00:31:03,571
There's been a lot of problems here
468
00:31:03,571 --> 00:31:05,615
since the day
the Crazy Horse Too moved in.
469
00:31:07,617 --> 00:31:10,953
[Jennifer] After all these years,
they're finally getting this guy.
470
00:31:13,623 --> 00:31:16,459
[Gus] Sometime in about 2006,
471
00:31:16,459 --> 00:31:18,210
there was a plea deal reached
472
00:31:18,294 --> 00:31:22,840
where Rick Rizzolo would plead
to income tax evasion.
473
00:31:22,840 --> 00:31:26,260
And then in early 2007,
474
00:31:26,344 --> 00:31:29,513
Rick Rizzolo was sentenced
to a year and a day.
475
00:31:30,514 --> 00:31:33,976
[Jerica] My father felt relief
that Rizzolo had gone to prison,
476
00:31:34,060 --> 00:31:39,398
knowing that Rizzolo had caused him
and my family much turmoil.
477
00:31:39,482 --> 00:31:42,109
He always reassured me
that everything would be okay,
478
00:31:42,193 --> 00:31:46,280
that I would always be protected,
and that I would always be safe.
479
00:31:48,449 --> 00:31:52,870
[Gus] Unfortunately, Rick Rizzolo only
served ten months for good behavior.
480
00:31:52,870 --> 00:31:58,793
So he got out in March 2008
481
00:31:59,502 --> 00:32:01,754
and went into house arrest.
482
00:32:03,130 --> 00:32:06,550
[reporter] Days before Buffalo Jim's
mysterious death in a motel room,
483
00:32:06,634 --> 00:32:10,221
his longtime nemesis,
crooked club owner Rick Rizzolo,
484
00:32:10,221 --> 00:32:12,014
was released from federal prison.
485
00:32:12,098 --> 00:32:17,853
Rick Rizzolo's house arrest
only lasted a week, till April 4th, 2008.
486
00:32:18,729 --> 00:32:22,525
Buffalo died on April 5th.
487
00:32:24,276 --> 00:32:28,614
You know, Rizzolo gets out of prison,
and Buffalo's dead next day.
488
00:32:29,490 --> 00:32:31,951
You know, "What the eff here?"
Something's up.
489
00:32:33,911 --> 00:32:36,497
[Steve] Another
really strange coincidence.
490
00:32:37,540 --> 00:32:41,168
I was told that Lisa,
the woman in the motel room,
491
00:32:41,252 --> 00:32:44,130
she was a stripper,
and she worked at the Crazy Horse Too,
492
00:32:44,130 --> 00:32:45,548
and had for many years.
493
00:32:46,298 --> 00:32:49,844
If she worked at the Crazy Horse,
she had to know Rick Rizzolo.
494
00:32:52,304 --> 00:32:57,643
And Buffalo ends up dead that night
with Lisa in the motel.
495
00:32:59,103 --> 00:33:01,814
This leads me to believe
she was part of the plan
496
00:33:01,814 --> 00:33:03,190
to set my father up.
497
00:33:05,609 --> 00:33:08,320
[Jerica] There was
another thing that alarmed me
498
00:33:09,196 --> 00:33:12,700
and made me feel
that something was not right.
499
00:33:14,910 --> 00:33:18,748
After we got the call from the police
that our father was found dead,
500
00:33:18,748 --> 00:33:21,709
my sister and I drove
around this entire building here
501
00:33:21,709 --> 00:33:23,794
looking for our father's vehicle,
502
00:33:23,878 --> 00:33:26,047
and we didn't see it anywhere.
503
00:33:26,630 --> 00:33:30,843
His Rolls-Royce was
his favorite prized possession.
504
00:33:32,845 --> 00:33:36,348
And so we asked the police officer,
"Where's the car?"
505
00:33:38,225 --> 00:33:42,271
And the police officer said,
"Well, we don't know where the car is."
506
00:33:44,690 --> 00:33:47,318
[Jennifer] You can see
it's a very small parking lot.
507
00:33:48,360 --> 00:33:51,864
You can't miss a Rolls-Royce
anywhere in this parking lot.
508
00:33:51,864 --> 00:33:54,033
There's no hidden spots anywhere.
509
00:33:55,701 --> 00:33:56,827
Where is it?
510
00:33:59,205 --> 00:34:03,167
[Lewis] On April 6th, 2008,
the day the body was found,
511
00:34:03,167 --> 00:34:07,797
police released room 105
back to Motel 6 management.
512
00:34:08,964 --> 00:34:10,716
Then at 5:30,
513
00:34:10,800 --> 00:34:15,346
Mr. Barrier's Rolls-Royce is located
in the parking lot of Motel 6
514
00:34:15,346 --> 00:34:18,682
after officers previously
could not find it.
515
00:34:20,351 --> 00:34:21,977
[Jennifer] Elise received a call
516
00:34:22,061 --> 00:34:24,647
from a sergeant at
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
517
00:34:24,647 --> 00:34:26,315
And they said the car is there.
518
00:34:26,941 --> 00:34:29,401
She's like, "What do you mean
'the car's there'? It wasn't."
519
00:34:29,485 --> 00:34:30,402
"The car's there."
520
00:34:31,946 --> 00:34:34,782
[Jerica] There was
so much confusion about it.
521
00:34:34,782 --> 00:34:37,785
The police have started
a missing car report,
522
00:34:38,744 --> 00:34:41,288
and then the car just shows up
in a few hours.
523
00:34:42,915 --> 00:34:45,376
[Lewis] I don't know
what happened to the vehicle.
524
00:34:45,376 --> 00:34:49,713
Maybe they, you know,
didn't see it earlier in the day.
525
00:34:50,506 --> 00:34:53,467
Maybe somebody had access to the vehicle.
526
00:34:56,262 --> 00:34:58,848
[reporter] Barrier's car
was searched by Metro.
527
00:34:58,848 --> 00:35:02,434
That search did not turn up
any suspicious evidence.
528
00:35:03,644 --> 00:35:06,438
[Gus] No prints, no hairs, nothing.
529
00:35:07,231 --> 00:35:09,233
It's just very strange.
530
00:35:09,233 --> 00:35:12,236
There's quite a few things that just...
531
00:35:13,112 --> 00:35:17,199
I think maybe there should have been
a deeper and harder look at this.
532
00:35:19,201 --> 00:35:22,454
[Jennifer] Something else
that is a huge inconsistency in the case
533
00:35:22,538 --> 00:35:26,584
is that there are two phones
that are listed on the police report,
534
00:35:26,584 --> 00:35:28,794
and they were not my father's phone.
535
00:35:30,004 --> 00:35:31,714
This was my father's phone.
536
00:35:32,256 --> 00:35:35,426
This phone is not listed
on the police report at all.
537
00:35:36,177 --> 00:35:40,347
There's a phone that's shown.
It's a silver phone.
538
00:35:40,431 --> 00:35:43,642
They have it listed on the report,
but we never received it,
539
00:35:43,726 --> 00:35:46,604
nor do we know our dad
even having this phone.
540
00:35:46,604 --> 00:35:50,649
So whose phone is this?
And why was it in his room?
541
00:35:52,359 --> 00:35:56,280
And this is the front entrance to the
infamous Crazy Horse Too nightclub.
542
00:35:56,280 --> 00:36:00,159
Jim Barrier's relatives are convinced
that the former club owner here
543
00:36:00,159 --> 00:36:03,996
may have somehow played a role
in what happened to Barrier.
544
00:36:05,331 --> 00:36:08,751
[Jennifer] I talked to my father
that Thursday before he passed away,
545
00:36:09,418 --> 00:36:12,046
and he goes,
"Rick Rizzolo just got out of prison."
546
00:36:13,339 --> 00:36:15,799
My father told me that
if they were to get him,
547
00:36:15,883 --> 00:36:18,552
specifically the Crazy Horse Too people,
548
00:36:19,511 --> 00:36:22,890
"They would make it look like
I died of a drug overdose with women."
549
00:36:23,724 --> 00:36:26,185
That was my last conversation
with my father.
550
00:36:29,521 --> 00:36:32,608
And also my father
received a letter the day he died.
551
00:36:34,026 --> 00:36:35,527
And it says, "Mr. Barrier,
552
00:36:35,611 --> 00:36:39,073
meetings have been taking place
at various locations around town
553
00:36:39,073 --> 00:36:40,449
by Rick Rizzolo."
554
00:36:40,449 --> 00:36:42,910
"Be careful. He's up to no good."
555
00:36:42,910 --> 00:36:45,412
"He's using people to get close to you."
556
00:36:45,496 --> 00:36:49,124
"He discussed using a female
to get access to your business."
557
00:36:50,167 --> 00:36:53,128
[reporter] Over the weekend,
the body of the 55-year-old Barrier
558
00:36:53,212 --> 00:36:56,215
was found in a motel room
on the Boulder Highway.
559
00:36:56,215 --> 00:36:59,260
Metro says there will be
no formal investigation.
560
00:37:00,135 --> 00:37:03,222
You're always supposed to look at
any possible suspects.
561
00:37:03,222 --> 00:37:05,557
[phone ringing]
562
00:37:05,641 --> 00:37:08,269
[Lary] If it is true
that he had anonymous threats
563
00:37:08,269 --> 00:37:12,356
and that there were a number of
negative things done to his business,
564
00:37:12,356 --> 00:37:14,316
and then they wind up dead,
565
00:37:15,859 --> 00:37:17,653
there's enough there to investigate.
566
00:37:19,947 --> 00:37:21,699
[Gus] When Buffalo died,
567
00:37:21,699 --> 00:37:25,119
the lawsuit against Rick Rizzolo
died with him.
568
00:37:26,161 --> 00:37:28,455
You just can't lose your star witness.
569
00:37:29,039 --> 00:37:31,083
You know,
the case was strong with him alive.
570
00:37:31,083 --> 00:37:33,836
With him not alive,
it wasn't a very strong case.
571
00:37:35,421 --> 00:37:38,966
[Jennifer] My father made enemies
with some very powerful people,
572
00:37:38,966 --> 00:37:41,677
and I do believe he was murdered for that.
573
00:37:46,098 --> 00:37:52,146
My theory would be that
they got him into a vulnerable situation.
574
00:37:52,688 --> 00:37:54,732
Maybe they forced cocaine into him.
575
00:37:56,191 --> 00:37:58,235
[Lary] In Mr. Barrier's case,
there's no doubt
576
00:37:58,319 --> 00:38:01,280
that there could be something
in his system that we didn't detect.
577
00:38:02,865 --> 00:38:07,786
The possibilities would be that
somehow he was either forced in some way
578
00:38:07,870 --> 00:38:12,249
to take cocaine at a level that was...
that he was not used to,
579
00:38:12,333 --> 00:38:14,543
or he was tricked
580
00:38:14,543 --> 00:38:18,881
because definitely cocaine
can come in different concentrations
581
00:38:18,881 --> 00:38:20,758
when you buy it on the street.
582
00:38:20,758 --> 00:38:23,260
[laughs] You don't
exactly know how strong it is.
583
00:38:23,927 --> 00:38:27,264
[Jennifer] I think my father
did get lured out by that woman, Lisa.
584
00:38:28,474 --> 00:38:29,933
We don't know what really happened.
585
00:38:30,017 --> 00:38:33,103
What was the trajectory of how
he ended up at the motel? We don't know.
586
00:38:34,438 --> 00:38:37,816
It wasn't investigated properly
for us to be able to tell.
587
00:38:40,694 --> 00:38:44,656
[Steve] So many people tell me
that as a get-out-of-jail gift,
588
00:38:45,199 --> 00:38:47,618
somebody's decided to get rid of Buffalo.
589
00:38:47,618 --> 00:38:51,413
That would have been the biggest favor
anybody could have done for Rick Rizzolo.
590
00:38:52,289 --> 00:38:54,041
Who knows if it happened?
591
00:38:54,666 --> 00:38:57,836
The whole thing has got a bad smell to it.
592
00:38:59,463 --> 00:39:03,175
He died under highly,
highly suspicious circumstances.
593
00:39:04,551 --> 00:39:06,887
This needs to be looked at as a murder.
594
00:39:09,139 --> 00:39:12,267
[Robert] I think that timing
is very suspicious.
595
00:39:13,477 --> 00:39:19,983
I don't know if Buffalo Jim
ingested that cocaine willingly or not,
596
00:39:20,067 --> 00:39:25,656
but I am left with
more questions than answers.
597
00:39:39,670 --> 00:39:43,507
[Steve] In September 2006,
the Crazy Horse finally closed
598
00:39:43,507 --> 00:39:46,176
after its liquor license was revoked.
599
00:39:48,220 --> 00:39:50,431
And by August 2019,
600
00:39:50,431 --> 00:39:54,351
the building had fallen into a state
of very serious disrepair.
601
00:39:54,435 --> 00:39:57,563
It had been broken into by vagrants
and was finally condemned.
602
00:40:01,483 --> 00:40:03,235
[Robert] After Buffalo's death,
603
00:40:03,235 --> 00:40:09,575
Jennifer Barrier took it upon herself
to run Buffalo's shop, you know,
604
00:40:09,575 --> 00:40:13,412
to finish those ongoing projects,
those vehicles.
605
00:40:15,372 --> 00:40:18,625
Then the auto shop closed eventually.
606
00:40:22,796 --> 00:40:26,383
[Steve] Here in Las Vegas,
we lost our most colorful character.
607
00:40:27,551 --> 00:40:30,929
He's just a big lug that everybody loved...
608
00:40:32,473 --> 00:40:33,474
and funny,
609
00:40:33,974 --> 00:40:37,394
and it just made a hole
in our city when he died
610
00:40:37,478 --> 00:40:39,646
that we'll never be able to fill.
611
00:40:43,525 --> 00:40:44,526
[Jerica] Hi!
612
00:40:44,610 --> 00:40:47,487
- [Johny] Baby Buff! Good to see you!
- [indistinct chatter]
613
00:40:47,571 --> 00:40:49,907
Buffalo had a way about him.
614
00:40:49,907 --> 00:40:53,660
When he was there, people followed him.
615
00:40:53,744 --> 00:40:58,248
He loved to be Buffalo Jim,
and that made him happy.
616
00:40:59,791 --> 00:41:01,376
I miss him a lot.
617
00:41:02,961 --> 00:41:08,133
I hope his daughters know
that they meant so much to him,
618
00:41:08,217 --> 00:41:10,385
and he would be very proud of them.
619
00:41:11,845 --> 00:41:13,847
He, he really loved the girls.
620
00:41:19,228 --> 00:41:22,564
[Jerica] The past 13 years has been...
621
00:41:23,690 --> 00:41:25,400
very difficult.
622
00:41:26,151 --> 00:41:29,446
I lost my best friend. I lost my father.
623
00:41:29,530 --> 00:41:34,076
I felt alone for many years
after he passed.
624
00:41:37,371 --> 00:41:40,832
[Jennifer] In 1999, my father and I
drove up to Mount Charleston.
625
00:41:40,916 --> 00:41:43,293
It's a place we went up to
every couple of months.
626
00:41:43,377 --> 00:41:46,630
And we were sitting at the lodge
drinking hot chocolate together.
627
00:41:48,090 --> 00:41:49,841
And my father said to me,
628
00:41:49,925 --> 00:41:52,594
"If anything were to ever happen to me,
would you stand up?"
629
00:41:52,678 --> 00:41:55,180
And I said, "Yeah.
Yeah, but what does that mean?"
630
00:41:56,807 --> 00:41:58,684
I now know what that meant.
631
00:42:00,852 --> 00:42:03,355
There are people out there
that know the truth.
632
00:42:03,981 --> 00:42:06,358
I hope they come forward and talk to us.
633
00:42:07,859 --> 00:42:10,737
We just wanna know
what happened to our father.
634
00:42:15,659 --> 00:42:17,661
{\an8}[mysterious music playing]