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Apr. 13, 2008
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JOHN L. SMITH: A closer look at 'Buffalo Jim's' death reveals little to support rumors

JOHN L. SMITH
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With mystery and conspiracy and a fair amount of grit swirling in the evening wind, I drove to the Motel 6 at 4125 Boulder Highway on Wednesday night to take a closer look at the place James "Buffalo Jim" Barrier died.

That is, if you believe he died there and wasn't transported there by nefarious persons unknown. That and a dozen other scenarios have been the subject of open speculation, mostly on that post-modern party line, the Internet.

Barrier, the all-Vegas character and constant critic of Crazy Horse Too topless mogul Rick Rizzolo, was found dead in Room 105 this past Sunday by the motel's housekeepers. He was 55. Because he'd had a number of disputes with Rizzolo and his family, and because of Rizzolo's rather eclectic circle of friends and employees, speculation was immediately sparked that Barrier was the victim of a cleverly planned mob rubout.

If he had to die, I can imagine big Jim wanting to be known as the guy who fought gangsters and left this world under mysterious circumstances in the fashion of the late newspaperman Ned Day. But I'm not yet convinced anything dark and mysterious happened. The emergence of a breakthrough witness or the presence of a problematic toxicology test would change my mind, but until then count me as a skeptic.

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So is one of Rizzolo's longtime associates, who laughed at the thought.

"I think people are giving those people too much credit," the associate says. "I'd say it's extremely unlikely."

It would've had to have been carefully orchestrated. When Metro officers arrived at the scene on Sunday they suspected Barrier, the owner of the Auto and Marine Electric repair shop, had died of natural causes.

On Monday morning, Metro homicide wasn't aware of Barrier's death. After the press and the family started asking questions, police detectives began asking a few themselves. I'm not sure, but I'll wager they didn't find anything that gave them professional pause.

The cops have been vilified for not acting more swiftly. Barrier had been the subject of death threats and had received letters warning him about being set up for a fatal fall. He also alleged Rizzolo's father, Bart, had attempted to run him over in the parking lot of the Industrial Road club.

Just because you died of natural causes doesn't mean people didn't want you dead. For Barrier's friend and fellow Rizzolo antagonist Steve Miller, and a small legion of loyal Internet readers, it's too much of a coincidence. Miller has focused on what he's described as bumbling police work as well as the apparently mysterious disappearance of Barrier's Rolls-Royce from the motel parking lot, along with other inconsistencies, to reach the conclusion that his pal was murdered.

I wanted to take a closer look at the layout of the motel, so I drove there and toured the property.

The Motel 6 sits on a narrow piece of real estate next to Boulder Station, not far from Danny's Slot Country. Room 105 is in the front of the building, and there aren't many parking spaces near the door.

I asked the friendly clerk what he remembered. He was on duty when the bearded, long-haired Barrier checked in. Although he didn't see him, his partner told him she helped Barrier rent a room for two on Saturday evening. Buffalo Jim was easy to identify. She was absolutely certain it was him, the clerk said.

What about the disappearing Rolls?

"It was parked around the side of the building, over there," the clerk said, pointing to a place not visible from the highway or Room 105. "I saw it myself."

So Barrier, a single father of four with a history on the party circuit, checked into the motel himself. He parked his easily identifiable vehicle in an out-of-the-way space at a local motel.

One more thing. The motel has a security guard on duty. The guard spends most of the evening around the front of the building and, the clerk told me, reported no peculiar movement or problems around Room 105.

It doesn't mean nothing nefarious happened. It doesn't mean police failed to ask all the right questions, or that Barrier wasn't very cleverly murdered.

At this point, it probably won't even help calm the biting winds of conspiracy.

John L. Smith's column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. E-mail him at Smith@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0295.

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Please enter your name Name: Please enter your email Email: Please enter a comment COMMENTS : (word count limit is 300) You have reached the maximum number of words allowed Current Word Count: Anna wrote on April 21, 2008 10:45 PM: Mr. John Smith, in a crime scene you assess the situation. You know nothing of that except the first three letters in the word assess. Hey aren't you friends with Rizzolo??? I can see why you wrote the article. Your not good at your job! What has happened to our city where we have a mayor (Goodman) who protects criminal activities, corrupt lawyers, judges and certain city officials that are within their circle. These people are all about selling their souls for money and favors. Gone are the days leaders were to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, safeguarding lives and property. Now its about shady leaders filling their pocket books, twisting the laws to suit their greed, disregarding what is right, and causing the deterioration of society. They have their own organization within an organization and its corrupt. A city cannot have good piece officers when their bosses are not about that. If an officer who holds values, ethics, and stands for what is right refuses to take an order that opposes those beliefs, he or she is fired. Police do as they are ordered or their out. April 5th, a local hero Buffalo Jim Barrier was found dead. The crime scene staged… an obvious mob hit. Now the family gets little cooperation from the police. The situation where law enforcement brushes off the obvious, shuts the family out, prevents them from seeing evidence including sealing up files, is common with how family crime cases are handled from our local law enforcement. Although time is needed to investigate before releasing pertinent information, when a case like this is not even considered, it shows complete dysfunction for justice. Fasttracker wrote on April 14, 2008 12:19 PM: Suicide seems out of the question. Popping pills with his pants down? Highly unlikely. Slipped a mickey? Probable. At least, Buffalo's family had the good sense to hire their own private investigator and an independent forensic pathologist. God willing, the truth will out in the end. JIM_MOOTS(EX-CHICAGO COP) wrote on April 13, 2008 07:17 PM: MAY BUFFALO JIM REST IN PEACE.. THANK YOU JOHN L. SMITH, FOR YOUR COLUMN AND YOUR THOUGHS. SEEMS PEOPLE WANT TO HEAR THE WORSE.. THEY THRIVE ON THE IDEA OF SOMEONE GETTING MURDERED AND POINTING FINGERS AT OTHERS.... THERE WERE DEATH THREATS BY UNKNOWN PERSONS... HIS OFFICE WAS BROKEN INTO AND PAPERS SCATTERED ON HIS DESK WITH THE MESSAGE "WE KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE!" IT SEEMS RIGHT AWAY THE BLAME FOR THE THREATS AND DEATH GOES TO THE MOST LIKELY PERSON(RICK RIZZULO).. I TRUELY HOPE THEY FIND OUT HOW JIM DIED. IF HE WAS MURDERED, I HOPE THEY CATCH THE PERSON(S) AND THEY GET THE DEATH PENALTY.. NO MATTER WHO IT IS!!!!! IF IT WASN'T MURDER AND HE DIED OF NATURAL CAUSES.. THEN MAYBE THEY WILL QUIT POINTING FINGERS AT PEOPLE AND GO BACK TO THEIR BORING LIVES.. THEN LET THE MAN REST IN PEACE... PS: CAREFUL ROCCO I POSTED SOMETHING THAT STATED ABOUT THE SAME AS YOU AND I WAS CALLED.. A MOBSTER..A CRIMINAL OR AN ATTORNEY... MOBSTER AND CRMINAL DIDN'T BOTHER ME.. BUT CALLING ME AN ATTORNEY.." THAT OFFENDED ME!!!" QUOTE:Rocco Lampone wrote on April 13, 2008 03:41 PM: Get real, Bufalo Soldiers. A middle aged man with a larger than life image (And appetites, in all probability), doesn't want to bust out in front of his 4 daughters on a Saturday night. Look at him. Do you really think he was going to die at 80 in a nursing home? I'm almost his age, in the auto repair business half a country away, and I can tell you, it is a high stress, self destructive lifestyle. Any other car guy who looks like him, in any other city, an it's no big deal. Why is he being portrayed as a saint? FastTracker wrote on April 13, 2008 04:42 PM: Buffalo Jim had the courage to stand up for his rights, when most of us would have run and hid. He did so against arrogant, lawless thugs, in the process, getting a business shut down that was inclined to beat people up when customers disputed charges, to the point of inflicting serious bodily harm. Las Vegas is a safer place with that sleazy joint closed. More than any other person, you can thank Buffalo Jim for that. The man is a true American hero and if you want to call those of us who honor his legacy 'Buffalo Soldiers', I'll take that as a compliment. Rocco Lampone wrote on April 13, 2008 03:41 PM: Get real, Bufalo Soldiers. A middle aged man with a larger than life image (And appetites, in all probability), doesn't want to bust out in front of his 4 daughters on a Saturday night. Look at him. Do you really think he was going to die at 80 in a nursing home? I'm almost his age, in the auto repair business half a country away, and I can tell you, it is a high stress, self destructive liefstyle. Any other car guy who looks like him, in any other city, an it's no big deal. Why is he being portrayed as a saint? Mark$ wrote on April 13, 2008 03:15 PM: Really. This column added absolutely nothing to this story. And Smith is "Mister Vegas Know-it-all"?! As usual, the Review-Journal spends absolutely zero on hiring any kind of true gum-shoe reporter to smoke out the inconsistencies of any particular episode in Las Vegas. FastTracker wrote on April 13, 2008 03:10 PM: A quick 'drive-by' and the solicitation of a second hand opinion is about what to expect from John L. Smith in the realm of investigative reporting. But that's par for the course for the mainstream media in this community. Sylvia Sanchez wrote on April 13, 2008 06:31 AM: So now Liberal Columnist John L. Smith thinks he is a Private Investigator. Stick to your Liberal Diatribe John. BillyB wrote on April 13, 2008 03:26 AM: Hey John, with all due respect, what the F do you know about the situation you moron?