“Buffalo Jim” Barrier was known for his larger-than-life personality. A wrestling promoter and business owner, he was once voted Las Vegas’ most colorful character. But not everyone loved Buffalo Jim. After a long feud with strip club owner Rick Rizzolo, he began to receive death threats — much to the concern of his four daughters.
On the morning of April 6, 2008, Buffalo Jim was found dead in a Motel 6 in Las Vegas. Police reports said he was lying face-up on the bed, nude from the waist down, with white powder on his nose, beard and shirt. The coroner said that his use of cocaine, combined with significant heart disease, had caused his heart to stop. The death was ruled accidental.
But was it? Investigators soon learned that a woman known only as “Lisa” claimed she was in the room with Buffalo Jim when he started convulsing. The key card log for his motel room seemed to indicate that someone entered his room minutes before he checked in, and may have been waiting for him there. After his death, his car vanished, only to later reappear in the parking lot.
Friends and family members — and some investigators — now believe that Buffalo Jim was a victim of foul play, and point to the release of Rick Rizzolo from house arrest the day before Buffalo Jim died. What really happened to Buffalo Jim? Was his death truly accidental, or did something more sinister happen?
Before Buffalo Jim’s death, there were a series of mysterious break-ins at his auto body shop. Nothing was stolen, but who was responsible? In the video above, former Las Vegas City Councilman Steve Miller shares his theory.
See scenes from Buffalo Jim’s colorful life, from parades and wrestling events to tender moments with his daughters.
See the items found in Buffalo Jim’s motel room after his death. What can they reveal?
See more “Death in a Vegas Motel” bonus material, including police reports, the coroner’s report and surveillance video of Buffalo Jim on the night he died.
Watch “Death in a Vegas Motel” here.
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