Mystery woman tells cops of apparent seizure

Police: ‘Lisa’ says she was with Barrier, failed to get help

Thu, Apr 17, 2008 (2 a.m.)

"Buffalo" Jim Barrier

Police: No evidence ‘Buffalo’ Jim was killed (4-15-2008)
'Buffalo' Jim found dead in hotel room (4-07-2008)

A woman who was with “Buffalo” Jim Barrier the night he died in a Boulder Highway motel room has told Metro Police that he appeared to suffer a seizure, so she left the premises, Capt. Randy Montandon said Wednesday.

Montandon said he couldn’t explain why the woman didn’t call for medical help. Later that night, however, Montandon said, she left a message on Barrier’s cell phone, asking whether he was feeling all right.

The message led police to the woman, who sources close to the investigation identified only as “Lisa.”

The woman told detectives in an interview Tuesday that she and Barrier were merely socializing and that the two had carried on a social relationship for 10 years, Montandon said.

“Right now, we are evaluating the validity of the information she gave us,” he said.

But Montandon added, “There continues to be nothing to lead us to believe that there was any foul play involved in this.”

Barrier was a colorful auto mechanic and wrestling promoter, a character familiar on the Las Vegas scene for decades.

Montandon told the Sun on Monday that a review of a four-minute motel surveillance tape showed Barrier was in no distress and appeared in good spirits when he registered at Motel 6 on the evening of April 5.

The videotape and other evidence police have gathered appear to dispel claims by Barrier’s family and close friends that he was slain.

The woman reportedly joined Barrier later that evening at the room. She does not appear on the tape, Montandon said.

A maid found his body the next day lying face up on a bed with his pants around his ankles, sources said.

Montandon said the woman denied the couple had been drinking alcohol, but he declined to comment when asked whether they had used any drugs.

Officers at the scene of the death found a bottle of prescription medication, but Montandon would not say what kind of medication was inside. He did say officers found no Valium in the room. The family has claimed the medication in the bottle was Valium.

Clark County Coroner Mike Murphy is waiting for toxicology and other lab test results before officially determining the cause of Barrier’s death.

Murphy said this week that an examination of the body turned up no evidence of foul play.

Barrier’s family and friends have speculated that his death was not natural. He had been involved in a long-standing public feud with Rick Rizzolo, the former owner of the Crazy Horse Too topless club.

For more than a decade, Barrier had kept in regular contact with FBI agents conducting a racketeering investigation of the topless club that ultimately landed Rizzolo in federal prison on tax evasion charges. Rizzolo was formally released from prison April 4, two days before Barrier’s body was discovered.

Discussion: 5 comments so far…

By triniti42363

4/17/08 at 10:27 p.m.

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If they were just socially sitting and talking then why were his pants down to his ankles? if the time of death was between 7pm and 8pm then obviously there was no time for chit chat etc..... especially when they say that he checked in at 8:20pm none of this adds up. So who is this mysterious Lisa? someone they made up cause that is what it sounds like to me and I am sure alot of other readers as well.
By jmg7070

4/19/08 at 12:21 a.m.

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So where's the video of the woman? This "lisa" is all part of the cover-up.

The man was poisoned. Anybody who thinks that Jim Barrier's death, occuring two days after Rick Rizzolo gets out of jail, a coincedence is a gullible moron.

And the police ignored and in fact destoyed any evidence because Rick Rizzolo has had so many cops on the take for so long that the last thing Metro wants to do is arrest Rizzolo. He might start naming names.

The FBI needs to keep closer tabs on Metro and actually protect it's witnesses because Metro cannot be trusted. The local police force is corrupt to the core.
By Lenny_V

4/19/08 at 8:06 a.m.

Suggest removal

Who just walks out on someone they've known for ten years in the middle of a seizure then calls later saying "are you alright"?

Sounds fishy indeed.
By Lenny_V

4/19/08 at 8:24 a.m.

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Sounding more and more like a mob hit that Metro is covering up.

http://canadafreepress.com/inde.php/arti...
By MikeGL

4/22/08 at 1:38 a.m.

Suggest removal

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. There is no excuse to let families suffer, keeping them from getting the closure they need. There is no need to seal files unless there is something to hide.

Late Buffalo Jim Barrier’s daughter Jennifer said,

"I do not want my father to have died in vain. He was fighting organized crime for our community, and his death must not go unsolved. The one dollar bill stuffed in his wallet, the missing motel room key and driver's license, the many death threats he received, and other unusual circumstances surrounding his death demand a complete homicide investigation. He did not die of 'natural causes' as some would like us to believe."

"I know the police have many other cases, but look at what my dad was doing at the time of his death. He had just closed down a Mafia enterprise. This alone should trigger a full court press from local police and the FBI to find out who was the last person to see him alive,"

"Someone out there knows exactly what happened to my dad."
..............................................
Watch the “Coroners Inquest” (televised on local tv channel several times), you will see many families saying the same thing even cases stemming years back. It gives a clear picture of how citizens are treated when their loved one is killed by a criminal or by a police officer. How many more families have to go thru this because corruption is not only in our streets of Las Vegas, but in our cities leadership positions?