Buffalo took one half of a Valium tablet when he couldn't sleep. His 15 year old daughter would cut one in half if he needed it. Otherwise, he abhorred drugs, and avoided medication unless absolutely necessary.
He was a health nut.
I have the empty bottle Buffalo purportedly was clutching, and his emptied wallet in my possession.
I should never have anything like that in my house under any circumstances! It should have been treated as evidence, not released to family members.
I have placed three calls to Metro Homicide to offer my assistance. They have ignored each call even though I left messages for a Det. Thompson saying I have original copies of the threat letters Buffalo received over the past several weeks.
Neither the medicine bottle or wallet were dusted for fingerprints. Buffalo's driver's license is also missing from the wallet. He had over a thousand dollars with him when he left home according to his daughters. He was left with only a dollar bill. In Mafia lore, that means "rat." (Remember the one silver dollar left in Ted Binion's safe?)
Metro didn't dust for fingerprints Buffalo's Roll Royce that was left at the motel. They have not asked Buffalo's daughters any questions about the calls he received before leaving the house Saturday evening. I don't even know if they have the video tapes of whomever signed the motel registration card. There are TV cameras all over Motel 6. Did he walk into room 105, or was he carried in?
No one could kidnap Buffalo Jim. No one could force him to do anything at gun or knife point. He would make the perpetrator eat the gun or knife before he would go with them!
He died with a "serene" look on his face according to his 15 year old daughter who should never have been allowed the trauma of being asked to identify her dad's dead body.
Her 20 year old sister was with her at the time, and she alone should have had that responsibility.
Metro didn't examine Buffalo's Rolls Royce parked near the room. After an FBI agent gave us the OK (the FBI has no jurisdiction in a case that's purportedly being investigated by local police), we took the car off the property -- wearing cotton gloves to not destroy evidence in case.
If Metro wants to finally examine the car, it will gladly be made available. Meanwhile, the Barriers are not allowing anyone to touch it.
On Saturday evening Buffalo called me, and a retired FBI agent. He wanted to read to us a letter he received that day stating: "Rick was one of the persons driving around your property last week (in a new Bentley). Be careful he's up to no good. He's using people to get close to you. He's discussed using a female to get access to your business."
After reading the entire letter which included a warning to "make sure not being followed," Buffalo stated: "I would never fall for that. I realize how easy it would be to set somebody up by getting him to go to a hotel with a hooker, then kill him in the room. I know better!"
Metro Homicide does not know this information, nor, after two days, seem interested. Why? How many friends does Rick Rizzolo have on the LVMPD (see AmericanMafia.com column below)?
This case is being handled with less professionalism than the Binion case -- if that's possible.
"Lt. Lew Roberts, head of the Metropolitan Police Department's homicide section, said Barrier's death doesn't appear to be the result of foul play." -
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Meanwhile, Kirk Henry sits in his electric wheelchair and has not received a dime of Rick and Lisa Rizzolo's personal fortune, and Buffalo Jim's body lies in the Clark County Morgue.
Steve Miller