Former UFC and EliteXC heavyweight contender Justin Eilers was shot to death on Christmas day in Canyon County, Idaho, in a domestic disturbance turned deadly according to the Idaho Press-Tribune.
James Robert Malec, Eilers stepfather, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder after allegedly shooting Eilers once in the chest in front of a group of relatives after the two were engaged in a verbal altercation.
Paramedics were called to the scene but were unsuccessful in their attempts to stabilize him.
Malec worked as a Canyon County corrections officer and dog handler in the late 1990’s and according to Eilers mother, carried a firearm on a regular basis.
Problems arose when Eilers and his ex-girlfriend began arguing, which further escalated when Malec reportedly ordered Eilers to leave. Eilers refused and one witness reports Eilers challenged Malec to a fight before the shooting took place.
Witnesses also report Malec pointing the gun at Eilers after Eilers had already been shot.
According to the police affidavit, Malec said during his interview: “I don’t know, this happened, they thought I was going to kill everybody.”
In addition to recovering the weapon used in the killing, police discovered large quantities of alcohol inside the home, owned by Malec and Eilers mother. Malec is currently being held on $1,000,000 bond.
Eilers (19-7-1) was probably most known among casual fans for his three straight losses over a year’s span in the UFC. From February 2005 to February 2006 he dropped three fights — each by first round technical knockout — to Paul Buentello, Andrei Arlovski and Brandon Vera, respectively.
However, Eilers was on a very impressive streak as of late, having won 10 of his past 12 fights. After falling to Antonio Silva at EliteXC ‘Unfinished Business’ back in July, Eilers was targeting a debut at light heavyweight to further refine his improved skill set and once again prove he was ready for the big stage.
This disturbing news comes barely a week after former UFC and WEC competitor Justin Levens was found dead – also by gunshot – in his California home.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and family of Justin Eilers in this very difficult time. Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more details on this tragic story as it continues to unfold.
66 Comments »
What a sad story …. two fighters shot within the month, not cool.
A little over two years ago i saw both Justin Eilers and Justin Levens fight on the same card Beatdown In Bakersfield. Crazy stuff very sad story.
never heard of a million dollar bond
You nutty Americans and your guns, grow up!
LOL… haha you nutty Americans!
Thx Dad.
I just read that Dana White said Cro Cop would be welcome back to the UFC with a win over Hong Man Choi? Dana ripped Fedor for fighting Choi, but beating Choi is good enough to bring Mirko back to the UFC? WTF?
does that surprize you
great thread to go off topic, get the f**k out of here.
Hows your gun treating you now bud, have fun spending the rest of your life in jail for shooting a father infront of his son……..on X-mas. I wonder if they will put him in the jail that he used to work at as a correctional officer, that would be good punishment.
AMERICANS AND THERE GUNS, WHAT ELSE NEEDS TO BE SAID!!!!!!
Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.
p.s. – Learn correct grammar and spelling, while polishing up on American firearm statistics.
Yeah, maybe we should just let our cops run around with only billy clubs. Maybe we should outlaw booze and cars since certain people drink and drive and kill people. Ignorance at it’s finest. And its ‘their’, not ‘there.’
Sorry dude. I agree with your sentiments (the guy is an anti-American shmuck), but you got your “it’s” wrong while you were trying to correct that dufus’ grammar problem. It should be its. “It’s” is only for “it is”.
“It’s” cool.
since when did correcting grammar become the preferred way to prove a point and rip on people?
not to argue on gun control (i am canadian) because i personally dont care if you all shoot each other up down there, but you talk stats so here is one:
The gun-related deaths per 100,000 people in 1994 by country were as follows:
U.S.A. 14.24
Brazil 12.95
Mexico 12.69
Estonia 12.26
Argentina 8.93
Northern Ireland 6.63
Finland 6.46
Switzerland 5.31
France 5.15
Canada 4.31
Norway 3.82
Austria 3.70
Portugal 3.20
Israel 2.91
Belgium 2.90
Australia 2.65
Slovenia 2.60
Italy 2.44
New Zealand 2.38
Denmark 2.09
Sweden 1.92
Kuwait 1.84
Greece 1.29
Germany 1.24
Hungary 1.11
Ireland 0.97
Spain 0.78
Netherlands 0.70
Scotland 0.54
England and Wales 0.41
Taiwan 0.37
Singapore 0.21
Mauritius 0.19
Hong Kong 0.14
South Korea 0.12
Japan 0.05
this was the easiest and smallest to copy/paste so the year is old, but more recent ones are close statistically. another more recent one: http://www.guncontrol.ca/Content/international.html
not being political, just showing some stats. that being said, in my home, when told to leave, you will. my family comes first and will be protected by any means necessary. now go ahead and correct my grammar and punctuation.
Since 2008-12-29 17:32:26
Were gun related deaths the greatest cause of death in those countries for that year?
other than maybe heart disease or car accidents or other natural causes? no way. or are you saying murders only?
not to mention the fact the us has twice the population of most of these countries…..wait a minute, canada isn’t even really a country, so it doesn’t count.
if you will notice the stats are done by proportion. and if you base a countries wothiness on population then i guess china and india are far superior to you. dont take it personally, we in canada have guns too. im not attacking you. stats like these are very common knowledge.
It’s such common knowledge that you had to Google search it and cut and paste it? It’s such common knowledge that you didn’t know it off the top of your head?
You ever heard of the right to bear arms?
the_mexicutioner,
Referring to the right to bear arms, or the 2nd Amendment, I still think this amendment is not used properly. The amendment does states the right to bear arms, but is left vague in regards to said right and “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State…”. This has always perplexed me as a firearm owner. The way I interpret the 2nd amendment is that I have the right to bear arms for (and as a byproduct of) a well regulated militia. Now, I don’t belong to any militia, that being said if my county told me I need to line one Saturday a month to drill in such a militia, I think my county government would be in their right.
A lot of those amendments are vague Jeff. If you get technical, we have the right to travel, but no mention of needing drivers licenses. There are cases (one in Minnesota sticks out) where a guy has used this and not gone to jail or been ticketed because he says the constitution doesn’t say he needs a “licensee” to go from one point to the next. Of course it doesn’t, there were no cars. Lots of those old laws are bogus just because our forefathers didn’t predict the technological advances that we’d make!
Kevin,
I like to think they are bogus and vague on purpose and somewhere are forefathers are laughing their asses off. Hell, I remember a law in Temecula, California from say ‘88, that stated I could carry a loaded shotgun while carrying more than $100, while on my way to the bank. My all time favorite is a Minnesota or Montana state law, that you can’t share a six-pack with a moose. WTF, how did that legislature session go down?
LOL, I’m talking federal law (which supersedes state and local), but you’re right, some of those old local laws are funny, maybe I’ll look a few up!
here you go jeff, one of the best:
animals can’t mate within 1500 feet of a bathhouse!
http://www.dumblaws.com/
What you don’t see in the stats above, is where were the shooters of the 14.24 per 100,000 gun deaths from? The US is the melting pot of the World. If we were to tighten our borders, then the other countries stats would be higher because they are not living in the US. This reminds me of a joke: Why doesn’t Mexico have an Olympic team? Because anyone that can run, jump or swim is already in in the US. I know it is a bad joke, but there is a lot of truth to it as far as people being in the US from other countries. I work in a small county jail in FL with a capacity of around 800. Over half of the inmates housed are for ICE, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. They are people from other countries, waiting for deportation after serving time for crimes committed in the US.
Get the hell out of here. Like this stuff never happens outside of the USA. I bet your as stupid as you look. Nothing is more idiotic that stereotyping… and you’ve done it twice in your post. Once about people that own guns and the other about Americans.
sounds like self defense to me. eilers was asked to leave and then got pissed and chalenged his stepdad to a fight. kinda wierd how he’d keep pointing the gun at an already fataly shot man though. i’m sure more back story will come out soon.
Whatever… If someone called me out to a fight i would fight them not shoot them i dont care who that person is.
How is some od guy going to defend himself against a mma borderline ufc heavtweight fighter in his damn prime. He told him to get out of his house. Eilers threatened him. at that point you are an intruder in my home who poses a threat to me and gun play is fair play. Plus he was screaming at his daughter. F*ck that. Guy caught the bullet he was asking for.
Dude the house was owned by Malec and Eilers mother. How does that justify self defense, its his mothers house as well during a family reunion. Since Malec is also living with Eilers mother and is considered is step father and not his father in law that means Eilers was not arguing with Malecs daughter as she wasn’t Eilers daughter. The article also said there were massive amounts of alcohol in the house and that Malec walked around with his gun regularly. This is BS they need to hit Malec with the book. And Pug thats a terrible statement to say that anyone caught a bullet they asked for.
A fistfight is much different than a gunfight my friend. This is a senseless tragedy that did not have to happen. Nothing is worth taking another human life. How tore up must this mother and child.
Not justifiable self defense. Therein, is the problem. If I ask you to leave and you refuse and challenge me to a fight, I should call the cops. Yes, I said should because of certain state laws. For example, the Castle law in the state of Texas.
It is not self defense. Who is Malec to insist that Eilers leave? Why is he coming between a man and his woman arguing? It was none of his business. Eiler’s hadn’t broken any laws. Shooting an unarmed man is the act of a coward. I hope he gets 20 years at least. I mean what is a life worth? Malec isn’t God.
Malec is the owner of the house he is within his right to tell anyone who is not an owner to leave at any time.
He came between a woman and a man arguing because it is his house and they were both in it.
It is his business because it was his house.
Eilers did break a law by refusing to leave then threatening the owner.
Shooting an unarmed man is cowardly, but watch when he turns on the waterworks in the court room and has no prior felonies or misdemeanors and talks about how “violent” mixed martial arts fighters are, and how scared he was for his life, that he had no choice.
Trust me there is some scumbag lawyer out there right now preparing a case to get this guy off with community service.
sadly dirtml, you are right. If someone comes to my house, and is acting stupid, I can force them to leave in any manner I please. This includes shooting them if and only if at some point I feel threatened. He will argue all the points you made, and will most likely get a slap on the wrist!
Kevin,
Legally speaking, I don’t even need to be acting stupid. You don’t want me at your house, ask me to leave and I have to leave. Not leaving, could, depending on your jurisdictions law and/or the buildings use, constitute unorderly conduct, trespassing, civil unrest, etc.
depends, in ca you have to be faced with deadly force to use deadly force, since he is a fighter that would be enough that the father felt threatened and could use deadly force, other states your right just being on the property unwanted you can shoot people(texas).
either way very sad
thats what I mean Jeff, I lived in FL for years, and everyone has guns (like texas) and has a right to use them. I was saying that he’ll say he felt threatened, but it’s a mute point, plain and simple, he’s not going to jail!
So calling the police before shooting the individual dead in cold blood does not have to happen?? I think he will get much more than a slap on the wrist. More dialogue of the events have to be released before I pass complete judgment though.
Other reports also said that he was throwing/breaking objects. State laws vary. Malec has the right to protect his life, the lives of his family,and property. He could argue that Eilers was a professional fighter and was threatened and feared for the life of himself and his family, especially since Eilers would NOT leave. F*cked up but watch it play out in court. i Would not be surprised to see Malec walk with some years of probation!
Only one problem with that; it’s Eiler’s family too.. Unless his own mother, girlfriend and the rest of the family is going to corroborate that he was a threat and that they were in mortal danger, Malec is going to jail for a long time. And the quote “I don’t know, this happened, they thought I was going to kill everybody.” from Malec indicates to me at least, that HE was the problem, not Eilers. Why would the rest of the family think he was going to “kill everybody” if shooting Eilers was justifiable self defense?? Sorry, Malec is going to jail, booze and guns is not a good combination.
They were both drunk I’m sure the father in law didn’t simply say I’d like you to leave. There was a heated argument and someone ended up dead. Holiday stress, Family problems, Booze, Guns, and bad tempers. Talk about a recipe for disaster. There was no way this was going to end well.
Big surprise Alcohol is involved.
Maybe we should outlaw alchohol.
i think the moral to the story is, if someone points a gun at you and tells you to leave, then leave! i think the stepfather could have just shot him in the leg to stop him, but who knows what realy went down. this tragedy could have been avoided if justin would have just used some common sense. there is no shame in walking away from a gun pointed at you.
horrible news! how can a man kill someone infront of their family? justice must be served.
You can’t ask normal people to act extraorinary. Eilers got what he deserved and you don’t have to be somehow have the superhuman ability restaint to shoot him in the leg or cal the police and wait for them to arrive while this gigantic mma fighter freaks out on you and your loved ones. Eilers can beat up 99.99% of the population and he posed a threat to an old guy in his home surrounded by his family. I have no sympathy for Eilers at all.
The problem with these type of debates is everyone want’s to choose “yes” it was right or “no” it was wrong. However, things are rarely that black and white. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being it was completely wrong and 10 being it was completely justified, I’d say this rates in around a 6 with the little info we have. If someone tells you to leave their home, you leave. If someone points a gun and tells you to leave, you definitely leave. If someone is intoxicated, pointing a gun, and asking you to leave, you get the hell out of there as fast as you can. I have a gun. I believe in self-defense, but I wouldn’t shoot someone I invited over as soon as a stranger/intruder. I, and I think most of us, would push it to an absolute last resort. The fact that he pointed the gun after Eilers was dead makes it sound like the stepdad was a little out of his gord at the moment. That’s why I can only rate it a 6 on my scale.
At any rate, as a fighter you have to realize what a threat you represent. When I fought in college, I was particulary careful not make my phsyically inferior (I wish I had a better term) friends feel threatened. If was my fight partners, bid deal, they’d just fight me. However, if someone doesn’t have that option, they might really hurt you out of survival instinct. I think if you are phsyically intimidating you have to make an extra effort to avoid physical intimidation.
As for the America-bashing: We have a since of private property and pride here. Sadly, a lot of those shootings are gang and crime-related, not self defense. So I’m not defending the overal stat’s, but I do defend the right to bare arms and defend your little piece of this planet. Perhaps, the solution should be to bare more arms with increasing levels of lethality. If this guy had an intermediate option like….say…a taser, that could have offered a superior option.
Ultimately, this guy didn’t deserve to feel threatened or take an ass-beating in his own home. However, Eilers didn’t quite deserve to die. So it sucks.
im interested in seeing the toxicology reports on eilers. if he comes back full of booze/painkillers/roids?, self defense might be a good case.
By the way, it’s a very perplexing question to answer, i.e., why americans have more shooting deaths the other countries. You can’t say it’s our violent history b/c Germany and England amongst others have extremely violent pasts. You can’t say it’s that we have too many guns. Canadians have shitloads of guns per household but have very few shooting deaths (of humans, but the violence toward moose is more than anwhere else in the world, lol) So when people say, “people kill people,” there’s some truth to it. We’re not the only one’s with guns, but we do shoot the shit out of each other. I’m not sure why we do it, but I do think we deserve the right to bear arms. I’ll end with good old Thomas Jefferson, “Those who would give up liberty to obtain safety, deserve neither.
interesting to note, america also has the hightest rate of incarceration in absolute and proportional numbers. maybe its the water down there.
Maybe your bitching about America/Americans is just sour grapes??
Or maybe the bitching could be a lack of grapes. haha
accually, Mission Hill winery right here in my home town has some world renowned wines. cant stand wine myself.
Damn I love wine, hook me up.
after you were mean to me, no way. im keepeing all that okanagan gold weed to myself as well.
first of all who cares about propper grammer this is a mma forum. very sad story i hope this guy gets it in jail….
I think we’re all forgetting that the guy shot his stepSON. How could anyone have the heart to shoot their own son, blood or not.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and family of Justin Eilers in this very difficult time.”
Mine as well. And with Mr. Malec and his family. I will reserve judgment until all the details come out. But if a big dude like that is in my house and won’t leave… I don’t know that’s a bad deal. I wouldn’t shoot the guy for that, but things can escalate. I’d like to read the police report. I also work in corrections and know that things are not always what they seem.
“And the quote “I don’t know, this happened, they thought I was going to kill everybody.” from Malec indicates to me at least, that HE was the problem, not Eilers. Why would the rest of the family think he was going to “kill everybody” if shooting Eilers was justifiable self defense?? Sorry, Malec is going to jail, booze and guns is not a good combination.”
- O Damn he got caught
EXACTLY!
Some of you are talking about ‘having the right to…’ and ‘being afraid for your life…’ etc etc. This is all theoretical BS and conjecture; it takes a real messed up person to walk to up to anyone (let alone your step-son) and shoot him in the chest point blank. I mean, WTF!?! And if someone doesn’t leave your house… NO, that doesn’t mean you should grab a gun and kill him!! -> Just my opinion though. Jeeeze.
As far as the ‘American bashing’, learn to take some criticism and don’t take things so personally. Every country has its issues, clearly this is one that the US has (not to say it doesn’t happen anywhere else, but in the US more often). Oh yeah, and to all of you English PHD’s, please feel free to correct my grammar! Really now, take it easy.
In the end this IS a tragedy, a needless death. Eilers’ family is going through some real tough time. And some of you have a really cruel streak in you. What’s next, are you guys going to say the people that got shot at Columbine deserved it because they teased the shooter too much? Wake the hell up!! IT IS NOT OK TO SHOOT PEOPLE!!! There are other ways to handle issues!
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and family of Justin Eilers in this very difficult time.” -> As do mine!
The fact that he is being charged with 2nd degree and not 1st degree tells us that he did not walk up and shoot the guy in the chest point blank. You are taking one statement from the police report and running with it. I’d like to see the whole thing before I pass judgement. So what they found alcohol in the house. Does that mean the shooter was drunk? It was a Christmas gathering. For all we know the Eilers was drunk and Malec was sober. If a big drunken UFC fighter is in my house slapping me around and he won’t leave after I’ve told him to several times, I might grab a gun too. I would have no intentions of shooting him for not leaving; but, maybe that would be the motivation he needed to move his ass. Listen I’m not trying to stand up for Malec. I don’t know either of these guys from Adam. But I’m just saying we don’t know the whole story. And also that Eilers’ family is not the only family that should be in your prayers.
Wow, ok, 1st degree is planned, 2nd is not(still has the intention to kill); the difference is ‘premediation’ and has nothing to do with what you commented on… learn the difference before you comment! Malec walked into the room and shot his step-son, what the hell are you talking about buddy???
Next, the point of the forum is to discuss and give opinions, we will see the whole thing eventually and find out the truth (at least part of it), but for now we’re all just giving our opinions, so lighten up!
Also, if you would pull a gun on someone (especially a family member), regardless whether or not you intend to shoot, then you have issues man!!!
Next, “And also that Eilers’ family is not the only family that should be in your prayers.” -> wtf is that supposed to mean? All I’m saying is I feel sorry for the family and the whole situation in general; this needless loss of life is tragic.
Finally, even if you have the right or power to do something doesn’t mean you should. This perhaps being one of those cases. When people like ‘wAyNe’ say things like “I might grab a gun too” I can see why comments like “You nutty Americans and your guns, grow up!” are made. Perhaps those of you on this site who are getting upset at ‘American bashing’ should be upset at guys like this who only fuel the fire of stereotyping instead of those making the comments based on the BS they read like from ‘wAyNe’.