Justin Eilers Shot & Killed
by Robert Sargent
In a truly sad story, former UFC and EliteXC Heavyweight Championship title challenger Justin Eilers was found dead late on Christmas evening after a dispute led to Eilers's stepfather shooting him once in the chest with a large calibre handgun.
The dispute stemmed from an earlier argument between Eilers and his ex-girlfriend, and tensions escalated between Eilers and his ex-sheriff stepfather, James Robert Malec.
Eilers was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:36 P.M. Mountain Time. The cause of death was later determined to be a punctured lung and further trauma from the single gunshot, which exited through Eilers's back. Canyon County sheriffs arrived on the scene at 11:00 P.M. and found Eilers on his back in the living room, with Eilers's mother and ex-girlfriend attempting to stop the bleeding from the wound.
Initial reports suggested that the argument between Eilers and his ex-girlfriend led to his ex leaving the premises. Eilers was then asked to leave, but apparently refused and allegedly smashed a few glasses on the ground. Both Eilers and his stepfather, who served as a deputy sheriff from 1996 and 2000, had been drinking, and the situation became more heated.
Eilers's mother witnessed the shooting, while his ex-girlfriend and eight-year-old son did not, as neither was present at the time. It has been alleged that Eilers verbally challenged Malec before Malec produced the handgun and shot him.
Malec, 48, who possessed numerous other firearms in the house, was held at the Canyon County Jail on a $1 million bond.
Originally a middle linebacker for Iowa State's football team, Eilers joined the highly-regarded Miletich Fighting Systems team and attained a 19-7-1 record after debuting in mixed martial arts in November of 2002. He challenged Andrei Arlovski for the UFC Heavyweight Championship at UFC 53 in 2005, and Antonio Silva for the EliteXC Heavyweight Championship in 2008. Though Eilers came up short in both title bids, he was a very talented fighter and earned many fans over the years.
Justin Eilers was 30 years old.
