Boise MMA fighter shot to death in Nampa home

BY BETHANN STEWART AND MIKE PRATER - sports@idahostatesman.com

Published: 12/27/08


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Boise mixed martial arts fighter and former Iowa State football player Justin Eilers was shot to death at a home in Nampa on Thursday night.

Eilers, 30, died of a single gunshot wound to the chest, Canyon County Coroner Vicki DeGeus-Morris said. James Robert Malec, 48, of Nampa, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder late Thursday, according to the Canyon County Sheriff's Office.

Eilers was a 1996 graduate of Nampa High, where he played football and wrestled.

"He was one of the best. ... He had a lot of respect in the area, definitely one of the best to ever come out of Boise,'' said Brandon Shuey, 32, who lived with Eilers in Boise and owned the gym, Team Hardcore, where Eilers trained.

Shuey, 32, said Eilers' ex-girlfriend, his mother and his 7-year-old son, Tyson, were inside the home at the time of the shooting. Malec had a relationship with Eilers' mom, Shuey said.

Eilers appeared in 27 MMA fights, including some with the UFC, the highest level of the sport. He appeared on local cards at Qwest Arena in Downtown Boise and at the Idaho Center in Nampa, where he last appeared locally in April.

Eilers' last fight was on a national card in July, part of a prime-time doubleheader on Showtime and CBS.

"He once fought for the heavyweight championship of the world. He did a lot of community work with us, refereeing and judging. He was a good guy, a really good guy,'' said Kasey Thompson of Eagle-based Knockout Promotions, which promotes the MMA shows at Qwest Arena.

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