Jim Burleson in his former store, King's Furniture in the 'M' Mountain Mall, which burned to the ground July 3, 2005.
This poster promoted the October 2006 cage fight event in Tucumcari, in which Burleson was scheduled to fight Jason Pacheco. Burleson stands accused of killing Pacheco in a fight Thursday.
At a previous cage fighting event, Burleson in the ring with victor, Richard Montano.
Burleson in front of his temporary retail site on California Street after the 'M' Mountain Mall fire.
Burleson in front of the gutted remains of the 'M' Mountain Mall.
The 'M' Mountain Mall on fire July 3, 2005. Burleson was purchasing the building when the blaze hit.
Burleson is the former owner of the ‘M’ Mountain Mall, Game Zone, SocorroISP and King’s Furniture, among other businesses. Burleson lost all his businesses, except for his Desert Xtreme business that promotes cage fights, when the ‘M’ Mountain Mall burned to the ground July 3, 2005.
While he was in Tucumcari promoting a cage fight, Burleson allegedly shot and killed a fellow fight promoter who had attacked him. Police initially considered the death a homicide and are still investigating. However, no charges have been filed against Burleson.
According to a Tucumcari Police Department statement released by Police Chief Larry Ham, Albert Jason Pacheco Jr., 31, was fatally wounded following a fight in front of the VFW building on Main Street in Tucumcari.
According to Ham’s statement, Pacheco and several of his friends attacked Burleson in front of the VFW hall at 7:43 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1. Burleson, who now lives in Los Lunas, was in Tucumcari to promote and stage Desert Xtreme Blood Match, a cage fight event featuring eight matches.
Burleson was standing by his car when Pacheco and his friends attacked him, according to the police.
The police report, which did not identify Burleson, said a witness at the scene of the fight told police that “several men got out of a car and attacked another man who was next to his parked vehicle.”
The witness saw Burleson get knocked down, heard sounds consistent with gunfire, and saw the men then run to a small white passenger car and drive away.
The sold-out Tucumcari event, scheduled for the next night at the convention center, was cancelled, Burleson said.
Pacheco was not one of the fighters in the Desert Xtreme Blood War cage match.
“None of the others with him were scheduled to fight either. They had no reason to be there other than to beat me up and probably kill me,” Burleson said.
The investigation has been turned over to the New Mexico State Police, who interviewed Burleson on Tuesday.
As of Wednesday no charges have been filed against Burleson.
“I’ve been told by police that I was the victim of a violent crime that ended poorly for the perpetrator,” he said. “From the onset five guys were beating me and shooting at me.”
Burleson and Pacheco have a patchy history. The two rival promoters were scheduled to fight each other October 7, 2006, but Pacheco backed out, according to several Internet sources. On October 10, 2006, Burleson posted a scathing and profanity-laden diatribe about Pacheco being a coward and fabricating excuses to avoid fighting Burleson on his myspace.com Web site.
Neither Tucumcari police nor Burleson indicated that his Web rant had any relation to the cause of the fight. After the shooting, Pacheco was transported to the hospital in a private vehicle.
While officers were securing the fight scene, officers at the hospital learned that Pacheco was being treated for a gunshot wound. Pacheco later died.
“The man attacked told police that several men attacked him as he was getting from his vehicle and that he reached into his vehicle and grabbed a gun and fired up over his shoulder,” the report stated.
Burleson told the Mountain Mail that five men attacked him on the street outside the building where fighters were weighing in.
He said Pacheco was one of the men, and that they started beating him.
“It [the shooting] was purely self-defense. I was in fear of my life,” Burleson said. “I knew they were serious. I thought I was a dead man.”
He saito some of the beating by the car door, while he reached into his car for the pistol that he said he carries for self defense.
Burleson said he fired twice, hitting Pacheco in the chest area. Pacheco and the other men then ran toward their car, Burleson said. He said two shots were fired at him as the men left.
Immediately after the shooting, Burleson called 911.
Burleson said he voluntarily accompanied Tucumcari officers to the police station, where he was questioned. Police impounded his car briefly, then escorted him out of town.
District Attorney Ron Reeves said no charges will be filed until the state police conclude the investigation.
“It’s a complicated case,” Reeves said. “The status is that we don’t know.”
Just two weeks earlier, Burleson staged a successful cage fighting event in Los Lunas that featured several Socorro fighters.
