POLSON — The Lake County Attorney's Office has filed deliberate homicide charges for the death of a Ronan man who had been reported missing. A large inheritance may have been the motive behind the murder, prosecutors said.
James Phillip Lawrence, 70, is also charged with tampering with evidence in the shooting death of 67-year-old Ed Loder whose body was found in the Twin Lakes/Jocko Canyon area outside of St. Ignatius on Sept. 6.
An extensive investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies led investigators to believe that Loder had been killed.
Prosecutors state in court documents that a blood trail, at least five bullet casings, and bloody eyeglasses were found along a section of Timberlane Road.
Lake County Sheriff Don Bell previously stated that Lawrence had cooperated with the investigation, which led to Loder's body being found.
According to court documents, Lawrence waived his Miranda rights and told investigators, "I'm toast anyways I guess, so, yeah I did it."
Investigators learned of a possible financial motive in the case involving a land dispute stemming from an inheritance of property that is estimated to be worth millions of dollars, court documents show.
Lawrence could face a sentence of up to life in prison if he's found guilty on the deliberate homicide charge.
