Second suspect arrested in death of Ed Loder

A second suspect in the death of Edwin Loder, 67, is in custody at the Lake County Jail.

Jonathan Michael Drennan-Beck, 30, of St. Ignatius, was arrested May 6 and booked into the jail on felony charges of conspiracy (deliberate homicide) and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence. James Lawrence, 70, was arrested last September after an extensive investigation.

According to court records, Lawrence allegedly shot and killed Loder, a resident of Ronan, sometime on Aug. 30, 2024. A possible motive emerged because Loder was named the beneficiary of the estate of his neighbors, Ward and Mary Mendenhall.

The case began when Lake County Undersheriff Ben Woods responded to a report of a missing person on Sept. 4, 2024. Blood was identified in an area east of Loder’s residence on Timberlane Road in Ronan.

At least five 9mm shell casings were located near the blood and a pair of bloody eyeglasses were found in a ditch nearby. Lake County Search and Rescue members immediately began to search the area on horseback, foot, and with the use of drones. The search ended around 11 p.m. that night.

Investigators also searched Loder’s residence and found a will that named Loder as the beneficiary of the Mendenhall estate, including 80 acres of land adjacent to Loder’s property. Debra and James Lawrence were each bequeathed $5,000 from the estate, but allegedly believed they were entitled to much more.

The investigation that followed included analyzing data from Loder’s cellphone to determine when and where he may have been taken. That information, coupled with coinciding camera footage from area businesses and private property, helped investigators locate Loder’s whereabouts somewhere near Arlee and identify a possible suspect in his disappearance.

A red Chevy pick-up was also identified in the footage and traced to Lawrence. A detective with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office obtained a search warrant and executed it at Lawrence’s residence on Blue Jay Lane in Polson. Lawrence was taken into custody as a result.

During questioning, Lawrence allegedly admitted to killing Loder, saying in part, “I’m toast anyways I guess, so, yeah I did it … I just got him.” When asked where he put Loder’s body, he stated, “up in the Jocko.”

While admitting he shot Loder with his 9mm, he was unsure of how many times, or where he shot the victim.

Lawrence went with detectives to the Jocko Canyon and showed them where he disposed of the body, which was recovered about 1:30 p.m. Sept. 6, 2024.

Lawrence maintained that he acted alone. However, investigators pointed to the shadow of a possible passenger in the red truck and, at one point, could see that whoever was sitting in the passenger seat kept adjusting the windshield visor.

Data from both cellphones of Lawrence and Drennan-Beck were analyzed. Cellebrite – a digital intelligence platform used in investigations – indicated that Drennan-Beck deleted much of his phone activity between himself and Lawrence. The two were in communications because Lawrence was going to loan Drennan-Beck some tools.

Lawrence had also stated that Drennan-Beck was going to join him to scout for elk during the time Loder’s body was moved from Timberlane Road to the Jocko area. The data also show Drennan-Beck’s phone was inactive for three hours and nine minutes between 8:50 a.m. and 11:59 a.m. the day Loder was murdered.

The charging documents speculate that it would be “extremely difficult for a single individual, especially a 70-year-old man, to pick-up a body from the ditch and load it in the back of a truck, without help.”

Drennan-Beck is 30 years old, 6’4” and 240 lbs. Records also show Drennan-Beck with convictions for assault with a weapon and criminal endangerment for shooting a gun at an occupied home and a later burglary conviction.

Investigators also say they recovered DNA of Drennan-Beck that link him to the charges he is facing.

His bond is set at $250,000 for the probation violation; no bond is set on the homicide charge.