Inset: Edwin Loder (Shrider-Thompson Funeral Home). Background: James Lawrence during his sentencing hearing for killing Loder in Montana (KPAX).
A Montana man will likely spend the rest of his days behind bars for murdering another man because he was jealous the 67-year-old victim received millions in a land inheritance.
James Phillip Lawrence, 72, was sentenced to 50 years for deliberate homicide and 10 years for tampering with evidence in the death of Ed Loder. The sentences will be served concurrently. He pleaded guilty in April.
According to a probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, the investigation began when Loder went missing on Sept. 4, 2024, from his home in Polson, which is about 70 miles north of Missoula. Deputies with the Lake County Sheriff's Office found blood near his home, along with his eyeglasses and at least five 9 mm shell casings.
During a search of his home, deputies discovered a will that named Loder the beneficiary of 80 acres of land adjacent to his property after the death of the landowner. It was worth millions. The will also named Lawrence as a partial beneficiary, but he and his wife were only to receive $5,000 each. Cops learned that there were some people who felt they were "entitled" to a larger share.
Through surveillance footage and cellphone data analysis, investigators identified Lawrence as the suspect. They determined Lawrence's red Chevrolet pickup truck was in the area at the time of the murder, which detectives believed was around Aug. 30, 2024.
Upon questioning, Lawrence admitted to killing Loder.
"I'm toast anyways I guess, so, yeah I did it," he reportedly said. "I just got him."
The now-convicted murderer explained to detectives the dispute about the will. He accused Loder of going to the landowner's "death bed with a lawyer and tricked her into signing a will" that benefited the victim and stiffed him. However, detectives later learned that the deal with Loder had been in place for two or three years.
Lawrence explained he became angry at Loder and shot him dead, though he was unsure of how many times he fired. He then loaded the victim's body in his truck and drove him to Jacko Canyon, where he ditched the remains. On Sept. 6, 2024, Lawrence led detectives to the location of the body.
He was arrested and taken to jail, where he's been ever since.
At sentencing, prosecutors said the killing was premeditated, while Lawrence's defense attorney argued it was a crime of passion, according to a courtroom report from local CBS affiliate KPAX. The judge gave the defendant the maximum sentence allowed.
The victim's son Greg Loder described his father's impact on the community to the judge.
"Ed spent his life helping people around him, the quiet way he made people's lives easier. He was the center of our family and a beloved fixture of the valley," he said.