In the early morning hours of October 12, 2021, the quiet of an Oldtown, Idaho community was shattered by gunfire. Responding to a reported shooting in the 500 block of Silver Birch Lane around 6:30 a.m., deputies from the Bonner County Sheriff's Office and emergency medical personnel arrived to a grim scene. They found 48-year-old Donald Bush, a White / Caucasian male, suffering from gunshot wounds.
Despite immediate life-saving efforts, his injuries proved fatal, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into the homicide quickly focused on a single suspect, Eric Loren Benzo, who was 46 at the time. A witness at the scene, Rebecca Ahlers, identified Benzo as the shooter. Ahlers had a prior romantic relationship with Benzo and was involved with Bush at the time of his death, establishing a volatile connection between the three individuals. Authorities immediately issued a first-degree murder warrant for Benzo, warning the public that he was considered armed and dangerous and was believed to be driving a dark-colored or bronze Dodge truck.
A manhunt for Benzo ensued, concluding two days later on October 14, 2021, when he was apprehended by authorities in Washington state. He was subsequently extradited back to Bonner County to face charges for the murder of Donald Bush. In May 2022, after a five-day trial, a jury found Eric Loren Benzo guilty of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison for his crime. Benzo later appealed his conviction, but the Idaho Court of Appeals affirmed the guilty verdict, ensuring he would remain behind bars for the death of Donald Bush.
