Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Long Beach, WA: Brush murder case: Shooting victim feared for her life Ex-owner of boat-building company arrested on murder charges

MARISSA HARSHMAN
THE NEWS-REVIEW,
The woman Brian K. Brush allegedly murdered in broad daylight Friday had filed a restraining order in late July, saying she feared Brush would kill her, according to court documents.

Lisa G. Bonney, 45, filed for a protection order July 29 following a violent outburst by Brush days before. According to documents filed with South Pacific District Court in Long Beach, Wash., where the victim lived, Brush broke a wine bottle on the counter near Bonney and smashed a wooden chair into the back of the sofa on which she was sitting.

“I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, he's going to kill me,'” Bonney wrote in the petition for a protection order.

The petition also lists four other incidents in which Brush “exhibited rage” and destroyed Bonney's property. In one incident in September 2008, Brush allegedly beat Bonney's car with a hammer and threatened to harm her with the tool, according to court documents.

In an e-mail written by Brush and submitted to the court in support of the protection order, Brush tells members of his family, Bonney and her children that he feels like he is out of control.

“I am scared, lonely, and I need help,” he wrote in the July 26 e-mail. “I can't control myself and my feelings of anger. I am out of control, and I have no idea why. ... I have crash landed.”

Brush goes on to ask for forgiveness from those in his family whom he has hurt.

“Why do I lie. Why do I hate myself. I know what I am doing is wrong but I can't stop,” he wrote. “... I want to change myself but I can't and this scares me.”

A letter written by Brush's ex-wife, Tammie Brush of Roseburg, was also submitted to the court in support of the protection order. In the letter dated July 29, Tammie Brush wrote that she filed for divorce from Brush when he threatened to kill her. Their divorce was finalized May 15, 2008.

“I truly believe that Brian Brush is capable of killing someone and that his rage is uncontrollable,” Tammie Brush wrote.

The court order prohibited Brush from coming within 300 feet of Bonney. Additional court documents show that Bonney had the restraining order dismissed Aug. 11.

Brush, 47, allegedly shot and killed Bonney in broad daylight Friday afternoon, in front of several witnesses and three Long Beach police officers, Long Beach Police Chief Flint Wright said.

Brush and Bonney were allegedly arguing on the Bolstad Beach Approach when she walked away. Brush then retrieved a shotgun from his truck, returned to the scene and shot Bonney three times, according to police.

Brush was charged with first-degree murder and is being held in Pacific County Jail in South Bend, Wash., on $5 million bail.

Bonney, 45, was raised in Long Beach and leaves behind two daughters, 18-year-old Elizabeth Bonney and 16-year-old Olivia Bonney.

Bonney worked as a real estate agent at Long Beach Realty for nearly two decades. One of her co-workers for the past 18 years, who asked that his name not be used, said Bonney had ended her relationship with Brush about a month ago.

“I wouldn't say they were off and on, I would say she left him about a month ago and he was unwilling to accept that,” the co-worker said.

Bonney's co-worker said she was outgoing, bright and a talented agent. Her death, he said, has shocked the small community.

“We're not a big city,” he said. “We're not used to this type of thing happening. We're not used to homicides period.”

Brush worked as a police officer for the Medford Police Department from June 1988 to July 1994, department spokesmen confirmed this morning. Brush left the department due to medical disability.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation accused North River Boats and Brush of committing wire fraud earlier this year, and various other lawsuits against him and his company are pending in several Oregon counties.

Brush is still the owner of the Roseburg-area business, North River Boats Inc., but Brush has no authority in the company; the state court receiver is in control of all operations, an employee said this morning. The Green production plant is still filling past orders and taking new orders, she said.

• You can reach reporter Marissa Harshman at 957-4202 or by e-mail at mharshman@nrtoday.com.


http://www.nrtoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090914/NEWS/909149995/1063/NEWS&ParentProfile=1055&


by Lisa Grace Lednicer, The Oregonian
Saturday September 12, 2009, 8:46 PM

Brian Brush, former owner of one of the region's leading builders of sport fishing boats, was arrested Friday in Long Beach, Wash., on murder charges.

Brush, 47, former owner of North River Boats of Roseburg, was being held at the Pacific County Jail Saturday night in lieu of $2 million bail.

Three Long Beach police officers saw a man shoot a gun into the grass near Bolstad Beach at 4:41 p.m. Friday. The officers approached the man, later identified as Brush. Police allege he threw the gun down and was taken into custody without incident.

Police identified the victim of the shooting as 45-year-old Lisa G. Bonney of Long Beach.

The factory was shut down for two weeks in March as the FBI investigated Brush, of Roseburg, on suspicion of committing wire fraud to exploit a credit line from a bank. The company is now under the supervision of a state court receiver. It is now under the supervision of a state court receiver.

No comments: