'Aggravating factors' cited in Washington murder charges

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A former Medford police officer and owner of a Roseburg powerboat company faces possible life in prison if convicted on first-degree murder charges for allegedly gunning down his former girlfriend Friday at a Washington beach city in front of police and other onlookers, authorities said.

Brian K. Brush, 47, is scheduled to be arraigned Friday afternoon in a South Bend, Wash., courthouse on three counts of first-degree murder for the shotgun slaying of Lisa G. Bonney, 45, a Pacific County prosecutor said this morning.

Each of the three charges allege "aggravating factors," any of which, upon a conviction, could lead to life in prison for Brush, who left the Medford Police Department 15 years ago and owned North River Boat Co. for the past 12 years.

One of the aggravating factors alleges that Brush was deliberately cruel when he pumped three shotgun blasts into Bonney along a beach pathway in front of several witnesses, according to court papers.

Another alleges that Brush's conduct was a domestic violence case involving deliberately cruel and intimidating behavior, and the third alleges that the murder essentially amounted to overkill, authorities said.

Prosecutor David Bustamante said this morning that his office still has an option of bumping the charge up to aggravated murder, which could lead to the death penalty upon conviction under Washington law.

But prosecutors now don't have enough evidence to support an aggravated-murder charge, Bustamante said.

"The charges we filed is the strongest case we can make," Bustamante said. "We're trying to be as careful as we can in this case. We don't want to charge something we can't prove."

Brush remained jailed today on $50 million bail. His arraignment was set for 1:30 p.m. Friday.

— Mark Freeman

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