Murder suspect waives preliminary hearing
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CHALLIS — The suspect accused of murdering and burying a Challis man waived a preliminary hearing Monday.
The case against 36-year-old Benjamin J. Savage will now move to district court and Savage will be arraigned Wednesday.
Savage is charged with first-degree murder for the death of Charles “Charlie” McBride in February. He was the last known person to see McBride alive.
According to court documents, Savage called and told told law enforcement where McBride’s body was.
“He stated that on February 25, 2019, he and Charles McBride went to work together at the Powell property,” according to the affidavit of probable cause. “When they arrived at the location, Mr. McBride went to work on the woodpile, and Mr. Savage went to work in the shop.”
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While working in the shop, Savage told investigators he heard “a loud bang” and came outside to see what was happening. Court documents say Savage told detectives he found a woman by the woodpile and Savage saw “Charlie McBride had been shot and was deceased.”
It’s not clear what Savage did after he saw that McBride was dead, or what happened to the woman Savage claimed was also at the worksite. But during the phone conversation, court documents indicate Savage told Sheriff “Stu” Lumpkin that McBride’s body was buried on the property where they had been working.
Investigators discovered McBride’s body on March 24, burned and buried in the Morgan Creek Drainage.
Savage was arrested on March 31 and charged with first-degree murder.