Indian River County - Wednesday May 1, 2023: Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers has announced the arrested of 65-year-old Eugene Bain for the January 15th murder of 73-year-old Dave Schultz, a homeless Army vet who was widely known in the County as 'Hippie Dave.'
On the morning of January 16th this year an IRCSO Deputy found Schultz dead under the awning at Stone Brothers Funeral Home in Gifford. Schultz frequently slept there he had permission from the funeral home, said Sheriff Flowers during a Wednesday news conference.
Schultz had been stabbed to death, "multiple times." Schultz's scooter, cell phone, and backpack were gone.
Within hours after finding Schultz's body, using technology that allowed them to track a cell phone's location, IRCSO Detectives were led to an old packing house on Old Dixie Highway. Inside, they found Eugene Bain, holding Schultz's cell phone.
When Bain was arrested, hours after Schultz's body was found, he had only been out of prison and on the street for 33 days, said the Sheriff. "He had done six years in prison for burglary," explained Flowers. Bain has 21 felony convictions and has served 13 terms in prison, he said.
Initially, Bain denied having anything to do with Schultz's murder. The evidence on the day of his arrest, January 16th, allowed Bain to be booked into the county jail on charges of trespass and failure to register. That kept him locked up until March 25th, while IRCSO Detectives gathered more evidence.
Surveillance video from the night of January 15th, before his arrest and before Schultz' body was found, was discovered. The video (seen below) shows Bain carrying Schultz's backpack and holding Schultz's cell phone in his hand.
"Underneath his fingernails was blood. We sent that off to the lab," said the Sheriff. "DNA shows that the blood that was under his fingernails was the blood of Hippie Dave Schultz."
Bain had to be released when his trespassing term was up on March 25. He was then hospitalized for a number of medical issues. The investigation continued.
Finally, this past Tuesday in the hospital, after Bain was questioned in the hospital multiple times, he admitted killing Schultz.
"He confessed to this murder, he said I snapped," said Flowers. "But we know exactly what happened out there. This guy, he's a killer. He's been a killer his entire life. He's done other murders," said Sheriff Flowers.
Bain has been charged with murder and he is on a no bond hold.
Sheriff Flowers said his office will be reaching out to other jurisdictions with the evidence they have gathered. He believes that the IRCSO, and other law enforcement agencies, he will be able to close a number of old cold cases as a result of Bain's arrest.