$2 million bail for Bellevue man arrested in Hawaii in death of Bellevue woman | UPDATE

Published 2:13 pm Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Bail was set at $2 million for a  46-year-old Bellevue man charged with the murder of a woman staying with him at a resort in Hawaii.

Philip Howard Zimmerman was charged with murder, kidnapping, and terroristic threats against 44-year-old Susan Brockert, also of Bellevue. Zimmerman will be back in court June 7, where a hearing will be conducted to decide whether or not he qualifies for a public defender.

Zimmerman was arrested after staff at the resort on the Kohala Coast witnessed him hitting Brockert in the head with an object, according to a press release from the Hawaii Police Department. She died after being taken to the North Hawaii Community Hospital just after midnight May 24.

Autopsy reports released Saturday showed that she was killed by blunt force trauma to the head and neck.

Police were called at 11:18 p.m. May 23 after several calls of possible domestic violence from other guests. Guests heard screams from the room. Resort staff and security attempted to restrain the man, but the damage was done.

Brockert and Zimmerman were registered together at the resort.