KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii (AP) — A Washington state man accused of beating his girlfriend to death at a Hawaii resort has been found mentally fit to stand trial.
A judge this week ruled 46-year-old Philip Howard Zimmerman can go to trial in the May 23 murder of 44-year-old Susan Brockert.
West Hawaii Today (http://bit.ly/A9Y1Ll ) reports trial is scheduled for Aug. 7.
The case was on hold pending mental health examinations. A psychologist and two psychiatrists each found him mentally fit to proceed.
The couple from Bellevue, Wash. were vacationing at The Fairmont Orchid in South Kohala. A housekeeper testified at Zimmerman’s preliminary hearing that he saw Zimmerman hit Brockert with a large piece of granite from the room’s coffee table.
Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty and remains held without bail.
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Information from: West Hawaii Today, http://www.westhawaiitoday.com
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