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Posted: Thursday, December 13th, 2012 9:12 AM HST

Man gets life in prison for murdering girlfriend

By Associated Press

KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii (AP) — A man who beat his girlfriend to death in a hotel on the Big Island has received a life sentence. Philip Howard Zimmerman was sentenced Tuesday for second-degree murder and kidnapping in the death of 44-year-old Susan Brockert at The Fairmont Orchid hotel in South Kohala last year. The life sentence plus another 20 years for kidnapping means that the 47-year-old Zimmerman will never be eligible for parole. A housekeeper testified that he saw Zimmerman hit his girlfriend with a large piece of granite from the room's coffee table. Third Circuit Court Judge Ronald Ibarra at sentencing described the murder as especially brutal and heartless.