Big Island police charged a 46-year-old Washington man with murder and other offenses in connection with the death of a 44-year-old woman at a Kohala Coast resort Monday night.

Howard Philip Zimmerman is being held on $320,000 bail onsecond-degree murder, kidnapping, first-degree terroristic threatening and second-degree criminal property damage charges for the death of Susan Brockert of Bellevue, Wash., who was registered with Zimmerman at the resort.

Zimmerman is scheduled to appear in court today to face the charges.

Police responded 11:18 p.m. Monday to an emergency call at a resort on North Kaniku Drive. Resort guests reported to resort employees they heard screams coming from a guest room. 

Resort security and staff rushed to the room where one of them saw a woman inside allegedly being hit on the head with an object, police said.

Employees called 911, got into the room and held the man until police arrived.

The woman was taken by firefighters to North Hawaii Community Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 12:23 a.m. Tuesday. An autopsy has been ordered to determine the exact cause of death.