Man to be tried in girlfriend’s death in hot tub

ELKO -- A Utah man accused of drowning his girlfriend in a West Wendover hotel hot tub has been bound over for trial in Elko County District Court.

Ernest Simkins, 64, of Sandy, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Bonnie Jolin, 56, a cocktail waitress at the Rainbow Casino in West Wendover along the Utah line.

She was found dead in a hot tub in a room at the nearby Peppermill Hotel and Casino on April 25.

Simkins told police that he drank heavily with Jolin and then fell asleep after giving Jolin a massage. He said he couldn't remember parts of the night and awoke with a cut above his eye to find his girlfriend floating in the hot tub.

An autopsy found that Jolin drowned while heavily under the influence of alcohol. She had bruises on her head, torso, buttocks, hand and knees.

Friends said they did not notice bruising the night before she died.

District Attorney Gary Woodbury argued in court that it would be difficult for the woman to drown in a hot tub without someone forcing it.

Deputy Public Defender Andrew Mierins said there was no evidence to show Simkins caused the injuries. He noted Jolin's alcohol content was excessive enough that she could have passed out and drowned.