Discrepancies are being heard in testimonies from witnesses in the five-day jury trial for Scott Wilkins.
On Tuesday, Robert Emmerick, Wilkins’ roommate at the time of the accident, and Vicki Simmons, the woman charged with aiding Wilkins later that night, both testified in Kosciusko County Superior Court 3 before Judge Joe Sutton. Emmerick, Milford, was Wilkins’ roommate in December 2014. He worked at the Turf Bar, where he met Wilkins.
Wilkins, 37, of 136 N. Main St., Milford, crashed a Nissan 350Z Dec. 27, 2014, and left Kami Ellis, 27, Nappanee, to die in the burning vehicle. He was charged with reckless homicide, leaving the scene of an accident causing injury and causing death when operating a motor vehicle with a schedule I or II substance in the blood.
Emmerick told the court that he was at Turf Bar Dec. 27, 2014, when Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department deputy Jim Smith and Milford Deputy Marshal Derek Kreider entered the bar and questioned him about Wilkins. He told the officers that he had not seen Wilkins since earlier the previous day. Emmerick took the officers to his apartment to check that Wilkins was not there. The officers told him that Wilkins had been in an accident and to let them know if he appears.
According to Emmerick, he went back to Turf Bar for a short amount of time. He then returned to his apartment, “Curious if Scott was there,” he said. When he entered the hallway outside the apartment, he saw Simmons and a neighbor, who told him Wilkins was inside. Emmerick entered the apartment and found Wilkins in the shower. Emmerick told Karin McGrath, prosecuting attorney, that Wilkins was muddy and covered in bruises. There was a pile of clothes outside the shower, riddled with mud and blood.
Emmerick said that Wilkins was saying, “get me out of here,” and appeared to be badly injured. Then he helped Wilkins get dressed and Simmons helped him exit the building. Emmerick could not remember precisely whether he helped Wilkins walk to Simmons’ car or not. Wilkins and Simmons then drove away in her car.
Simmons, 62, Catherine Street, Milford, was woken up the night of Dec. 27, 2014, at 2:30 a.m. by police. Officers told her that Wilkins had been in an accident and that her car, a 2007 Nissan 350Z, which Wilkins was driving, was totaled and Kami Ellis, 27, died in it. Simmons told the officers she had not seen Wilkins.
She told the court Tuesday that she could not fall back asleep so she paced the floor in her apartment distraught. She then went to Wilkins’ apartment to see Emmerick. According to Simmons, when she was entering the hallway to their apartment, she heard Emmerick yell, “I got rid of the cops.” He then exited the apartment, stating that he couldn’t handle seeing the injuries. Simmons then entered the bathroom and saw Wilkins in the shower.
Simmons, a longtime volunteer EMT in Milford, thought that Wilkins’ arm was broken and could see that his ankle was badly swollen. Wilkins told her that he remembered falling down and passing out a lot. Emmerick helped Wilkins get dressed, and Simmons put him in her car and drove away.
At this point, Wilkins told her to take him to a motel. She took Wilkins to the Holiday Inn Express in Warsaw. Wilkins waited in the car while Simmons checked into the hotel. Wilkins told her to pay with cash, not give her I.D. and to use a fake name. McGrath provided a copy of the receipt with Simmons signature as “Valerie Miller.”
Simmons drove around the hotel to be closer to the room, as she knew Wilkins could not walk and could not be seen. While the two were in the hotel room, KCSD came to the door. Simmons let them enter and speak to Wilkins. He was then transported to Kosciusko Community Hospital.
KCSD deputy Shane Bucher testified that he found Wilkins and Simmons in the hotel room after dispatch produced an “attempt to locate” for Simmons’ vehicle.
The trial began today at 9:30 a.m. with Wilkin’s attorney, Mark Caruso, questioning witnesses.
