Last Monday, a 46-year-old Washington man was arrested in connection with the murder of his girlfriend at a Hawaii resort.

The man, who has a history of domestic violence and other related charges, now faces a charge of second-degree murder, which could lead to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The man's ex-wife had apparently filed for divorce back in 2009 shortly after he began his relationship with the victim, who was a mother of two. His ex-wife said he had told her of the turmoil in his new relationship, which was broken apart and put back together a number of times over its course. The couple had apparently obtained a marriage license in January.

The murder reportedly took place when the man accompanied his girlfriend on a work-related function in Hawaii. According to Hawaii County Police, the couple was registered at a resort on Big Island and had planned to stay there for the duration of the trip. On Monday night, resort employees had apparently received several calls from other guests who heard screaming. One employee of the resort responded to the calls and entered the couple's room to find the man beating his 44-year-old girlfriend over the head with an unidentified object. Police arrested the man and his girlfriend was taken to the hospital, where she died from multiple blunt-force and sharp-force trauma to her head and neck.

The man is now charged with second degree murder. Sources say the man also has a history of harassment, domestic violence, and cyber-stalking arising from his divorce from his ex-wife. His ex-wife had apparently obtained a restraining order against the man during their contentious divorce.

New sources said the man's preliminary hearing was postponed on Tuesday when the he said he could not afford to hire an attorney.

Source: The Seattle Times, "Tourist charged with murder wants public defender," Associated Press, 31 May 2011.