Scott Leon Wilkins

WARSAW — “He left her. He recklessly killed her and left her for dead. Alone to burn. Scott Wilkins walked away from the inferno that claimed a life. He ran, he hid, he tried and covered his tracks. His friends helped him.”

This was part of the opening statement of Karin McGrath, deputy prosecuting attorney, in the case against Scott L. Wilkins, 37, 136 N. Main St., Milford. The jury, in Kosciusko Superior Court III, began hearing the state’s case against Wilkins on charges of causing a death when operating a motor vehicle with an ACE of .15 or more, failure to stop after an accident resulting in a death and reckless homicide. The charges stem from the Dec. 27, 2014, accident which claimed the life of Kami L. Ellis, Nappanee. Ellis was 27.

The accident occurred on CR 1350N, north of Milford.

Prosecution painted a picture of their case. The couple leaving The Tap in Nappanee, high speed driving, the crash and the force which sent the engine 200 feet away from the vehicle. McGrath also described what the couple living next to the accident saw and heard. “When the fire was out, a horrifying discovery was made. A body burnt beyond recognition,” said McGrath.

Her painting ended with how Wilkins hid in the shadows of buildings across the street from his residence, how he cleaned up and told his friends he messed up, messed up big time. He ran again, having a friend pay cash and using a false identity for a hotel room. The final strokes were the results of a blood test indicating marijuana in his system.

Mark Caruso, attorney for Wilkins, painted a different picture. “… the way they tell the story is not really what happened.” Caruso said his client consumed three beers but no alcohol was found in his system and his client remembers seeing a deer in the roadway. He lost control of the vehicle. The next thing he remembered is waking up in an irrigation ditch. He does not remember how he got home or to the hotel.

Caruso stated, “it was a tragedy for the Ellis family and for her (Kami’s) twin sister. I can’t image the feeling. Scott will be living with this the rest of his life. He doesn’t know how he got home or to the hotel.”

The woman accused of aiding in Wilkins “hiding” is a former EMT. Caruso raised the question, why wouldn’t she call police or seek treatment? “No one knows how he got from the scene despite use of heat sensors.”

Testimony Begins

Testimony was heard from Rick Ellis, father of the victim; Arlen and Bera Jean Lehman, Neal A. Helmuth, Tamara S. Bruner and Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Deputy Mike Fowler.

Ellis verified a photograph was of his daughter, Kami. The last time he saw her alive was Dec. 26.

The Lehmans, Helmuth and Bruner, residents within a short distance from the crash site, testified what they heard and saw that morning. While Arlen Lehman was not allowed to tell exactly what he heard the man screaming, he described what he heard. “It’s not something I want to hear again,” he stated. What he heard caused him to tell his wife to lock the door behind him when he went to make the call. “It was not a help me type (scream). It was unreal,” he stated.

The Lehmans both testified the crash caused their home to shake, awakening them. “It was like an explosion. It shook the whole house,” stated Bera Jean Lehman. While the defense asked her testimony of the words heard from the screaming person be stricken, the judge, Joe Sutton, allowed the statement. Bera Jean Lehman stated it was a horrible scream, but not  a “get me out of here” scream. She stated at first she did not hear the words, but her daughter stated the words were “come on let’s go, come on let’s go.” She also testified she saw the person run towards the burning vehicle and back to the road two to three times.

Helmuth, two doors west of the Lehmans, stated his wife woke him after hearing the crash. Opening the front door, they heard screaming. He grabbed a pair of binoculars as he saw a fire and thought it was a neighbor’s home. However, he saw the fire was beyond the residence. He also observed a figure running up the road toward his home. Then it disappeared.

Bruner’s testimony was similar to the Lehman’s and Helmuth’s. She heard the loud bang and thought a train hit something. She could see a bright light and hear screams for help. She drove to the scene, also calling 911 and saw a car on fire, but could no longer hear the cries for help or see a person. She testified walking around the car with the first officer at the scene and finding a pair of tennis shoes and searching for a potential victim.

Fowler was one of the first officers at the scene. His questioning focused on the length of time it took him to arrive at the scene after the call was received, what he saw, what was found and how Wilkins was determined to have been at the scene.

All witnesses were questioned if they heard sirens and saw emergency lights on response vehicles. They were also asked if their residences could be seen from the road. Numerous photos from the scene were submitted as evidence along with a GIS aerial map of the area. The Lehmans, Helmuth and Bruner each marked their residences in relation to the scene.

Testimony ended for the day at 5:35 p.m. The prosecution will resume calling witnesses at 9 a.m. Tuesday morning.