Friends seek closure in Moses Lake woman's death

Herald staff writers

MOSES LAKE - Pat Rinker hopes the hymn "Amazing Grace" will be played at her friend Elizabeth Bouvier's funeral.

"I hope if they have a decent funeral (for Bouvier), they'll play that song," Rinker said.

Bouvier enjoyed the song when she played it during their visits, Rinker said.

Bouvier, 39, died Sunday at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane after she was allegedly beaten by her boyfriend William M. Creek, 48, a Moses Lake electrician.

Rinker was a neighbor to the couple, who lived in a fifth-wheel trailer at Perch Point Resort. Rinker said she remembers when the couple moved to the mobile home park from Nevada about six or seven months ago.

They walked to Rinker's home and introduced themselves, Rinker recalled.

"He seemed like such a nice person," Rinker said of Creek. "A well-mannered kid."

The women became friends. Bouvier would walk to Rinker's home to drink coffee about four times a week.

Rinker said she listened to Bouvier over the months and learned a few snippets of her life. Rinker found out she has three children.

Rinker didn't have a photo of her friend, but described her as petite with brown hair and likely weighing about 115 pounds.

Bouvier was "always crying, always emotional, a very nervous person," Rinker said.

At night, Rinker claims there are times she heard the couple arguing, but she didn't think anything of it.

"She said 'Billy boy is really good to me,'" Rinker said. "She would tell me that."

Rinker said she received two phone calls from Bouvier on Saturday, the day Bouvier was allegedly beaten.

Rinker and Bouvier spoke during both phone calls, Rinker said. The first call was reportedly about Bouvier's concern about an eviction notice, Rinker said.

During Bouvier's second phone call, Rinker claimed the younger woman said she told her hello and said she missed her.

About 1:30 a.m. Sunday, Rinker claimed she missed a call from Bouvier. Bouvier's number showed up on her cellphone, which Rinker noticed hours later.

Bouvier was declared dead about 11:05 a.m. Sunday at Sacred Heart Medical Center, court documents state.

"It sure hurt the people that live here that heard about it," Rinker said.

A funeral would help Bouvier's friends with closure, but Rinker said she hadn't heard of a service.

Bill Tutino, 78, also lives at Perch Point Resort where Bouvier and Creek's travel trailer sits.

He said several people in the resort area befriended Bouvier.

"I was pretty close to her," Tutino said. "I miss her because she was friendly toward me."

He said when the weather was bad, Bouvier picked up his mail and brought it to him and visited with him. Tutino recalls Bouvier liked to talk about her family in Nevada.

When Tutino heard about Bouvier's death, it was Sunday morning and he was in bed. He was shocked because he remembered the couple acting lovingly toward each other.

He said several people in the resort will miss Bouvier and her thoughtfulness.

Creek is expected to enter a plea on Monday in Grant County Superior Court to a charge of first-degree manslaughter in Bouvier's death.

A witness told police it appeared Creek was on drugs or alcohol during the incident and police said Bouvier admitted to drinking about three or four beers, court documents state.

Creek's criminal history shows a charge in 2001 for inflicting corporal injury to a spouse, according to Albert Lin of the Grant County Prosecutor's Office.