Cruise ship passenger killed wife after she laughed at him
UNITED STATES: A man accused of killing his wife on Tuesday aboard a cruise ship off Southeast Alaska was caught trying to drag her body to the balcony of their blood-splattered cabin, according to an FBI criminal complaint.
Kenneth Manzanares, 39, of Santa Clara, Utah, has been arrested on murder charges in the killing of his 39-year-old wife, Kristy Manzanares, aboard the Emerald Princess.
A witness who entered the couple’s cabin before security guards that night told investigators that when he walked in he saw a woman lying on the floor covered in blood. A man had blood covering his hands and clothes, according to the complaint signed by Michael Watson, a special agent with the FBI.
When the witness asked Manzanares what happened, the complaint said, ‘‘Manzanares replied, ‘She would not stop laughing at me’.’’
Passengers said the couple were on the ship with a large group, including their children. The Manzanares’ former neighbours said the couple were celebrating an anniversary.
One passenger said a young girl from the couple’s room came running out, calling for help and saying her parents had been in a fight.
According to the complaint, the witness told investigators he saw Manzanares try to move his wife’s body to the cabin’s balcony overlooking the ocean. The witness then grabbed the woman’s ankles and pulled her back into the cabin, the complaint said.
Soon after, security and medical staff entered the cabin.
The victim ‘‘had a severe head wound and blood was spread throughout the room on multiple surfaces’’, the complaint said.
A security officer handcuffed Manzanares and put him in an adjoining cabin, according to the complaint.
Medical personnel pronounced Kristy Manzanares 9.20pm.
At 10.13pm, an FBI special agent received a telephone call from Holland America Group’s company security officer who told him that there ‘‘appeared to be a homicide onboard the cruise ship Emerald Princess’’, the complaint said.
The Emerald Princess left Seattle last Sunday for a sevenday, dead about round-trip cruise to Alaska, according to Princess Cruises.
At the time of the killing, the ship was in US waters roughly 10 kilometres from Forrester Island, which is about 80km south of Craig and just north of the Canadian border.
The ship cancelled a scenic cruise and went straight to Juneau, docking hours ahead of schedule. It was met by FBI agents and local authorities, said the cruise line.
The complaint said that ‘‘when Manzanares was being processed during a search by the FBI for physical evidence, he stated, ‘My life is over’.’’
Manzanares’ first court appearance was scheduled for yesterday in Anchorage. He was to appear by video conference from Juneau, according to court records.
Princess Cruises said the Emerald Princess left Juneau at 11.15pm on Thursday, continuing its scheduled cruise.
Passengers were refunded for missed shore excursions and each given $150 in onboard credit, according to a statement from the cruise line. – TNS