A man and his Wife were aboard a Princess Cruises ship in Alaska when he allegedly killed her. Court documents state that he told the witness who found them that he killed her because she would not stop laughing at him.
According to ABC News, the man is Kenneth Manzanares and his wife was identified as 39-year-old Kristy Manzanares, from Utah. Court documents also revealed that the two had a domestic dispute before the killing but details about what they were fighting about remain unknown. They were also celebrating their anniversary, which is why they went aboard the Cruise Ship.
Neighbors of Kenneth and Kristy said they were shocked to hear about the news because they seemed like the perfect American family.
Details about the killing
The incident took place at around 9 p.m. after medical personnel and security with Emerald Princess responded to a distress regarding Kenneth near the bloodied and lifeless body of Kristy. They were inside their cabin identified as D726.
Per the affidavit detailing Kristy’s injuries, she reportedly suffered from a severe head wound. A witness saw Kenneth and Kristy’s lifeless body and that was when the suspect blurted out that the victim would not stop laughing at him. Even after the witness saw him, Kenneth reportedly dragged the victim’s body towards the cabin’s balcony in an attempt to throw her off of the ship.
The witness was able to grab the ankles of the victim and brought her back inside the cabin, CBS News shared.
When Kenneth underwent an FBI evidence search, he reportedly uttered “My life is over.” Accordingly, other family members related to Kenneth and Kristy were aboard the cruise ship. Their children were with them and one of their kids, a daughter, said that her parents were in a fight so crews rushed to the cabin of the couple.
Kristy and Kenneth were high school sweethearts and have been married for more than 20 years.
Kristy remembered as loving mother, great employee
Kristy worked at the Summit Sotheby’s International Realty back in Utah. The company said that Kristy was a “dedicated and loving mother who juggled her business schedule” in order to prioritize her kids.
Her family, on the other hand, told KTUU that they are devastated over the loss of Kristy as she “led by example with her giving heart.” She also taught her kids to be kind and optimistic. The family will now focus on taking care of the kids she left behind.
If Kenneth is found guilty regarding the charges against him, he faces the maximum punishment of life in prison or death penalty.
The ship, which carried 3,400 passengers and 1,100 crew members departed from Seattle last Sunday for a week-long cruise. The rest of the trip will continue as scheduled.
