San Francisco: A man killed his wife on an Alaska-bound cruise ship because “she would not stop laughing” at him, the media reported on Saturday.
Kenneth Manzanares, 39, was charged with murdering his wife after he was found with blood on his hands and clothes, and with blood spread throughout the cabin on a Princess Cruises ship on Tuesday night, Xinhua news agency cited a complaint by the FBI as showing.
Kristy Manzanares, 39, had a severe head wound, authorities said, declining to give further details.
The couple planned to celebrate their wedding anniversary on the 3,080-passenger Emerald Cruise that left on Sunday from Seattle to Alaska for a seven-day trip.
Kristy was found dead when the cruise ship was travelling between Ketchikan and Juneau in Alaska.
Passengers went into the couple’s cabin before medical workers and security officers had arrived and saw the women on the floor covered in blood, according to court documents.
Someone asked Manzanares what happened and he said: “She would not stop laughing at me.”
A ship security officer handcuffed Manzanares and while the FBI searched him, he said: “My life is over.”
Manzanares made his first court appearance on Thursday by teleconference from Juneau, where he is in custody.
He appeared to be crying at times before the hearing.
Bail has not been set and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for August 10.
Manzanares has no criminal history, according to online Utah court records.
Kristy, who was a real estate agent in St. George at Utah, was “a dedicated and loving mother who juggled her business schedule to make her children the top priority”, according to a statement from her company.
A statement from Kristy’s family said she was “a devoted mother, daughter, sister and friend”.
–IANS