St. George man indicted in death of Kristy Manzanares on Alaska cruise

A woman found dead aboard an Alaskan cruise ship on July 25 was identified as 39-year-old Kristy Manzanares of St. George. Her husband, Kenneth Manzanares, has been indicted for her murder. | Composite photo, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A St. George man accused of killing his wife on a cruise to Alaska has been indicted for murder.

Kristy and Kenneth Manzanares, photo location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Kristy Manzanares Facebook, St. George News

A federal grand jury returned an indictment Wednesday charging 39-year-old Kenneth Manzanares with first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Kristy Manzanares.

The federal indictment, filed in the U.S. District Court in Juneau, was made public Thursday.

Kenneth Manzanares’ arraignment date had not yet been set, U.S. Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Chloe Martin said in a statement Thursday.

The couple had been traveling with family aboard the Emerald Princess last month on a weeklong cruise along the Alaskan panhandle.

Two days after the ship left Seattle, Washington, Kristy Manzanares was found dead in the couple’s cabin with a severe head wound, according to a criminal complaint by FBI Special Agent Michael L. Watson.

When the family member asked Kenneth Manzanares what had happened, he allegedly replied, “She would not stop laughing at me,” according to the complaint. He then allegedly grabbed his wife’s body and tried to drag her to the balcony, but a family member stopped him.

Read more: St. George resident on Alaskan cruise recounts night Kristy Manzanares was murdered

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.

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