She Said She Wanted a Divorce. Then, a Cruise Ship Nightmare

A family vacation took a terrible turn aboard a Princess Cruises ship, and now the legal repercussions continue for one of the vacationers. Fox 13 reports that 42-year-old Kenneth Ray Manzanares has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the killing of his wife, Kristy Manzanares, during a cruise to Alaska on the Emerald Princess in July 2017. Per a release from US Attorney Bryan Schroder, representing the District of Alaska, the ship was in US territorial waters near Juneau on July 25, 2017, when, according to court documents, the Manzanareses got into an argument in their cabin after Kristy said she wanted a divorce, with their daughter and a minor child present. Per records, Kenneth Manzanares told his daughter and the child to go to another family member's adjoining room, which they did—until they heard Kristy Manzanares screaming.

"They both ... attempted to reenter the cabin using their room's adjoining door when Kenneth told them, 'Don't come in here,'" the release notes, adding that the two then went onto the connecting balcony and said they saw Kenneth Manzanares beating Kristy Manzanares' head with his closed fists. When Kristy Manzanares' brothers and father got to the scene, they said they saw Kenneth Manzanares dragging Kristy Manzanares' body to the balcony; one of her brothers pulled her back inside the cabin. Ship medical staff was unable to revive her, and it was later determined she died of blunt force trauma to her head and face. Kenneth Manzanares could face life in prison, have to pay a $250,000 fine, or both. He has remained in federal custody since his arrest on July 26, 2017. (More murder stories.)