The man who is accused of killing his wife on an Alaskan cruise ship will not have a preliminary hearing, his lawyer said Thursday.
Kenneth Manzanares, 39, waived his right to the hearing, and will appear before a federal grand jury the third week of August, according to defense attorney Jamie McGrady.
The Santa Clara man was taken into custody by the FBI on July 26 after allegedly beating his wife to death on an Alaskan cruise ship, while the couple was vacationing with their three daughters.
He was charged with murder in U.S. District Court for Alaska for the death of 39-year-old Kristy Manzanares.
Medical and ship security personnel found Kristy Manzanares dead of a severe head wound at 9:03 p.m. on July 25, according to charging documents, which added that blood was spattered around the cabin and on the hands and clothing of her husband.
A witness told FBI investigators that when he asked Kenneth Manzanares what happened, he replied, “She would not stop laughing at me.”
Prosecutors said Manzanares had attempted to drag his wife‘s body toward the cabin’s balcony, but a witness pulled her back in as security officers arrived.
A spokeswoman for the Santa Clara-Ivins police told The Tribune in July that there were no records of officers responding to the Manzanares home.
The couple’s three daughters — who range in age from 13 to 22 years old — were not injured, and are back in Utah with family members. Details about what they may have seen were not contained in the charging documents.
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