Juneau, Alaska • Attorneys are asking a federal judge to delay until next May the trial for a Utah man accused of killing his wife on a cruise to Alaska last summer.
Attorneys for Kenneth Manzanares, 40, of Santa Clara, filed a written motion Friday asking that the trial date be pushed from November until May 2019. They say prosecutors do not oppose the request.
Manzanares’ attorneys say the extra time is needed to go through extensive discovery and to complete their own investigation.
They say Manzanares’ mental state at the time of his wife’s death on July 25 will likely be a key issue and that they are ethically obligated to conduct their own investigation into his background “for possible mental defenses.”
Manzanares has been charged with murder in the death of his wife, Kristy Manzanares. He has pleaded not guilty. In November, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said it would not pursue the death penalty.
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