Utah Man Who Killed His Wife on Cruise Ship off Alaska Found Dead in Prison Cell

A Utah man sentenced to 30 years in jail for beating his wife to death during a cruise was found dead inside his prison cell in Alaska last week.

New York Post reported that the Alaska Department of Corrections had confirmed the death of Kenneth Manzanares.

Utah Man Accused of Killing His Wife Found Dead Inside Prison Cell

Kenneth Manzanares was found unresponsive inside his prison cell around 7 a.m. on Wednesday, July 14, New York Daily News reported.

The 43-year-old detainee accused of killing his wife has been detained at the Lemon Creek Correctional Center in Juneau, Alaska.

Medical Staff and outside EMS reportedly worked on Manzanares for about 45 minutes, but to no avail. He was pronounced dead at around 7:42 a.m.

Police said the cause of his death appeared natural, adding that they did not suspect any foul play. The police further noted that the Utah man's death was not related to COVID-19.

In a statement, the Alaska Department of Corrections said that Kenneth Manzanares had been under their custody since July 2017.

The Utah man was convicted of second-degree murder in connection to the death of his wife, Kristy Manzanares, while aboard a cruise ship.

Officials underscored that Kenneth Manzanares' death is the seventh under the custody of the Alaska Department of Corrections this year.

Kenneth Manzanares Sentenced to 30 Years In Prison

Early last month, Kenneth Manzanares was sentenced to at least 30 years of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release.

He pleaded guilty in 2020 for fatally beating his wife on the Emerald Princess in front of their two daughters in 2017. U.S. Attorney Bryan Wilson for the District of Alaska labeled the Utah Man's crime as a "chilling neglect for human life."

Manzanares' committed the crime, while on a family vacation aboard the Emerald Princess cruise ship off Southeast Alaska in 2017.

During the trip, Kristy Manzanares allegedly told Kenneth Manzanares that she wanted a divorce and he should get off the cruise ship once they reached Juneau.

The Utah man asked their two daughters to leave the room, but they rushed back inside the room when the daughters heard their mother's scream.

The Utah man allegedly stopped his daughters' from going inside the room, but the daughters went to the connected balcony and witnessed their father straddling their mother on the bed. They also saw their father hitting their mom with his closed fist in the head.

One of Kristy Manzanares' brothers also saw Kenneth Manzanares dragging the victim's body towards the balcony while grabbing her ankles and pulling her back to the cabin.

Medical personnel tried to resuscitate Kristy Manzanares at the time, but to no avail. The prosecutors said the victim died due to a blunt force trauma in the head and face.

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written By: Joshua Summers

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