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Man kills wife on cruise 'because she would not stop laughing at me'

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A US man has been charged after he allegedly killed his wife while on a cruise, and told a witness he did it because she wouldn't stop laughing at him, the FBI said.

The man was caught trying to drag her body to the balcony of their blood-splattered cabin, according to an FBI criminal complaint.

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Man kills wife on cruise

Utah man Kenneth Manzanares has been charged with killing his wife aboard an Alaskan cruise. He allegedly told an acquaintance he did it because she wouldn't stop laughing at him.

When a witness asked 39-year-old Kenneth Manzanares what happened, he said, "She would not stop laughing at me," according to the complaint signed by FBI Special Agent Michael Watson and filed in federal court.

Manzanares, of Santa Clara, Utah, was arrested on Wednesday after the Princess Cruises ship docked in Juneau. He was charged with murder, the US attorney's office for the district of Alaska announced on Thursday.

Manzanares and his wife, 39-year-old Kristy Manzanares, were aboard the Emerald Princess, which departed Seattle on Sunday on a round-trip, seven-day cruise to Alaska.

Passengers told CBS News that the couple was on the ship with a large group, including their children. Their former neighbours told CBS that the couple was celebrating an anniversary.

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The cruise ship left Ketchikan around 3pm on Tuesday, according to the cruise line. About six hours later, Kristy Manzanares was dead.

The complaint filed by the FBI said witnesses entered the Manzanareses' cabin on Tuesday night before security arrived and found Kenneth Manzanares with blood covering his hands and clothing.

A passenger in a nearby room told CBS that a young girl from the couple's room ran out, calling for help and saying that her parents had been in a fight.

One witness told investigators that when he walked into the room, he saw a woman lying on the floor covered in blood, the complaint said.

The witness said he saw Manzanares trying to move his wife's body to the cabin's balcony overlooking the ocean, according to the complaint. The witness then grabbed the woman's ankles and pulled her back into the cabin, the complaint said.

Soon after, security and medical staff entered the cabin.

The victim "had a severe head wound and blood was spread throughout the room on multiple surfaces," the complaint said.

A security officer handcuffed Manzanares and put him in an adjoining cabin, according to the complaint.

Medical personnel pronounced Kristy Manzanares dead around 9:20pm.

The complaint said that when the FBI searched Kenneth Manzanares for physical evidence, "he spontaneously stated, 'My life is over.'"

Manzanares made his first appearance in federal court via video link on Thursday afternoon. Sporting a bushy beard and wearing an orange jumpsuit, he occasionally wiped his eyes with a tissue as he answered the judge's brief questions.

Assistant US Attorney Jack Schmidt told Manzanares that he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison or the death penalty, and a maximum fine of $250,000.

Tribune Content Agency

Originally published on smh.com.au as 'Man kills wife on cruise 'because she would not stop laughing at me''.