A southern Utah man beat his wife to death, creating a grisly scene in a cabin of a cruise ship off the Alaskan coast, because she was laughing at him, authorities say.
Kenneth Ray Manzanares, 39, of Santa Clara, was taken into custody by the FBI in Juneau on Wednesday. The victim was identified as Kristy Manzanares, also 39, of Santa Clara.
Passengers told CBS News that the couple had been traveling with a large troupe that included their children.
In an affidavit filed with U.S. District Court in Anchorage, FBI Special Agent Michael Watson said security and medical personnel on board the Emerald Princess ship found the victim dead, likely murdered, on the floor of the Manzanares cabin at 9:03 p.m. Tuesday.
Medical personal pronounced her dead, apparently from a "severe head wound." Blood was discovered "throughout the room on multiple surfaces," and on the hands and clothing of Kenneth Manzanares, Watson wrote.
A witness also reported that when he entered the room and asked the husband what had happened, Manzanares replied, "She would not stop laughing at me."
The affidavit further states that after saying that, Manzanares attempted to drag his wife's body toward the cabin's balcony. The witness said he thwarted the effort by pulling the woman's body back into the cabin as security officers arrived on the scene.
Watson wrote that later, when being processed during a search of the cabin by FBI agents in Juneau, Manzanares "spontaneously stated, 'My life is over.' "
No further details were contained in the criminal complaint, and during a Thursday afternoon news conference FBI officials declined to provide more information than was in the complaint.
Manzanares, who remained in federal custody, was scheduled to appear in federal court by video conference from Juneau later Thursday, The Associated Press reported.
The slaying allegedly occurred as the cruise ship was roughly midway through its weeklong excursion to Alaska, having sailed out of Seattle on Sunday.
Efforts to reach Manzanares' family and friends for comment Thursday were not immediately successful.
Kristy Manzanares worked for Summit Sotheby's International Realty in St. George, which issued a statement Thursday saying she had been "a trusted advisor and valued sales associate."
"Kristy's talents, integrity, and passion for the real estate brokerage business will be missed by all, not only in St. George, but throughout the state of Utah," the statement said. "Kristy was a dedicated and loving mother who juggled her business schedule to make her children the top priority. We will miss Kristy's vibrant personality, welcoming smile, kind heart, and compassion for everyone she met."
A spokeswoman for the Santa Clara-Ivins Public Safety Department said there are no records indicating that officers had been called to the Manzanares home.
Princess Cruises stated Thursday that the ship had been on a seven-day, round-trip cruise. It was en route to the Tracy Arm Fjord but was forced to divert direct to Juneau to meet FBI agents.
Eight hours later, after investigators arrested Manzanares and cleared the crime scene, the ship continued on to Skagway. Manzanares was being held Thursday in the Lemon Creek Correctional Center in Juneau, said FBI spokeswoman Staci Feger-Pellessier.
The Emerald Princess was carrying 3,400 passengers and 1,100 crew members. The ship docked in Juneau on Wednesday morning.
The FBI said it is required to step in when such deaths occur in international or U.S. waters.
— Reporter Tiffany Frandsen contributed to this story.
