Utah Man Gets 30 Years for Killing His Wife on Cruise Ship off Alaska

By Joshua Summers First Posted: Jun 04, 2021 04:06 AM EDT

A family trip quickly turned into a horrific incident after a Utah man beat his wife to death on a cruise ship off Alaska.

Because of the heinous crime, the Utah man was sentenced to at least 30 years of imprisonment on Thursday, June 3.

According to an NBC News report, suspect Kenneth Manzanares pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2020, for killing his wife, Kristy Manzanares, in 2017.

Utah Man Gets 30 Years in Prison Over Wife's Murder

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office District of Alaska, the sentence of 30 years imprisonment will be followed by five years of supervised release.

Acting U.S. Attorney Bryan Wilson for the District of Alaska noted that the crime was not a random act of violence, but a "chilling neglect for human life."

"We hope it [sentence] provides a sense of justice for this heinous crime and brings some closure to those who knew and cared about her [Kristy Manzanarez]," Wilson said.

Fox News reported that Kenneth Manzanares pleaded guilty in February 2020 to second-degree murder in connection to the death of Kristy Manzanares while aboard the cruise ship, Emerald Princess.

"The FBI worked tirelessly, with the support of our partners, to seek justice for Kristy," said Rober Britt, a special agent in charge for the FBI Anchorage Field office. Britt added that the "lasting impact and trauma" Kenneth Manzanares caused to the family of his wife can never be erased.

Kenneth Manzanares Murders Wife on a Cruise Off to Alaska

The Utah man reportedly argued with his wife while they were on a family vacation aboard the Emerald Princess cruise ship off Southeast Alaska in 2017.

Kristy Manzanares, her two daughters, and Kenneth were inside the cabin on July 25, when the married couple argued about the Utah man's behavior that night.

Kristy Manzanares allegedly told Kenneth Manzanares that she wanted a divorce and that the Utah man should get off the cruise ship once they reached Juneau. Kenneth Manzanares asked their two daughters to leave the room. But when the daughters heard their mother's scream, they rushed back inside the room.

The Utah man allegedly stopped his daughters' from going inside the room. But the prosecutors noted that the daughters went to the connected balcony and witnessed their father straddling their mother on the bed and hitting her with his closed fist in the head.

Furthermore, one of Kristy Manzanares' brothers saw the Utah Man dragging the victim's body towards the balcony while grabbing her ankles and pulling her back to the cabin.

The prosecutors said the victim died due to a blunt force trauma in the head and face. The 43-year-old Utah man was arrested on July 26, 2017. The prosecutors noted that he was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment without parole.

WATCH: Utah Man Sentenced for Killing His Wife Aboard Cruise Ship - From FOX 13 News Utah