Alaska Cruise Victim Was Killed During Murder Mystery Trivia and People Thought It Was Make-Believe: Passenger
Some passengers on the Alaska-bound cruise on which a Utah woman was allegedly murdered by her husband thought the killing was make-believe, and part of a musical Sherlock Holmes-themed murder mystery trivia program, one passenger told Inside Edition.
Kristy Manzanares, 39, was found on July 25 on the floor of her cruise ship cabin with blood “spread throughout the room on multiple surfaces,” according to a federal arrest affidavit obtained by PEOPLE. Some passengers reportedly heard screams coming from the cabin and thought it was part of the show.
A Princess Cruises spokesperson tells PEOPLE there was a “music murder trivia” game going on that evening. The passenger, Vic Simpson, told Inside Edition that when some passengers heard the commotion of the killing, “most people thought it was just part of the dramatic effect of what they were doing,” Simpson told the outlet.
Shortly after 9 p.m., Emerald Princes security officers found Kristy’s body and her husband, Kenneth Manzanares, allegedly covered in blood, according to the federal court documents obtained by PEOPLE.
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The death was the result of a “domestic dispute,” Princess Cruises said in a statement.
According to the affidavit, a witness told security he went into the couple’s cabin at 9:03 p.m. and saw the gruesome scene. When he saw Kenneth Manzanares with blood on his hands and clothing, he asked what happened, to which Manzanares allegedly replied, “She would not stop laughing at me.”
Manzanares then allegedly grabbed his wife’s body and dragged it towards the cabin’s balcony. The witness told security that he himself grabbed Kristy’s ankles and pulled her back inside the cabin. Soon after, security arrived.
A passenger onboard the ship told KTVA his wife saw Manzanares sit on the balcony railing as if he was going to jump. Hours later, while being processed by FBI agents, Manzanares allegedly said, “My life is over.”
Manzanares has not yet made an initial court appearance, the FBI spokesperson says. It was not immediately clear if he has retained an attorney.
The ship set off from Seattle on Sunday on a week-long trip but was diverted to Juneau, Alaska, where it docked hours early as a result of the incident, CBS News reports. The Emerald Princess boat was carrying 3,400 passengers and 1,100 crew members, according to CBS.
On Thursday, friends and family mourned the mother on social media, describing her as loving, intelligent, and hardworking.
“Kristy was a smart, kind, beautiful woman that had so much to live for. She had three beautiful daughters that she loved more than anything,” a friend wrote on a GoFundMe page launched to help with funeral expenses. “Everything she did was for the girls.”
