Husband who was sentenced last month to 30 years for beating his wife to death during an Alaska cruise in 2017, is found dead in his jail cell

• Kenneth Manzanares, 43, was sentenced last month for beating his wife, Kristy Manzanares, to death on an Alaska cruise in 2017
• The Utah couple were vacationing along with their three daughters and extended family when he murdered his wife
• A Department of Corrections spokesperson said no foul play was suspected in Manzanares' death, which took place at its facility in Juneau
• Manzanares was the seventh person to die in Alaska State Department of Corrections custody this year  

A Utah man who was sentenced to 30 years in prison last month in beating his wife to death on an Alaska cruise has died in prison.

Kenneth Manzanares, 43, who was convicted of murder in the 2017 killing of his wife Kristy, was found unresponsive in his cell in Juneau, Alaska Wednesday morning, according to the Alaska Department of Corrections. 

Life-saving measures were attempted but he was later pronounced dead, the department said.

Manzanares is the seventh person to die in the department's custody this year, according to the department, which said all deaths are reviewed by the Alaska State Troopers and state medical examiner's office. 

Betsy Holley, a department spokesperson, said by email Friday that information 'related to an inmate's medical condition is confidential,' but said no foul play was suspected in Manzanares' death.  

She said Manzanares was alone in his cell at the Lemon Creek Correctional Center in Juneau when he was found by officers at around 7am.

The department said the death was not Covid-19 related. 

He was awaiting transfer to a federal facility. 

Manzanares pleaded guilty last year to second-degree murder in the beating death of his wife, 39-year-old Kristy Manzanares of Santa Clara, Utah, on a 2017 Alaska cruise. 

The murder took place when couple, their three daughters and extended family were vacationing aboard the Emerald Princess and the two go into an explosive argument in their room and Kristy told her husband she wanted a divorce.

Court Judge Timothy Burgess announced his sentencing decision on June 1, slamming Manzanares' crimes violent and brutal.  

The 43-year-old had sought a far more lenient 7 1/2 year sentence, citing bipolar disorder and brain abnormalities.

His attorneys said in a court filing he had brain abnormalities that a defense expert deemed consistent with injuries caused by playing contact sports.

This, combined with what was at the time an undiagnosed bipolar disorder and 'a problematic combination of prescribed medication and alcohol resulted in an aberrant episode of violence,' the filing states.

Manzanares played football, wrestled and boxed when he was younger and had a history of 'testosterone supplementation,' the filing stated.

But Burgess said there was competing evidence offered about Manzanares' culpability and that experts had failed to show what factors led to the crime, leading the judge to slap him with a 30-year sentence.

The plea agreement Manzanares signed allows for an appeal of 'the reasonableness' of the sentence.

Jamie McGrady, a federal public defender representing Manzanares, said an appeal would be filed, claiming the judge ignored scientific evidence.

Prosecutors, who had asked the judge to sentence him to life in prison, welcomed the decision.

Acting US Attorney Bryan Wilson of the District of Alaska said in a Justice Department release that the murder was 'not a random act of violence but a chilling neglect for human life.'

'While today's sentence will not bring Kristy back to her family and friends, we hope it provides a sense of justice for this heinous crime and brings some closure to those who knew and cared about her,' he said.

Prosecutors had sought a life sentence, describing graphically in court documents and arguments the beating that was witnessed in part by two of the couple's children.

They had disputed the defense's medical claims and described Manzanares' actions as the intentional actions of a domestic abuser.

Assistant US Attorney Jack Schmidt sought to paint Manzanares as a bully who has had anger issues, and the act as triggered by his wife saying she wanted a divorce on the night she was killed.

Prosecutors also said Manzanares had admitted restraining his wife in the past and punching holes in walls.

The judge had heard from several of Kristy's family members prior to the sentencing.

Kristy's father Jeff Hunt asked the judge Wednesday to send his daughter's killer to prison for the rest of his life, saying he hoped Manzanares 'gets what he deserves.'

Two of the couple's daughters also spoke. One of their daughters Kamryn Manzanares closed her statement to the court by telling her father she loved him.

Manzanares' attorneys said in court filings while his children hold him responsible, 'they also understand that his impairments played a major factor in the events that occurred, and they have already lost one parent.'

The court also heard from Manzanares who broke down in tears saying he loved his daughters and wife and describing Kristy as his 'soul mate.'

He said he was sorry for murdering her and hoped over time he could be forgiven.

Kristy's brother Cody Hunt walked out of the courtroom before Manzanares spoke.

The family, including her father and two brothers, set off on the cruise on July 24 2017 to celebrate Manzanares and Kristy's 18th wedding anniversary.

On July 25 - the night after they set sail - the couple got into a verbal argument inside their cabin, according to his admissions in the plea agreement.

Two of their daughters were inside the cabin at the time.

The argument came about over Manzanares behavior that evening.

During the fight, Kristy told her husband she wanted a divorce and told him to get off the ship in Juneau and travel back home to Utah.

At this point, Manzanares told their two daughters to leave the room and they both went into an adjoining relatives' cabin.

A few minutes later, the daughters heard their mom screaming from the cabin and tried to get to her but were told by their father 'don't come in here.'

They went to the connected balcony and saw their father straddling their mother on the bed while pounding her head with closed fists.

As other members of the family arrived on the scene, one of Kristy's brothers saw Manzanares dragging her body toward the balcony to try to throw her overboard.

The brother grabbed his sister's ankles and pulled her back into the cabin.

Ship security arrived on the scene and tried to perform life saving measures but she was pronounced dead minutes later.

Manzanares admitted he struck his wife with a closed fist, saw blood and struck her a second time but said he had no memory after that point.

An autopsy determined she had died from blunt force trauma to her head and face.

Manzanares told security officers he snapped and beat his wife to death because she 'would not stop laughing at me.'

Crew and passengers onboard the ship said they initially believed the grisly scene was part of that night's murder mystery entertainment.

One passenger told local outlet St. George News at the time that she heard an urgent announcement over the ship's intercom at around 9 pm and believed it to be part of the Sherlock Holmes-themed event.

'It's kind of ironic because we were at a Sherlock Holmes murder mystery dinner on the ship – not a dinner, it was a play – and the captain, or one of the crew members, came on the intercom and said, 'We need all medical and security to come to Deck 9,' said Natalie Beckstrom.

'He sounded a little breathless as he was talking.'

Manzanares was arrested and held in federal custody from the date of her murder.

He initially pleaded not guilty in August 2017.