The trial for a Utah man accused of killing his wife on a cruise ship in Juneau in 2017 has been pushed back again, in part because the defendant’s attorneys want to further evaluate his mental state.<\/p>\n
Attorneys for Kenneth Manzanares asked that the trial be moved from Nov. 5, 2018 to May 19, 2019, and the prosecution agreed, according to court documents. Manzanares is accused of murder in the death of his wife Kristy on a cruise ship in Juneau on July 25, 2017.<\/p>\n
In making the motion, Manzanares’ attorneys said discovery in this case is “voluminous and ongoing,” and need more time to make sure they have everything they need.<\/p>\n
In the motion, the defense attorneys also said they want more time to evaluate Manzanares’ mental history.<\/p>\n
“Mr. Manzanares’ mental state at the time is likely a critical fact for either a resolution or a trial,” attorneys wrote in the motion, “and the defense is ethically and legally obligated to conduct its own investigation into their client’s background for possible mental defenses.”<\/p>\n
In researching this, the attorneys wrote, they are working with experts from outside Alaska, which they wrote is a time-consuming process.<\/p>\n
At a hearing Thursday, Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy Burgess said he will consult his schedule for an exact start date in mid-May 2019 that works, but that it will likely be either Monday, May 13 or Monday, May 20.<\/p>\n
Federal Defender Rich Curtner, Assistant Federal Defender Jamie McGrady and Appointed Capital Counsel Mark Larrañaga are listed on the motion as representing Manzanares in the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Schmidt is prosecuting the case.<\/p>\n
Manzanares was indicted in August 2017 and pleaded not guilty at his arraignment. The Alaska U.S. attorney’s office filed a motion in November 2017 stating it will not seek the death penalty<\/a> in the case. Alaska does not have the death penalty, but the death took place in U.S. waters, making it a federal case, where capital punishment is legal. The cruise ship, the Emerald Princess, was about seven miles away from Forrester Island, the closest piece of land.<\/p>\n