A Utah man serving 30 years for the brutal beating death of his wife during an Alaskan cruise was found dead in his prison cell last week.

Kenneth Manzanares, 43, was serving his sentence at the Lemon Creek Correctional Center in Juneau, according KUTV, which cited the Alaska Department of Corrections. Authorities found Manzanares unresponsive at about 7:15 a.m. on Wednesday, and he was pronounced dead shortly afterward.

“No foul play is suspected. This death is not COVID-19 related,” a statement from the Department of Corrections said.

Manzanares was sentenced to 30 years in June after he pleaded guilty in February to savagely beating his wife, Kristy Manzanares, in front of two of their children while the family was on the Emerald Princess cruise ship in 2017, as CrimeOnline previously reported.

Kenneth, Kristy, their three daughters, and several members of Kristy’s extended family were aboard the ship on July 25, 2017, when Kristy and her husband argued over his behavior. Kristy told him she wanted a divorce and told him to get off the ship in Juneau and go back to Utah. Kenneth asked the children to go to an adjoining cabin, prosecutors said, and minutes later, Kristy began to scream.

The children tried to get back into the room, but their father ordered them to stay away. From an adjacent balcony, they saw their father punching their mother with his fists. Kristy’s brothers and father arrived and saw Kenneth dragging Kristy’s body toward the balcony. They intervened and brought her back to safety, but it was too late. Crew members responded moments later and were unable to revive her.

Kenneth allegedly told a witness soon after the attack that he killed Kristy because “she would not stop laughing at me.”

Manzanares’ death will be investigated by the Alaska State Troopers and the Medical Examiner’s Office, the Department of Corrections said.

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[Feature Photo: Kristy & Kenneth Manzanares/Facebook]