A man has been arrested in southwest Florida on an outstanding murder warrant in the death of his ex-wife, who went overboard on an Italian cruise ship seven years ago, according to FOX News.
Lonnie Kocontes, 55, from California, was taken into custody by federal marshals and booked in the Pasco County Jail on Friday, where he is being held without bail, according to authorities. Kocontes was charged with one count of special circumstances murder for financial gain, according to Farrah Emami, a spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorneys office.
Micki Kanesaki, the ex-wife of Kocontes, fell into the Mediterranean Sea on May 26, 2006, from the cruise ship Island Escape while the ship was traveling from Sicily to Naples, according to the FBI. Her body washed up on shore the following day in Calabria, an area in southwest Italy.
Kanesaki had been sharing a cabin with Kocontes. They had divorced in 2002 after six years of marriage, but continued to live together in Mission Viejo, California, until 2005, according to court records.
The alleged murder occurred when Kanesaki left the cabin at about 1 a.m. to get a cup of tea, according to Andy Furlong, a spokesman for Island Cruises, the owner of the ship. Kocontes reported her missing after he woke up and couldn't find her, Furlong said.
Italian police boarded the ship and conducted an investigation, seizing records and videotapes, as well as gathering statements from the crew.
Kocontes strangled Kanesaki before throwing her body overboard, according to prosecutors.
In 2008, Kocontes began transferring more than $1 million from Kanesaki's bank accounts into joint accounts he held with his new wife. That led the FBI to launch an investigation and begin seizure efforts and a criminal probe, prosecutors said.
"I can't imagine what happened to her," Setsuko Kanesaki, Micki's mother, told the Orange County Register in 2006. "There's no reason to believe it was a suicide."
Extradition to California is being worked out. If convicted, Kocontes faces a minimum life sentence without parole and is eligible for the death penalty.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
