SANTA ANA, Calif.— A California grand jury has indicted a Florida man on charges he strangled his ex-wife and tossed her off a cruise ship in Italy.
The Orange County Register (http://bit.ly/1bP1wIl ) says 55-year-old Lonnie Kocontes, of Safety Harbor, Fla., didn’t enter a plea at his arraignment Monday. He was indicted Friday on a charge of murder for financial gain.
He’ll try to have the case dismissed at a June 26 hearing, arguing that local authorities lack jurisdiction to prosecute.
Kocontes and 52-year-old Micki Kanesaki were divorced but had lived together on and off in Mission Viejo. They were sharing a cabin on a 2006 cruise when she went overboard. Her body later washed ashore.
An investigation began after Lonnie Kocontes began taking money from her accounts. He was arrested earlier this year.
Source: Associated Press
