SANTA ANA, California—A grand jury has indicted a US man on charges he strangled his ex-wife and tossed her off a cruise ship in Italy.
The Orange County Register says 55-year-old Lonnie Kocontes didn’t enter a plea 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. They were sharing a cabin on a 2006 cruise when she went overboard. Her body later washed ashore.
Italian police investigated but did not arrest Kocontes.
The latest investigation began after Kocontes began taking money from her accounts. He was arrested earlier this year.