Murder on Emerald Princess

[trbarton]

Tom, thanks for the courage to share such an incredibly personal and emotional story. I give good hugs - consider yourself hugged!

 

Thanks for your hug. Hug received.

Tom😀

[coopco]

After reading many posts I feel a need to explain my situation.

All hugs are welcomed.

Tom

 

Sending a big hug your way. Thank you for sharing such a personal story. I'm glad to hear you got the support you needed and it sounds like you are doing well. I wish you all the best.

[crochetcruise]

After reading many posts I feel a need to explain my situation.

After being single for many years I met the love of my life in my middle 60ies.

Something happened that caused my wife to snap, neither myself or her family never saw any danger signs, & I'm fortunate to be alive, experiencing one night of terror. Of course she was arrested and found guilty. When she was sentenced she was in tears & apolligized for what she had done to me & her family. It was painful 😖 to go to all of the court proceedings & see my wife in handcuffs along with her family dealing with what had happened. Her daughters work place were very accommodating & allowed her time off for all of the court proceedings.

She was sent to state prison for evaluation & they determined that she should be returned to do local time, which is what I asked for, so she could near her family. Otherwise she would have been sentenced to state prison, away from family.

After being released, I was told she was a model prisoner, she took her own life. Do I wish things could have been different, I sure do. It was horrible for her daughter to come home & find her mother dead.

 

Just taking a shower & concerned that someone would come in & attack me took time for me to deal with.

I was fortunate to have friends from my Senior Center & my Odd Fellows Lodge to give me support & offer any help that I needed. I also received help with someone to talk with from Kaiser.

I also had a cousin who, when he heard about my near death experience, flew down & stayed with me to make sure I was OK & helped me move things into a storage locker until I could find a new place to live.

Realize that there can be situations where, like myself, there was no danger signs. Everything seemed normal.

Hearing what happened onboard the ship brought back memories of what had happened to me & how lucky I am to be alive.

This is the first time I have ever explained in public what I went through through in hopes that it might help other people.

All hugs are welcomed.

Tom😎

 

Unlimited cyber hugs to you Tom (if I may be so informal?)

[abbydancer2003]

I

Realize that there can be situations where, like myself, there was no danger signs. Everything seemed normal.

Hearing what happened onboard the ship brought back memories of what had happened to me & how lucky I am to be alive.

This is the first time I have ever explained in public what I went through through in hopes that it might help other people.

All hugs are welcomed.

Tom😎

 

And yet another hug coming your way. Thank you for for sharing, and I wish you all the best.

[cruisehappy001]

After reading many posts I feel a need to explain my situation.

All hugs are welcomed.

Tom

 

Thanks for your courage in sharing! I hope to meet you on a cruise some day.:D

 

EDIT: I just remembered that you have cruised with my Aunt Sharon and Uncle Murray on the SA Cruise at the beginning of the year!

 

Happy Cruising!!!

 

Mark

Edited August 1, 2017 by cruisehappy001

[pablo222]

Pointing out studies that have not been done is not bashing.

 

You didn't just quote a study. This is what you wrote about people expressing 'thoughts and prayers':

 

It's just something people say so they can feel better; most never take the time to offer an actual prayer. But golly, they feel good about themselves.

[Aquahound]

Of course all of this is speculation as we don't know all of the facts and evidence but I was responding to the poster that said they could plea deal and I don't think there is basis for that.

 

I've been working in the federal system for many years and I can count on one hand how many of my cases have actually gone to trial. And those few cases only went to trial because of a stubborn defendant who didn't accept any pleas. Plea deals aren't offered because of holes in cases. They're offered because no one wants to go to trial. Trials are costly, can be very stressful on the family and the truth is, witnesses sometimes get cold feet. Even the most aggressive of prosecutors doesn't want to put teenage girls on the stand to testify against their own father. Even the biggest slam dunk of a case can get very unreliable when you have family testifying against their own.

 

But again, I'm only speculating....but its based on my experience. I'm certain he'll be offered a plea (or 2), and I'll be very surprised if he actually takes this to trial.

[A&L_Ont]

All hugs are welcomed.

Tom😎

 

Tom, virtual hugs have been sent.

[whatcruiseisnext]

The

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[beckntom]

 

But again, I'm only speculating....but its based on my experience. I'm certain he'll be offered a plea (or 2), and I'll be very surprised if he actually takes this to trial.

 

The voice of reason once again, and it makes perfect sense to me.

 

On a different note, thanks go to Tom for sharing a difficult story. Hugs to you.

[Krazy Kruizers]

After reading many posts I feel a need to explain my situation.

After being single for many years I met the love of my life in my middle 60ies.

Something happened that caused my wife to snap, neither myself or her family never saw any danger signs, & I'm fortunate to be alive, experiencing one night of terror. Of course she was arrested and found guilty. When she was sentenced she was in tears & apolligized for what she had done to me & her family. It was painful 😖 to go to all of the court proceedings & see my wife in handcuffs along with her family dealing with what had happened. Her daughters work place were very accommodating & allowed her time off for all of the court proceedings.

She was sent to state prison for evaluation & they determined that she should be returned to do local time, which is what I asked for, so she could near her family. Otherwise she would have been sentenced to state prison, away from family.

After being released, I was told she was a model prisoner, she took her own life. Do I wish things could have been different, I sure do. It was horrible for her daughter to come home & find her mother dead.

 

Just taking a shower & concerned that someone would come in & attack me took time for me to deal with.

I was fortunate to have friends from my Senior Center & my Odd Fellows Lodge to give me support & offer any help that I needed. I also received help with someone to talk with from Kaiser.

I also had a cousin who, when he heard about my near death experience, flew down & stayed with me to make sure I was OK & helped me move things into a storage locker until I could find a new place to live.

Realize that there can be situations where, like myself, there was no danger signs. Everything seemed normal.

Hearing what happened onboard the ship brought back memories of what had happened to me & how lucky I am to be alive.

This is the first time I have ever explained in public what I went through through in hopes that it might help other people.

All hugs are welcomed.

Tom😎

 

 

Hugs from me!!

[san diego sue]

To Tom:

I am so sorry to hear of your wife's tragic end. We met both of you on the Princess 50th anniversary cruise.

She was quite a dancer(and you too) and we enjoyed watching her energy.So sorry she is no longer with you but hopefully you will remember the good times with her not the terrible night.

We have met you on other cruises too. Keep enjoying life as I know you will. You have such a wining personality,

and hopefully there is a wonderful companion out there for you.

Good wishes to you.

 

[Host CJSKIDS]

I've been working in the federal system for many years and I can count on one hand how many of my cases have actually gone to trial. And those few cases only went to trial because of a stubborn defendant who didn't accept any pleas. Plea deals aren't offered because of holes in cases. They're offered because no one wants to go to trial. Trials are costly, can be very stressful on the family and the truth is, witnesses sometimes get cold feet. Even the most aggressive of prosecutors doesn't want to put teenage girls on the stand to testify against their own father. Even the biggest slam dunk of a case can get very unreliable when you have family testifying against their own.

 

But again, I'm only speculating....but its based on my experience. I'm certain he'll be offered a plea (or 2), and I'll be very surprised if he actually takes this to trial.

 

There was an absolutely horrific case in my town of Naples. I knew Guerline (wife) fairly well and it was truly one of the worst crimes ever. Mesac Damas killed his wife and 5 young children. This was in 2009 and it still hasn't gone to trial to be finished. At this point, he doesn't even want it to. Plea deals have even been discussed this situation. Trial is scheduled for this September finally, 8 years later. For her family to have to go through this and see the horrible pictures is something that I just can't imagine. If only a plea deal could be reached to spare everyone.

[bridedoll1026]

all hugs are welcomed.

tom😎

 

{{{{{hugs}}}}}

[Aquahound]

There was an absolutely horrific case in my town of Naples. I knew Guerline (wife) fairly well and it was truly one of the worst crimes ever. Mesac Damas killed his wife and 5 young children. This was in 2009 and it still hasn't gone to trial to be finished. At this point, he doesn't even want it to. Plea deals have even been discussed this situation. Trial is scheduled for this September finally, 8 years later. For her family to have to go through this and see the horrible pictures is something that I just can't imagine. If only a plea deal could be reached to spare everyone.

 

Yeah....don't even get me started on the state system and their seemingly endless continuances. I'm so glad to be away from that process. It's very fortunate that this case on the Emerald is federal.

[Rigby the Dog]

I've been working in the federal system for many years and I can count on one hand how many of my cases have actually gone to trial. And those few cases only went to trial because of a stubborn defendant who didn't accept any pleas. Plea deals aren't offered because of holes in cases. They're offered because no one wants to go to trial. Trials are costly, can be very stressful on the family and the truth is, witnesses sometimes get cold feet. Even the most aggressive of prosecutors doesn't want to put teenage girls on the stand to testify against their own father. Even the biggest slam dunk of a case can get very unreliable when you have family testifying against their own.

 

But again, I'm only speculating....but its based on my experience. I'm certain he'll be offered a plea (or 2), and I'll be very surprised if he actually takes this to trial.

 

Exactly. Going to trial is a crapshoot.

[tonit964]

Do you have extensive experience in the legal system? Do you have experience in prosecution of homicides? Questions not intended to be confrontational. I don't think anyone has enough information here to speculate about anything related to the case or its adjudication. Let's follow what is made public and observe. I have no preconceived notions about what will or will not happen. Nor do I believe I necessarily even know many relevant facts that would lead me to an informed understanding of the case from a legal standpoint.

 

Sent from my SM-N910V using Forums mobile app

 

No, I don't, and I never claimed to have. This is just my opinion, in this discussion thread, on what has been reported and what I do know about the legal system. Then again, we all know how wrong the legal system can be.

[Mr. Muster]

After reading many posts I feel a need to explain my situation.........

 

Realize that there can be situations where, like myself, there was no danger signs. Everything seemed normal.

Hearing what happened onboard the ship brought back memories of what had happened to me & how lucky I am to be alive.

This is the first time I have ever explained in public what I went through through in hopes that it might help other people.

All hugs are welcomed.

Tom��

 

 

Tom:

 

Thank you for sharing with us your story. I am so glad you had family and friends to help you throughout it all. Your courage to speak publicly about this for the first time here on the CC board is a testimony to the trust you place in this community. Thank you for including me into such an honorable and respectful group of friends. Not only hugs come your way, but a double: "Toot-Toot!! Toot-Toot!!" for you, too!

 

 

Cheerio, Dearies!!!

Edited August 1, 2017 by Mr. Muster
typo

[tonit964]

I've been working in the federal system for many years and I can count on one hand how many of my cases have actually gone to trial. And those few cases only went to trial because of a stubborn defendant who didn't accept any pleas. Plea deals aren't offered because of holes in cases. They're offered because no one wants to go to trial. Trials are costly, can be very stressful on the family and the truth is, witnesses sometimes get cold feet. Even the most aggressive of prosecutors doesn't want to put teenage girls on the stand to testify against their own father. Even the biggest slam dunk of a case can get very unreliable when you have family testifying against their own.

 

But again, I'm only speculating....but its based on my experience. I'm certain he'll be offered a plea (or 2), and I'll be very surprised if he actually takes this to trial.

 

 

Well, I guess your experience trumps my opinion then.:)

[Loonbeam]

Something like 90 percent of federal cases do not go to trial. And if a public or lower level defense attorney is involved that number is closer to 99 percent (the cost of defending a multi-venue federal murder charge in court STARTS at around $100,000). I've been retained as an expert witness for more than a couple federal trials and for none of them have I ever had to take the stand, they have all plead out.

 

 

But that was not my point. My point was without knowing ANY information besides the complaint, we have zero idea what the prosecutor has reason to do or not and whether a deal will be issued.

 

 

To be blunt we KNOW nothing about the case from a legal standpoint nor should we. We have no idea on evidentiary collection, witness statements, video evidence, blood test, history, mental competency interviews, followup interviews and a lot more, and we never will unless it goes to open court or is disclosed in a formal plea agreement.

 

 

We do know the general trend of prosecution in similar matters, which is to plea down.

 

 

I respectfully disagree.

Although we don't know everything, the prosecutor in the case has no reason to plea deal and I'm sure the family of the victim would never go for that. There are no other suspects, based on reports, the husband, after killing her, tried to dump her body overboard. I don't know the man's history but I doubt there would be an insanity plea. It seems like he knew right from wrong by trying to get rid of the body.

 

Of course all of this is speculation as we don't know all of the facts and evidence but I was responding to the poster that said they could plea deal and I don't think there is basis for that.

[floridalover5623]

I respectfully disagree.

Although we don't know everything, the prosecutor in the case has no reason to plea deal and I'm sure the family of the victim would never go for that. There are no other suspects, based on reports, the husband, after killing her, tried to dump her body overboard. I don't know the man's history but I doubt there would be an insanity plea. It seems like he knew right from wrong by trying to get rid of the body.

 

Of course all of this is speculation as we don't know all of the facts and evidence but I was responding to the poster that said they could plea deal and I don't think there is basis for that.

 

I think your right about that part. If he had just went to a bar for a beer, it might be viewed differently.

[spleenstomper]

Well, first off he brutually murdered his wife, so that makes him a raging lunatic who said she caused her own death by laughing at him -- not exactly a rational person. (Just saying... I agree with the plea discussion)

 

Does anyone know if in the federal system they release mugshots? We haven't seen his yet.

[spleenstomper]

After reading many posts I feel a need to explain my situation.

After being single for many years I met the love of my life in my middle 60ies.

Something happened that caused my wife to snap, neither myself or her family never saw any danger signs, & I'm fortunate to be alive, experiencing one night of terror. Of course she was arrested and found guilty. When she was sentenced she was in tears & apolligized for what she had done to me & her family. It was painful 😖 to go to all of the court proceedings & see my wife in handcuffs along with her family dealing with what had happened. Her daughters work place were very accommodating & allowed her time off for all of the court proceedings.

She was sent to state prison for evaluation & they determined that she should be returned to do local time, which is what I asked for, so she could near her family. Otherwise she would have been sentenced to state prison, away from family.

After being released, I was told she was a model prisoner, she took her own life. Do I wish things could have been different, I sure do. It was horrible for her daughter to come home & find her mother dead.

 

Just taking a shower & concerned that someone would come in & attack me took time for me to deal with.

I was fortunate to have friends from my Senior Center & my Odd Fellows Lodge to give me support & offer any help that I needed. I also received help with someone to talk with from Kaiser.

I also had a cousin who, when he heard about my near death experience, flew down & stayed with me to make sure I was OK & helped me move things into a storage locker until I could find a new place to live.

Realize that there can be situations where, like myself, there was no danger signs. Everything seemed normal.

Hearing what happened onboard the ship brought back memories of what had happened to me & how lucky I am to be alive.

This is the first time I have ever explained in public what I went through through in hopes that it might help other people.

All hugs are welcomed.

Tom😎

 

 

HUGS, Tom. I'm glad you survived.

[KristyMisty14]

Yeah....don't even get me started on the state system and their seemingly endless continuances. I'm so glad to be away from that process. It's very fortunate that this case on the Emerald is federal.

 

Since the systems in Canada are different, what are the differences between state system and federal system and how does this case end being deemed federal?

[Host CJSKIDS]

Here is her obituary. Under the circumstances, I am surprised to see that her husband is named as a survivor even though he is.

 

http://www.spilsburymortuary.com/obituaries/kristy-lee-manzanares/#guestbook