The almost perfect murder

A Mediterranean cruise is a long-cherished dream for many people. In May 2006, 52-year-old American Micki Kanesaki and her 48-year-old American ex-husband Lonnie Kocontes fulfilled this dream. The trip was meant to symbolize the rebirth of their rekindled love. They had booked an outside cabin on the MS Island Escape so they could enjoy the beauty of the Italian landscape from their balcony. Everything seemed perfect until Micki disappeared without a trace one night. At first, the crew assumed it was a tragic accident or even suicide, as her husband Lonnie had given them a plausible story. The evening before Micki’s disappearance, the couple had dined together in the restaurant and drunk a bottle of wine. Afterwards, they visited the casino before returning to their cabin at midnight. While Lonnie took a sleeping pill to help him sleep, Micki wanted to get a cup of hot tea at around 1 a.m. When Lonnie woke up the next morning and Micki was not lying next to him, he searched the entire ship for her. He was afraid that Micki, who had often expressed suicidal thoughts to him, had taken her own life. Perhaps the wine had reinforced these thoughts and prompted Micki to jump overboard. Lonnie blamed himself. The couple had met at Lonnie’s law firm in the early 1990s, where Micki worked as a paralegal. In 1995, they had a lavish wedding, which was followed seven years later by a divorce due to domestic violence and alcohol problems. Nevertheless, the divorced couple still lived under the same roof in a house in the small Californian town of Ladera Ranch, where Lonnie’s new girlfriend Amy Nguyen also lived, but from whom he had since separated. The cruise symbolized the couple’s renewed attempt at a relationship. But it ended fatally for Micki. After Micki’s disappearance, Lonnie traveled back to the US. But on May 27, 2006, the crew of a research vessel recovered a woman’s body off the southern coast of Italy. It turned out to be Micki Kanesaki, who had gone overboard. However, the autopsy revealed that Micki had no water in her lungs. Micki had therefore not drowned. Micki’s skull was fractured and her neck showed signs of strangulation. Micki had clearly been murdered before being thrown into the Mediterranean Sea. However, the seawater meant that there were no traces of DNA. This evidence was not sufficient for the Carabinieri to issue an international arrest warrant for Lonnie Kocontes. However, as this was a violent crime involving a US citizen, the FBI became involved. They took over the investigation into this mysterious murder case. They quickly discovered that Lonnie Kocontes had attempted to transfer over $1 million from Micki’s account to his own shortly before the cruise. In addition, an employee of the travel agency where the couple had booked their trip testified that Lonnie was adamant about traveling on this cruise ship despite the arduous journey via Minneapolis and London because of the outside cabin. This is because each of these outside cabins offers an unobstructed view of the sea. The perfect ship for the perfect murder. Lonnie was further incriminated by a former police officer whom he had questioned before departure about the use of cameras in the corridors and balconies of cruise ships. This could not be a coincidence! Lonnie was arrested and denied all allegations. Lonnie was supported by positive statements from his former girlfriend Amy Nguyen and a lawyer friend. Although there was a lot of circumstantial evidence pointing to Lonnie as the murderer, there was no DNA or eyewitnesses, so the case was dismissed. Lonnie was released and, ironically, moved to the town of Safety Harbor in Florida, where he started a new life with a new woman by his side. Four years had passed since the murder of Micki Kanesaki when, out of the blue, Amy Nguyen, Lonnie Kocontes’ ex-girlfriend, contacted the FBI and made serious allegations against Lonnie. She had remained silent until then out of fear. She testified that before the trip, he had told her that he had hired a killer to murder Micki. However, when the hitman failed to show up, as Lonnie later told her, he took matters into his own hands. Lonnie was arrested again. Meanwhile, Amy feared for her life because Lonnie had told a fellow inmate that he had hired a hitman to kill Amy Nguyen, the only witness. Lonnie was brought to trial, but the trial posed a major hurdle. Since the murder of Micki Kanesaki had taken place in international waters, it was unclear whether the US prosecution had jurisdiction. Lonnie’s lawyer wanted to use this doubt to have the murder trial dismissed. However, since the murder had been planned in California, the US prosecution did in fact have jurisdiction. Lonnie had planned the perfect murder, as a cruise ship is very well suited for this. This is because there are usually no people on deck at night when the person is thrown overboard and then swallowed up by the sea. In most cases, the body does not reappear, and if it does, the sea has long since washed away all traces. Unfortunately for Lonnie, Micki’s body was discovered very quickly, and it was clear that she had been murdered. This thwarted Lonnie’s plans. The trial was followed with great media interest and dragged on for years. It was not until 14 years after the murder that Lonnie Kocontes was found guilty of the murder of Micki Kanesaki and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Justice had prevailed after all.