An all-new episode of Dateline: Unforgettable dives into Micki Kanesaki’s murder by her ex-husband Lonnie Kocontes on a cruise ship. The episode titled, Open Water, will air on Oxygen this Wednesday, November 22, 2023, at 8 p.m. ET.
The official synopsis reads, “A Mediterranean cruise meant to rekindle the love between a woman and her ex-husband leads to her disappearance; the investigation reveals secret recordings and an undercover hitman; Josh Mankiewicz reflects on the cold-blooded crime.”
According to The U.S. Sun, prosecutors proved Lonnie Kocontes’ guilt in Micki Kanesaki’s 2006 strangulation death. The case resulted in the former lawyer’s conviction in June 2020, more than a dozen years after Kanesaki’s murder. The Orange County District Attorney’s office claimed he strangled the 52-year-old to death for financial gain and then dumped her body in the ocean. He received a life sentence without parole.
Where is Lonnie Kocontes now?
According to the California Department of Corrections, Lonnie Kocontes is currently serving his sentence at the RJ Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego. His conviction in ex-wife Micki Kanesaki‘s 2006 murder came more than a dozen years later in June 2020.
Reportedly, Kocontes and Kanesaki boarded a cruise in May 2006. On May 26, the former reported his ex-wife missing from the ship and even suggested that she might have fallen overboard. Two days later, the 52-year-old’s body was spotted in the Mediterranean Sea. An autopsy confirmed the cause of death to be strangulation.
The U.S. Sun reported that the former lawyer wasn’t a suspect in the alleged murder until 2008 when he attempted to acquire $1 million of the victim’s money. Authorities eventually arrested him for his ex-wife’s murder in 2013.
The outlet stated that The Orange County District Attorney’s Office alleged the suspect strangled his ex-wife for financial gain. Following this, he dumped her body in the ocean. The duo had been disputing over their shared ranch home property for months before their cruise.
According to NBC Los Angeles, Senior Deputy District Attorney, Susan Price, claimed that Kocontes “had new wills drawn up for himself and Kanesaki” before the incident. In fact, he was the executor of the victim’s estate when she died.
Lonnie Kocontes was convicted “with a special-circumstance allegation of murder for financial gain.” He committed the crime to inherit up to $1 million, as per the Orange County DA Office and received life in prison for the same.
