A man accused of strangling his ex-wife on a cruise ship, then dumping her body off the coast of Italy, can be prosecuted in California, a judge ruled this week.
Lonnie Kocontes, 55, pleaded not guilty in May of murdering Micki Kaneski in 2006.
The two had been living together in Mission Viejo on and off since their divorce, according to the Associated Press.
Kocontes reported the death of his wife on May 27, 2006, the same day Kaneski's body was found washed up on the shore of southwest Italy, the AP said.
Italian police seized records and videotapes and interviewed crew members following Kaneski's disappearance, the AP said, but did not arrest Kocontes.
Kocontes was arrested earlier this year in Florida after authorities completed an investigation that began in 2008 when Kocontes allegedly began transferring more than $1 million from Kaneski's bank account, the AP said.
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