A US Federal judge has jailed a Filipino seafarer to 20 years in prison in connection with the fatal stabbing of a supervisor on board the 14,000 TEU container ship MSC Ravenna en route from Shanghai to Los Angeles.
Michael Dequito Monegro, 44, a resident of the Philippines, was sentenced by United States District Judge Dale S Fischer, who said in court at a hearing on November 7 that Monegro's "conduct was unusually heinous, cruel and brutal."
The murder took place on September 20, 2020, when the Liberian-flagged container vessel was approximately 80 nautical miles from Southern California.
That morning, several crew members were in a dressing room on the ship's upper deck, preparing for their shift and waiting for their direct supervisor to provide their work assignments for the day, according to the US attorney's office statement.
Shortly after Monegro saw his direct supervisor in the hallway outside the locker room, Monegro began stabbing him with a knife while they were both in the hallway in full view of several crew members.
The victim grappled with Monegro and the two fell to the floor. Monegro then got on top of the victim and continued stabbing him. Monegro then removed a second knife from the victim's coveralls and stabbed him with both knives.
The other seafarers of the ship attempted to intervene to stop Monegro but their actions were unsuccessful, according to US attorney's office statement.
The court heard that Monegro stopped stabbing the victim only when he became too tired to continue. In total, he stabbed the victim thirty-one times.
Federal agents arrested Monegro after the ship docked at the Port of Los Angeles on September 27, 2020. He has been in federal custody since his arrest.
"The tragic impact of defendant's conduct cannot be overstated," prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum.
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