A federal grand jury on Thursday indicted Eric Newman for killing his wife aboard a cruise ship in January, the Department of Justice said.
Mr. Newman, 53, of Topeka, Kansas, faces one count of murder in the second degree. He had his initial court appearance before a Kansas federal judge on Thursday.
According to the indictment, Mr. Newman is alleged to have murdered Tamara Tucker, 50, of Lawson, Missouri. The pair was traveling on board a Carnival cruise ship registered in Panama.
A detention hearing is scheduled for Sept. 12.
The FBI office in Jacksonville, Florida — where the cruise ship docked after arrival - investigated the case along with their colleagues in Topeka.
Ms. Tucker worked as a social worker and had served on the social work faculty at Park University in Parkville, Missouri, according to media reports at the time of the murder.
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