Filipino crewman pleads guilty to killing supervisor aboard ship

Monegro attacked his supervisor in a hallway on the MSC Ravenna, which was on a two-week run from Shanghai to Los Angeles in September 2020.

LOS ANGELES — A Filipino crewman pleaded guilty Monday to stabbing to death his supervisor on a container ship heading to Los Angeles. He is facing a possible life sentence.

Michael Dequito Monegro, 43, of the Philippines, pleaded guilty to committing an act of violence against someone aboard a ship that is likely to endanger the vessel’s safe navigation, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He is scheduled to be sentenced in September, according to an AP report.

Monegro attacked his supervisor in a hallway on the MSC Ravenna, which was on a two-week run from Shanghai to Los Angeles in September 2020. The crime occurred about 92 miles off the Southern California coast. No motive was indicated.

As he wrestled with his supervisor (whose name and nationality were unavailable) Monegro stabbed him repeatedly, using two knives, one he had seized from the victim’s overalls. Other crewmembers tried to stop him, even throwing a trash can at him, prosecutors said.

Monegro only stopped stabbing the victim when he became too tired to continue, he admitted to prosecutors. The ship’s captain finally convinced Monegro to get off the victim, who died on the ship. Monegro was arrested a week later when the ship docked at the Port of Los Angeles.