Cruise ship passenger charged with murder his wife, after the ship left Texas, told authorities that he hit her in their cabin and strangled her after an argument caused her to “snap,” according to an FBI affidavit released Tuesday.
Jason Watford, 48, appeared in federal court on murder charges in Galveston, where the MSC Seascape had departed over the weekend but returned to port after security aboard the ship discovered a body in its room.
The victim was identified as Susan Watford, the suspect’s wife, FBI spokesman Connor Hagan said. He added that a child was found unharmed when law enforcement intervened. Court records show Jason Watford previously pleaded guilty to a charge of assaulting his wife in 2024.
Javier Martinez, a public defender assigned to represent Jason Watford, did not respond to a phone message Tuesday. A man who said he was Watford’s son declined to comment when contacted by phone.
A couple had boarded the ship together, authorities say
AP AUDIO: Texas Man Charged in Cruise Ship Murder Had Argument with Woman in Their Cabin, FBI Says
AP correspondent Jennifer King reports on an alleged murder aboard a cruise ship off the coast of Galveston, Texas.
The MSC Seascape is an imposing white ship with 2,270 cabins and can accommodate nearly 5,900 guests on five- and seven-night voyages to the Caribbean, according to the company’s website.
In an interview with FBI agents Monday, Watford said he and Susan boarded the ship together Sunday and began arguing while they were dining at one of the ship’s restaurants, according to the affidavit. The argument continued in their bedroom, it is said. Watford told officers he punched the woman multiple times and “applied pressure” to her neck, according to the affidavit.
“The subject stated that he and Victim 1 continued to engage in a verbal argument that escalated, causing him to ‘break down,'” the officer wrote in the affidavit, referring to the couple.
Jason Watford opened their bedroom door to a ship’s housekeeper with blood on his hands and clothing, according to court records. The housekeeper spotted a woman on the ground with facial injuries and a cruise ship investigator contacted authorities.
Surveillance video showed Watford entered the room at 7:46 p.m. and Susan entered about 25 minutes later, authorities said. At 9:15 p.m., according to the complaint, he was seen on the video leaving the room in a different shirt and pants than when he opened the door for the housekeeper, according to the complaint, and sat on the hallway floor looking at his phone.
The husband was taken into custody after the ship returned
Watford was arrested the next morning after the ship returned to Galveston, where a passenger on the ship posted a video of Watford being escorted off the ship in handcuffs.
Court records show Watford, of Tyler, Texas, was arrested in September 2024 after Susan Watford told a police officer her husband grabbed her wrist during an argument over money in Smith County, about 100 miles (161 kilometers) east of Dallas.
The officer wrote that Susan Watford recorded audio of the incident in which her husband could be heard getting worse as she yelled at him to back off, according to court records. She ran and used a stun gun, according to court records.
Jason Watford pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily injury to a family member and was placed on community supervision for 15 months, according to court records.
The cruise resumed its journey on Monday. MSC Cruises said in a statement that it was cooperating with authorities and providing support to those affected.
Watford’s next appearance in Galveston court was scheduled for Monday.
Homicide investigations on cruise ships are rare. Earlier this year, a teenager was accused of murder and aggravated sexual abuse in the death of his 18-year-old half-sister on a Carnival cruise ship departing from Florida.
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Associated Press writer Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia contributed.
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