A cruise ship passenger was arrested on a federal murder charge after a housekeeper allegedly noticed blood on his hands and clothes, then saw a woman lying motionless, face down on the floor of his room aboard the MSC Seascape, according to the FBI.
Jason Leon Watford, of Tyler, Texas, was taken into custody on Monday, November 9, after the cruise ship docked in Galveston, an FBI task force officer wrote in an affidavit filed with a criminal complaint.
Watford, 48, is accused of fatally beating and strangling a female passenger, following an argument at a restaurant on the ship the evening of Sunday, November 8, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas said in a Tuesday, November 10, news release.
A cruise ship investigator alerted the FBI to the suspected homicide that occurred in international waters after the woman was found dead in her room “with multiple facial injuries,” according to the affidavit viewed by Us.
An investigation revealed that Watford and the woman got into an argument while dining together on the ship, resulting in Watford leaving a restaurant and going to his room, the affidavit states.
The woman went to the room about 25 minutes later, according to the FBI.
Within an hour, a housekeeper visited the room to deliver towels and spoke with Watford after knocking on the door, the affidavit states.
The housekeeper saw what she suspected was blood on Watford as well as the woman on the floor and notified other cruise ship employees, according to the filing.
“Security camera footage further showed the MSC employees calling ship security due to observing a motionless female lying face down on the floor,” the FBI task force officer wrote in the affidavit.
Watford was detained by security personnel before the FBI responded to the ship after it docked in Galveston, according to the affidavit.
In an interview with the FBI, Watford allegedly admitted to what happened while he and the woman were inside their room following their argument at the restaurant on Sunday, after they boarded the ship earlier that day.
Watford told agents he and the woman “continued to engage in an escalating verbal dispute that caused him to ‘snap,’ and he struck [the woman] multiple times causing blood to emit from her mouth and onto his shirt, pants, and hands,” the affidavit states.
According to the filing, FBI personnel discovered his blood-stained clothes inside the room.
After hitting the woman, Watford said he choked her with his hands and also wrapped his arm around her neck while she was lying down, the affidavit states.
He strangled her for about four to five minutes from behind, leaving her motionless when he let go, Watford allegedly told the FBI.
The woman wasn’t identified by law enforcement. The Galveston medical examiner’s office is expected to perform her autopsy on Tuesday, per NBC News.
The MSC Seascape continued the cruise after Watford was taken into custody, per CBS News Texas.
“We are cooperating fully with the investigation and providing support to those impacted. The ship has left the port and resumed its planned itinerary,” MSC Cruises said in a statement to the outlet. “As this is an active investigation, we cannot provide more details. Our thoughts are with the guest’s family and friends at this difficult time.”
Watford is due to appear in a Galveston federal courtroom for an initial appearance on Tuesday at 1 p.m., court records show.
Information on whether he retained legal counsel wasn’t immediately available.
If Watford is convicted of murder, he would face up to life in federal prison and a potential fine of up to $250,000.
According to NBC News, Watford has prior jail records which show that he was arrested in 2024 on a charge of assault causing bodily injury to a family member.
A judge sentenced him to 15 months of probation and 30 hours of community service.
