A man seen on video being escorted off a Texas cruise ship after a woman’s body was found in a cabin allegedly told authorities he punched and choked her multiple times after they argued, according to a criminal complaint.
Jason Leon Watford, 48, was charged with murder in connection with the investigation involving the MSC Seascape, according to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
Jail records show he was in the Galveston County federal jail Monday evening. He is scheduled to appear in court for an initial hearing Tuesday afternoon.
The victim has not been identified and it is unclear whether Watford has retained an attorney. The Galveston medical examiner’s office said Monday that the victim was a woman and that an autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday.
Authorities believe the woman was killed Sunday evening. She was found lying on the floor of the room and had “multiple facial injuries,” the complaint states.
Watford told the FBI in an interview that he and the woman got into an argument while dining at a restaurant on the ship, according to the complaint. He alleged they continued to argue after returning to their room, leading to him “snapping” and hitting her several times, it is claimed.
According to the complaint, Watford said that at one point he strangled the woman and wrapped his arm around her neck while she was lying down. He said he applied pressure to her neck for approximately four to five minutes and “released his grip only after he was exhausted,” the complaint states.
The complaint says a security camera showed Watford returning to the room at 7:46 p.m. ET and the woman arriving at 8:11 p.m. ET. No one else was seen entering the room.
Watford said the woman lay motionless on the floor for about 10 minutes before a housekeeper knocked on the door, the complaint states.
The complaint says the footage showed the housekeeper knocking at 9:02 p.m. ET to provide towels. Watford opened the door and briefly spoke to the housekeeper, the complaint states.
After the housekeeper left, Watford left the room wearing different clothes, sat on the hallway floor and scrolled on his phone, the complaint states.
Ship employees then responded to the room after the housekeeper reported seeing blood on Watford’s hands and pants and “a motionless woman lying face down on the floor,” the complaint states. He was arrested by ship security and authorities were called.
The FBI said that during a search of the room, they found bloodstained clothing on the floor.
Jail records show Watford was arrested in 2024 for assault causing bodily injury to a family member. He was sentenced to 15 months of probation and 30 hours of community service.
The 1,060-foot cruise ship left Galveston on Sunday but was ordered to turn around after what the shipping company described in a statement as a “guest incident aboard our ship.”
The ship was scheduled to visit the Costa Maya, the Roatan Islands and Cozumel before returning to Texas on November 15.
Passenger Becsei György told NBC News that late Sunday evening, an announcement read: “Mike Echo on Level 10.” Monday morning, he woke up to find the ship had returned to Galveston.
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