A cruise ship passenger was charged Tuesday with kill a woman after the ship left Texas over the weekend, telling FBI agents he beat and strangled her in their cabin after an argument caused her to “snap,” according to court documents.
The woman, who was not immediately identified, was found dead Sunday after Jason Watford, 48, opened her bedroom door to a ship’s housekeeper with blood on his hands and clothing, according to an FBI affidavit filed in federal court. The housekeeper spotted the victim lying on the floor with facial injuries, and a cruise ship investigator contacted authorities.
Watford was arrested the next morning after the ship returned to Galveston, Texas. A video posted on social media shows him being escorted off the ship in handcuffs.
Watford, of Tyler, Texas, made his first appearance in federal court on murder charges Tuesday in Galveston and was being held in a county jail. His public defender, Javier Martinez, did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press. His next hearing is scheduled for November 16.
A man who said he was Watford’s son declined to comment Tuesday when contacted by phone in his relatives’ public records.
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 death occurred aboard the MSC Seascape, a massive white ship with 2,270 cabins that can accommodate nearly 5,900 guests on five- to seven-night voyages in the Caribbean, according to the company’s website.
In an interview with FBI agents Monday, Watford said he and the woman 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 “for approximately four to five minutes” until he was exhausted, according to the affidavit. He said she lay still for about 10 minutes until the cleaner arrived.
Surveillance video showed Watford entered the room at 7:46 p.m. and the victim 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.
Investigators have not provided details about Watson’s relationship with the woman.
MSC Cruises said authorities asked the ship to return to Galveston after the crew reported the passenger’s death, and the ship resumed its voyage Monday. The company said it was cooperating with authorities and providing support to those affected.
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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