A Texas-based cruise ship passenger was charged with murdering a woman in his cabin Sunday, the first day of his trip.
Crew members aboard the MSC Seascape found the unidentified victim deceased and face down on the cabin floor, with Jason Leon Watford sitting in a hallway outside scrolling on his phone, according to an FBI affidavit that details the alleged crime.
Watford was arrested after the ship returned to Galveston Port early Monday, a day after embarking on a planned seven-day cruise around Mexico and the Caribbean. He is charged with one count of homicide and was scheduled to make his initial appearance in Galveston federal court Tuesday afternoon.
The four-page criminal complaint, signed by Thomas Plew, an FBI maritime crimes task force officer, says Watford admitted to investigators that he and the woman got into an argument while eating at a restaurant Sunday night — while the ship was in the Gulf of Mexico and continued to fight after they returned to the cabin.
Watford, the document says, admitted that the escalation of the verbal argument had caused him to “break down”.
“He punched Victim 1 multiple times, causing blood to come out of his mouth and then onto his shirt, pants and hands,” the complaint states, adding that an FBI team found blood-stained clothing belonging to the victim on the cabin floor.
“The subject further indicated that at some point during the altercation he began choking Victim 1 with both hands. The subject stated that he also wrapped his right arm around Victim 1’s neck from behind while she was lying down.
“The subject stated that he applied pressure to Victim 1’s neck for approximately four to five minutes and only released his grip after he was exhausted.”
A female member of the Seascape’s maintenance staff raised the alarm when she brought towels into the cabin and saw blood on Watford’s hands and pants after he opened the door slightly, the affidavit states. She also said she saw what appeared to be a woman lying motionless on the ground and alerted other crew members.
Three other crew members said they saw Watford leave the cabin in different clothes than when he opened the door for the housekeeper. “The subject was observed sitting on the hallway floor outside the room, scrolling on his smartphone,” the document states.
He was arrested by the ship’s security team and turned over to the FBI after Seascape docked in Galveston around 5:30 a.m. local time Monday. The ship resumed its route later in the day.
No attorney was listed for Watford. The prosecution is taking place in federal court, which has jurisdiction over crimes committed aboard U.S. ships in international waters.
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