Man arrested on murder charge after woman dies on MSC Seascape cruise
A 48-year-old man was taken into federal custody and charged with murder after a female passenger was found dead aboard the MSC Seascape, which returned to Galveston following the incident.
A man identified as Jason Leon Watford, 48, was arrested and charged with murder in connection with the death of an unidentified female passenger on the MSC Seascape cruise ship, authorities said. The criminal complaint filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas states that Watford told FBI investigators the pair argued in a shipboard restaurant, returned to their cabin, and that he "snapped," striking the woman multiple times and choking her for "four to five minutes" before releasing his hold. The complaint adds that the woman lay motionless for about ten minutes before a housekeeper, delivering towels, noticed blood on Watford’s hands and pants and discovered the victim face-down on the floor. The housekeeper alerted ship security, which contacted law-enforcement officials.
Surveillance video showed Watford leaving his cabin, changing clothes, and sitting in a hallway scrolling on his phone. He was later detained in Galveston County Jail on a federal hold and is scheduled for an initial hearing on Tuesday. It is not known whether he has retained counsel. The Galveston Medical Examiner’s Office said an autopsy is planned for Tuesday.
MSC Cruises said the ship was instructed by authorities to return to the Port of Galveston after the incident was reported and that it is cooperating with investigators while providing support to those affected. The vessel resumed its voyage on Monday afternoon after departing Galveston again. A passenger reported a shipwide announcement around 10 p.m. on Sunday and later observed law-enforcement and Border Patrol vehicles, as well as a person being escorted off the ship in handcuffs, though officials did not immediately confirm the individual’s identity.
The MSC Seascape, which departed Galveston on Sunday, can accommodate nearly 5,900 guests and more than 1,600 crew members. The ship now continues its scheduled Caribbean itineraries.