Texas man charged with homicide aboard MSC Seascape cruise ship
Jason Leon Watford was arrested in Galveston and charged with felony homicide after a woman was found dead in a cabin on the MSC Seascape during its first day at sea.
A passenger on the MSC Seascape was arrested and charged with one count of felony homicide after a woman was discovered dead in a cabin on the ship's inaugural day of a seven-day cruise around Mexico and the Caribbean. Federal authorities said crew members found the victim lying face down on the cabin floor, while Watford was observed in a corridor scrolling on his phone.
According to an FBI affidavit, Watford told investigators that a verbal dispute with the woman began while they were dining in a shipboard restaurant and continued after they returned to the cabin. He admitted the argument caused him to lose control and that he struck the woman multiple times, causing blood to appear on his clothing. The complaint states he then placed his hands around her neck for several minutes before releasing the hold.
A housekeeping employee raised the alarm after seeing blood on Watford's hands and pants when she entered the cabin to deliver towels and noticing a motionless woman on the floor. Other crew members reported seeing Watford exit the cabin in different clothing and later sitting on the hallway floor.
Watford was detained by ship security and handed over to the FBI when the vessel docked in Galveston early Monday. He is scheduled to appear in federal court in Galveston on Tuesday. The case is being prosecuted in federal court, which has jurisdiction over crimes committed on U.S. vessels in international waters.