Jason Leon Watford, 48, has been charged with murder after a woman he was travelling with on a cruise ship was found dead. The woman has not been identified.
Watford and the woman boarded the Caribbean-bound MSC Seascape vessel together in Galveston, Texas, on Sunday ahead of the 4pm departure time. Hours later, at around 11pm, the cruise returned to Texas and Watford was arrested and taken off the ship.
Argument over dinner
According to court documents, Watford told FBI investigators that he and the woman had an argument while having dinner on board the cruise ship. The documents did not clarify the pair's relationship.
Their disagreement continued when they returned to their cabin. Watford admitted that their argument caused him to become violent and hit the woman multiple times.
Choking admitted
Watford told investigators he choked the woman using both of his hands and strangled her from behind using his right arm. He released his grip after four to five minutes and only let go after becoming exhausted, according to the documents.
At around 9pm, a housekeeper tried to drop off some towels at Watford's room. She discovered Watford with what she thought was blood on his hands and pants, and then spotted the woman on the floor. Watford was scrolling on his phone when the female passenger's body was discovered, according to the court documents.
Ship returns to port
Watford did not contact ship security or medical personnel despite the victim lying on the floor. He also changed his clothes and was seen sitting in the hall scrolling on his phone just minutes after the housekeeper spotted the body.
The ship returned to Galveston, with the captain framing the incident to other passengers as a medical emergency. Passengers captured the moment Watford was escorted off the 19-deck ship in handcuffs. The ship has since resumed its Caribbean trip and is currently heading to Costa Maya, Mexico, according to CruiseMapper.
