Federal court documents describe the allegations against Jason Leon Watford, 48, who is charged with murder in connection with a woman’s death aboard the MSC Seascape. The criminal complaint was filed in the Southern District of Texas. The woman has not been publicly identified.
According to the complaint, the ship was sailing in international waters when the incident occurred on Sunday. Investigators said surveillance video showed Watford enter a cabin at about 7:46 p.m. The woman entered roughly 25 minutes later, and investigators said no one else was seen going in or out before she was found.
Watford told FBI investigators that he and the woman argued while dining in a restaurant aboard the ship, then continued arguing after returning to the cabin, according to the affidavit. Investigators allege he said he lost control and hit her repeatedly. The complaint says he acknowledged that blood got on his shirt, pants and hands; investigators later found bloodstained clothing on the cabin floor.
The affidavit further alleges that Watford described choking the woman first with both hands and then from behind, using his right arm around her neck while she was lying down. He reportedly told investigators he maintained pressure for about four to five minutes and stopped when he was exhausted. The woman was motionless on the floor for about 10 minutes, according to investigators. The complaint says Watford did not call ship security or medical staff during that time.
At approximately 9:02 p.m., a housekeeper came to the cabin to deliver towels and knocked. The housekeeper told investigators that Watford answered and that the employee believed there was blood on his hands and pants. The employee also reported seeing the woman face down and motionless on the floor, according to the affidavit, and contacted other MSC employees.
Investigators said video showed Watford leave the cabin about 13 minutes after the housekeeper’s first knock, wearing different clothes. He then sat on the hallway floor outside the room and used his phone, the complaint states. MSC security detained him as a suspect.
The cruise line contacted the FBI’s Texas City Resident Agency at about 11 p.m. to report a suspected homicide, according to the account in the court documents. The Seascape returned to the Port of Galveston early Monday, where FBI personnel boarded and began investigating.
An FBI task force officer cited surveillance video, Watford’s statements, accounts from MSC employees and an examination of the woman’s body as evidence supporting the murder charge. The complaint sets out allegations; it does not establish guilt.
MSC Cruises previously said authorities directed the ship to return to Galveston after the company reported an incident involving a guest. A company spokesperson said MSC was cooperating with the investigation and supporting those affected. The spokesperson also said the ship had left port and resumed its planned itinerary, and declined to provide further details because the investigation was active.
The source report also cited Smith County, Texas, court records showing Watford was arrested in September 2024 on a charge of assault causing bodily injury to a family member. It said he was sentenced that November to 15 months of probation and 30 hours of community service.
