A cruise ship passenger accused of killing a woman shortly after the vessel departed from Texas told FBI agents he beat and choked her in their cabin after an argument caused him to “snap,” according to court documents.
Jason Leon Watford, 48, of Tyler, was charged with murder in connection with the woman’s death aboard the MSC Seascape, according to a criminal complaint filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
Watford was set to make an initial federal court appearance on the murder charge Tuesday in Galveston. He was being held at a county jail. It was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer who could respond to the allegations.
A man who said he is Watford’s son declined to comment Tuesday when reached at a phone listing in public records for relatives.
The death happened aboard the MSC Seascape, a towering white vessel that has 2,270 cabins and can host nearly 5,900 guests on five- and seven-night trips to the Caribbean, according to the company’s website.
The woman, who was not immediately identified, was killed Sunday after the vessel left Galveston, according to an FBI affidavit filed in federal court. A ship investigator contacted authorities to report that the woman was found dead in her room with multiple facial injuries.
According to the criminal complaint, Watford told FBI investigators he and the woman began arguing at a restaurant aboard the ship and then returned to their cabin where they continued to fight, causing him to “snap.” Watford allegedly told authorities he struck the woman multiple times and choked her for “four to five minutes” before releasing his hold because he was “exhausted.”
Watford told investigators the woman remained motionless on the floor for “approximately 10 minutes” before a housekeeper knocked on the door to deliver towels, the complaint states. Investigators said Watford did not contact ship security or medical personnel while the woman was lying motionless.
According to the complaint, Watford opened the room door for the housekeeper, who “observed what she believed to be blood” on his hands and pants and also saw the woman lying face down, motionless on the floor. The housekeeper called ship security who then contacted authorities.
Watford changed clothes and left his room. He was seen in surveillance video sitting on the hallway outside his room “scrolling on his phone.”
MSC Cruises said authorities told the ship to return to Galveston. It added that it was cooperating with authorities and providing support to those impacted.
The Galveston Medical Examiner’s Office said Monday that an autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday.
Becsei György, a passenger on the Seascape, told NBC News that a shipwide announcement was made around 10 p.m. Sunday that said, “Mike Echo at level 10.”
György awoke Monday morning and was surprised to find that the ship had returned to Galveston. Outside, he said, he saw law enforcement and Border Patrol vehicles, as well as a person being escorted off the ship in handcuffs.
The company said the vessel has resumed its voyage and left Galveston as of Monday afternoon.
MSC Seascape currently runs from Galveston to the Caribbean for five- and seven-night stays, according to the company’s website. The ship switched from Miami to Galveston last November, according to a statement.
Homicide investigations on cruise ships are uncommon. Earlier this year, a teenager was charged with murder and aggravated sexual abuse in the death of his 18-year-old stepsister on a Carnival Cruise ship out of Florida.