A passenger on the MSC Seascape has been charged with murdering a woman in their cabin on Sunday, the first day of the cruise, The Guardian reported. Jason Leon Watford faces one count of felony homicide. He was due to make his first appearance in federal court in Galveston, Texas, on Tuesday afternoon.
The ship had left Galveston for a planned seven-day cruise around Mexico and the Caribbean. It returned to port at about 5.30am local time on Monday. The ship's security team detained Watford and handed him over to the FBI. The ship resumed its itinerary later that day. The victim has not been identified.
According to a four-page criminal complaint signed by FBI taskforce officer Thomas Plew, Watford admitted that he and the woman argued over dinner in a restaurant on Sunday evening. The ship was in the Gulf of Mexico at the time. The complaint says the argument continued in the cabin. Watford told investigators that he "snapped" as the dispute escalated.
The complaint says Watford admitted hitting the woman several times and choking her. He told investigators that he pressed on her neck for about four to five minutes. He let go only when he became exhausted. An FBI team found the victim's bloodstained clothing on the cabin floor.
A housekeeper raised the alarm, according to the affidavit. She brought towels to the cabin and saw blood on Watford's hands and trousers when he opened the door slightly. She also glimpsed what looked like a woman lying motionless on the floor. Three other crew members said Watford later left the cabin in different clothes. He was then seen sitting in the corridor outside, scrolling on his phone.
No lawyer was listed for Watford. The case is in federal court, which has jurisdiction over crimes committed on board US vessels in international waters.