A man has been charged with murder after investigators say he admitted to beating and choking a woman aboard a cruise ship that returned to Galveston on Monday, according to federal court documents.
Jason Leon Watford is accused of killing the woman Sunday evening aboard the MSC Seascape while the ship was traveling in international waters, according to a criminal complaint filed in the Southern District of Texas.
The FBI began investigating after the woman’s body was discovered inside a cabin with multiple facial injuries. The ship returned to the Port of Galveston around 5:30 a.m. Monday, where federal investigators boarded the vessel.
According to a federal affidavit, Watford told investigators he and the woman had been arguing while eating at a restaurant aboard the ship Sunday evening.
The argument reportedly continued after the two returned to their cabin, where Watford told investigators the dispute escalated and caused him to “snap.”
Watford allegedly admitted to striking the woman multiple times, leaving blood on his clothing and hands. He also told investigators he choked her with both hands before wrapping his arm around her neck from behind while she was lying down.
According to the affidavit, Watford said he maintained pressure on the woman’s neck for approximately four to five minutes, releasing his grip only after becoming exhausted.
The woman remained motionless on the cabin floor for approximately 10 minutes before a housekeeper knocked on the door, investigators said.
Watford allegedly did not contact ship security or medical personnel.
Investigators say security footage showed Watford entering the cabin around 7:46 p.m. Sunday, followed by the woman approximately 25 minutes later. No one else was seen entering or leaving the room before a housekeeper arrived.
Around 9:02 p.m., the housekeeper knocked on the cabin door to deliver towels and noticed what appeared to be blood on Watford’s hands and pants, along with a motionless woman lying face down on the floor, according to the affidavit.
The housekeeper alerted other crew members, who arrived at the cabin minutes later.
Surveillance footage reportedly showed Watford leaving the room around 9:15 p.m. wearing different clothes. He then sat on the hallway floor outside the cabin and scrolled through his phone, investigators said.
FBI agents later recovered bloodstained clothing from the cabin.
Watford was detained by ship security before the vessel returned to Galveston, according to investigators.
After reviewing surveillance footage, FBI agents interviewed Watford, who waived his Miranda rights and agreed to a recorded interview, according to the affidavit.
Federal prosecutors filed a criminal complaint charging Watford with murder. The woman’s identity was not disclosed in the court documents.
The investigation remains a federal case because the alleged killing occurred aboard a vessel in international waters.
Watford is scheduled for an initial appearance in a federal Galveston courtroom on Tuesday at 1 p.m.
