Man charged with murder after woman 'strangled to death' on cruise ship bound for Caribbean

Man charged with murder after woman 'strangled to death' on cruise ship bound for Caribbean The man 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. A man has been charged with murder after a woman he was travelling with on a cruise was found dead. The cruise passenger Jason Leon Watford, 48, allegedly choked her to death after an argument over dinner. Watford and the unidentified woman were on board the Caribbean-bound MSC Seascape vessel. They boarded together in Galveston, Texas, on Sunday ahead of the 4pm departure time. But just hours later tragedy struck. At around 11pm, the cruise returned to Texas where Watson was arrested and taken off the ship. He has now been charged with murder. Watford told FBI investigators he and the woman had an argument while having dinner on board the cruise ship, according to court documents. The documents did not clarify the pair's relationship. Their disagreement continued when they returned to their cabin. Watford admitted their argument caused him to become violent and hit the woman "multiple times". Watford, who was arrested previously for assaulting a family member in September 2024, 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. She then spotted the woman on the floor. Watford was then scrolling on his phone when the female passenger's body was discovered, according to the court documents. Watford did not contact ship security or medical personnel despite 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". But passengers captured the moment Watford being 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.