A 48-year-old man has been taken into custody by federal authorities following the death of a woman on the MSC Seascape.
Federal charges have been filed against a Texas man allegedly involved in a murder onboard an MSC Seascape cruise ship that departed out of Galveston. https://t.co/nZRp30v41f https://t.co/9XaZL7dc4B
— FOX 4 NEWS (@FOX4) November 10, 2026
The MSC Seascape is back on its itinerary, but a passenger is facing a possible life sentence: https://t.co/PcPwz1aKEg A Tyler man was charged with murder after the FBI said a female passenger was found dead in his cabin hours after the ship left Galveston. #Galveston #TexasCrime
— Chron (@chron) November 10, 2026
Federal charges have been filed against a Texas man allegedly involved in a murder onboard an MSC Seascape cruise ship that departed out of Galveston. https://t.co/nZRp30v41f https://t.co/9XaZL7dc4B
— FOX 4 NEWS (@FOX4) November 10, 2026
Authorities say that Jason Leon Watford of Tyler, Texas got into an argument with a woman while eating dinner at one of the ship’s on-board restaurants. The argument persisted while the two entered their stateroom when Watford reportedly “snapped” and struck the woman. He then choked the woman for four to five minutes until her death.
A housekeeper later discovered Watford waiting in a hallway covered in blood. Upon entering Watford’s room, the housekeeper discovered the woman lying motionless on the ground. Watford was then detained by onboard security and the ship was instructed to return to Galveston, Texas.
Watford was then removed from the ship, and the ship returned to its previously scheduled itinerary.