Texas woman allegedly strangled by husband on cruise ship after mother's warning
Susan Watford, 31, was found dead in her MSC Seascape cabin on 8 November. Her husband Jason Watford, 48, faces federal murder charges.
Mother's plea ignored hours before cruise ship killing
Susan Watford's mother begged her daughter not to board the MSC Seascape cruise ship with her husband — hours before she was allegedly strangled to death in their cabin. According to people.com, Dorothy Mast had pleaded with Susan not to sail as the couple attempted to reconcile their marriage.
"I had asked her not to go," Mast told Click2Houston. "I tried calling her. She didn't answer. So I figured, well, you know, she's busy."
Susan Watford, 31, a mother of three from Texas, was found dead on Sunday, 8 November, by a cruise ship housekeeper who arrived at the cabin to deliver towels. The housekeeper also allegedly observed Jason Watford with blood on his clothing, according to a federal affidavit obtained by people.com.
Jason Watford, 48, was taken into custody on Monday, 9 November, after the MSC Seascape docked in Galveston, Texas. He now faces a federal murder charge, brought by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas in conjunction with the FBI's Houston field office.
Federal prosecutors allege in the affidavit that Jason admitted to beating and manually strangling Susan following an argument that began at dinner and continued in their cabin. He has not yet entered a plea, and his public defender did not respond to requests for comment. He was expected back in court on 16 November, according to NBC5.
A spokesperson for the FBI's Houston field office confirmed to people.com that a child was present in the cabin during the incident but was unharmed. Mast identified the child as the couple's own and said Susan has two other surviving children. A spokesperson for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services told NBC5 DFW that the child found in the room has since been placed in foster care.
Court records viewed by people.com reveal that Jason Watford has a significant criminal history. In 1996 he was convicted of attempted murder in Illinois and sentenced to 10 years in prison; the identity of the victim in that case remains unknown. In 2024 he received a further conviction in Texas for assault causing bodily injury to a family member, for which he was sentenced to 15 months of community service. Court records obtained by NBC5 DFW identify Susan as the victim in the 2024 assault case.
Mast told reporters that Susan had suffered domestic abuse at Jason's hands and that the couple had boarded the cruise as part of an attempt to save their marriage. Dorothy Mast has since launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover funeral expenses and costs associated with supporting her grandchildren.
Source: The Sun