The mother of a Texas woman allegedly murdered aboard a cruise ship said she had desperately urged her daughter not to go on the trip with her husband.
Susan Watford, 31, was found in her cabin on Sunday night after her husband allegedly choked her to death in front of their toddler aboard the MSC Seascape.
“I had asked her not to go,” Dorothy Mast, Susan’s devastated adoptive mother, told KPRC.
Jason Leon Watford, 48, was charged with murder after an argument that began over dinner allegedly escalated into him beating and choking his wife on the first night of their cruise vacation.
Mast, who was worried about her daughter, had tried to contact Susan during the trip but did not initially become alarmed when the call went unanswered.
“I tried calling her,” she said. “She didn’t answer. So I figured, well, you know, she’s busy.”
Mast later learned that her call had come too late and that her daughter had already been killed.
Watford, who was said to have a history of abusive behavior, allegedly confessed to the killing while being questioned by FBI agents. He was charged in the US District Court overnight.
Susan Watford, 31, was found dead in her cabin by an MSC Seascape employee on Sunday night while traveling with her husband
Susan’s husband, Jason Leon Watford, allegedly beat and choked her to death in front of their young child on the first night of the cruise
The couple’s toddler was unharmed and is now in the care of child protective services, according to reports.
Watford appeared in federal court in Galveston on Tuesday and waived his right to a detention hearing during his initial appearance.
Susan’s adoptive mother, Dorothy Mast (pictured), warned her not to take the trip, but Susan said she wanted to give her marriage another chance
Susan, a mother of three, reportedly knew about her husband’s alleged history of abuse but viewed the vacation as an opportunity to try to repair their marriage, Mast said.
“As she told me, ‘Mama, he did everything the court said he had to do,’” the grieving mother said, referring to an earlier case in which Jason was convicted of assaulting his wife.
In 2024, Susan told an officer that her husband had grabbed her wrist during an argument over money, prompting her to use a Taser to defend herself.
Jason initially denied attacking her but later pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily injury to a family member.
He was sentenced to 15 months of probation following the incident.
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“He took his anger management classes. He did his counseling. He did his community service,” Mast said.
Mast said Susan had planned to divorce Jason if the cruise did not go well. “She was a great daughter and liked to learn,” she said while remembering her daughter.
Jason allegedly told the FBI on Monday that he and his wife began arguing while dining at a restaurant, before the dispute intensified in their cabin
This was reportedly not the first time Jason had acted aggressively toward Susan. In 2024, she told an officer that he grabbed her wrist during an argument over money, forcing her to use a Taser to defend herself
The MSC Seascape departed Galveston on Sunday for a voyage to Mexico and Honduras. That evening, Jason and Susan reportedly began arguing during dinner.
Jason left the restaurant and was captured on security footage returning alone to the couple’s deck 10 cabin at 7.46pm.
Susan arrived at the cabin at 8.11pm, and the argument continued.
According to the charging affidavit, Jason told investigators that the dispute escalated until he “snapped” and punched his wife in the face several times.
The blows were allegedly so forceful that they caused blood to come from Susan’s mouth and splatter onto Jason’s shirt, pants and hands.
During the attack, he allegedly began choking Susan with both hands and “wrapped his right arm around [her] neck from behind while she was lying down.”
“[Jason] stated that he applied pressure to [her] neck for approximately four to five minutes and released his hold only after becoming exhausted,” the affidavit alleged.
Security footage reportedly showed Jason leaving the cabin two minutes later in different clothes before sitting on the floor outside and scrolling through his phone.
He did not alert the crew to Susan’s condition, even though she was lying motionless inside the cabin.
About 10 minutes after the alleged attack, a housekeeper knocked on the door to deliver fresh towels and saw Jason partially open it.
The housekeeper immediately notified MSC security, reporting blood on Jason’s hands and pants and seeing a woman lying on the cabin floor.
The ship turned around and returned to Galveston, Texas, early Monday morning, after which Jason was taken off the vessel in handcuffs.
He will remain in custody and is scheduled to return to court next Monday for a probable cause hearing.
If convicted, he faces a possible life sentence.
