Moment MSC Seascape passenger is arrested as part of murder probe after woman found dead aboard
Dramatic video shows a MSC Seascape passenger being arrested by the feds in connection with a murder probe after a woman was found dead aboard. Wild footage, filmed by passengers, showed the man – identified as Jason Leon Watford – being led down a ramp once the ship returned to Galveston, Texas, on Monday, hours after setting sail for a seven day Caribbean cruise, Fox26 reported.Watford, who was wearing a black shirt and joggers, was handcuffed and there were two law enforcement officers walking behind him, according to the video.Watford, from East Texas, was then taken to the Galveston County Jail on an FBI hold. “Since this is an ongoing investigation, no additional details will be provided,” a FBI spokesperson told KHOU.The circumstances of the murder remain unclear.Galveston County medical examiners confirmed to ABC News that the victim was a woman.Her relation to Watford is unclear and an autopsy is expected to be carried out on Tuesday. It’s also unclear when the murder happened, but the FBI investigates deaths or violent crimes at sea as well as incidents that happen on cruise ships leaving American ports. It has since emerged Watford was previously arrested in September 2024 for assaulting a family member, and was sentenced to 15 months of probation in November 2024, according to jail records seen by CBS19.
It’s unclear whether the unidentified family member was the person found dead aboard the ship.Passengers on board the MSC Seascape, a Maltese flagged vessel, were just hours into their Caribbean voyage before the ship returned to port.
The ship left Galveston at 4 p.m.Sunday before suddenly changing course at around 11 p.m., with passengers waking up back in the Texas city.One traveler, known only as Jonah, was confused when he woke up at around 8 a.m.
Monday to see the ship back at Galveston — and recalled how the captain made a conscious effort not to create a panic.“That’s when I heard the captain stating there was an incident...