A Texas cruise passenger allegedly killed by her abusive husband inside their cabin was warned not to board the ill-fated ship – but she viewed the trip as a chance to save her marriage.
Susan Watford, 31, was urged to abandon her plans by her adoptive mom, Dorothy Mast, but she refused to heed the advice, leading up to the weeklong MSC Seascape cruise around Honduras and Mexico that departed Galveston, Texas, on Sunday.
“I had asked her not to go,” Mast told KPRCWednesday — two days after Watford’s husband, Jason Watford, was charged with murder for allegedly strangling her in the cabin in front of their young daughter, according to court documents seen by The Post.
Watford, a mom of three, knew of her husband’s alleged abusive history and viewed the vacation as an opportunity to save her marriage.
“As she told me, ‘Mama, he did everything the court said he had to do,’” Mast said of the 2024 case where Jason Watford was convicted of assaulting his wife.
“He took his anger management classes. He did his counseling. He did his community service.”
Watford also knew if the cruise didn’t go as she had anticipated, it would edge her closer to divorce, the outlet reported.
Mast was in touch with Watford while she was on the ship – revealing she tried to contact her after the vessel had departed Galveston.
“I tried calling her,” she said. “She didn’t answer. So I figured, well, you know, she’s busy.”
It’s since emerged that the call was placed after Susan had been allegedly killed by Jason Watford.
Mast has paid tribute to Watford – who fled the Amish community when she was 15.
“She was a great daughter and liked to learn,” she told KPRC.
Watford had worked at Target since 2019, where she started as a warehouse associate before rising up the ranks at the major retailer.
She pursued a business degree at Colorado Technical University between 2021 and 2024 – before graduating summa cum laude, or “with highest honor.”
She then became a Target warehouse team lead in May 2024, a role she held at the time of her death, according to her LinkedIn.
An unidentified family member told ABC News that Watford was “funny” and “the best mom” to her kids – but someone who was “responsible” and wanted to support her family alongside her university education.
Watford was identified as the woman found dead on the cruise ship on Tuesday – two days after the killing. She was found with multiple “facial injuries,” the court documents state.
Watford’s body was first spotted by a housekeeper dropping off towels — who raised the alarm Sunday night after spotting what appeared to be blood on Jason Watford’s clothes.
The captain was made aware of the incident, forcing the ship to return to Galveston before Jason Watford was arrested early Monday.
Jason Watford admitted to FBI investigators that their argument caused him to “snap” and lash out at his wife “multiple times,” leaving her with a bloody mouth, according to the documents.
He then choked his wife with both hands, wrapping his right arm around her neck and applying pressure “for approximately four to five minutes and released his hold after becoming exhausted,” the documents stated.
Watford didn’t “contact ship security or medical personnel” even though his wife was lying motionless in the cabin, the documents claimed.
He was even later seen scrolling on his cellphone after the killing.
Jason Watford didn’t enter a plea at a court hearing Tuesday and remains in federal custody.
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