Strangled on the high seas: Kankakee native charged in bloody cruise killing

Kankakee County Strangled on the high seas: Kankakee native charged in bloody cruise killing Jason Leon Watford, an ex-con from Illinois, and now is behind bars again as the suspect in a bizarre waterborne murder. By Chuck Goudie , Lisa Capitanini , Keely Arthur and Nathan Halder • Published November 10, 2026 • Updated 5 hours ago A cruise ship vacation that turned deadly leads straight back to Illinois. The NBC Chicago investigative team has learned that the accused killer on a cruise ship that left Texas bound for the Caribbean is a native of Kankakee. He has a history of violence in the far south Chicago suburb and previously did prison time in Illinois for attempted murder. Stream NBC 5 for free, 24/7, wherever you are. WATCH HERE Jason Leon Watford, an ex-con from Illinois, and now is behind bars again as the suspect in a bizarre waterborne murder. Watford is facing federal murder charges because the killing took place in international waters. He is being held without bond. The MSC Seascape sailed on Sunday for a seven-day trip to Mexico and Honduras. A few hours later it was turned around and headed back to port in Galveston, Texas. The abrupt shift came after a housekeeper delivering towels to a cabin spotted blood, and then a badly beaten body. The unidentified woman had been strangled. In a complaint charging 48-year old Watford with murder, authorities said "he and the victim had been arguing while eating at a restaurant..." and that she "continued to engage in an escalating verbal dispute that caused him to snap and he struck her multiple times." FBI officials also alleged Watford had wrapped his right arm around the victim’s neck for four to five minutes. They said he stopped strangling the woman because he was exhausted. Investigations NBC 5 Investigates Nov 9 Chinese espionage scandal raises questions for Illinois universities and Nvidia NBC 5 Investigates Nov 6 How parking could be impacted at Soldier Field for the Bears game as workers strike Watford had been traveling with the woman he's now accused of killing, according to federal investigators. It's not known what they were arguing about during the early moments of the cruise or why that was enough to prompt deadly force, although Watford had been previously known to attack and brutalize family members. Law enforcement officials said Watford's explanation that he "snapped" doesn't gel with having spent the subsequent five minutes choking her to death. And, they said, snapping is usually not a successful legal defense. On Tuesday the NBC Chicago investigative team found a trail of criminal records in Illinois and Kankakee, where Watford resided in the 1990s. Court records and police reports revealed he faced with multiple felony charges and convictions, along with a 10-year prison sentence for attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a gun, and drug violations. More recently, the Kankakee native also posted criminal convictions for drugs and violence in Texas, where he pleaded guilty to assault in 2024. This article tagged under: Kankakee County