Susan Watford’s 31 years were marked by painful setbacks as well as hard-won achievements. Her life ended when she was allegedly beaten and strangled inside a cruise ship cabin.
After running away from the Amish community where she was born, Susan earned a university degree, developed a career with Target and became a mother to three children.
Yet her journey also included encounters with the law and two troubled marriages. Both of her husbands served prison time for serious offenses, and at least one was accused of abusing her.
Jason Leon Watford, 48, is now jailed and charged with killing Susan in the presence of their youngest child only hours after the couple set out on what was supposed to be a romantic cruise.
Susan Wengred, the name she used earlier in life, left the Amish community and eventually entered foster care in Columbia, Missouri.
She spent her teenage years at Coyote Hill Children’s Home, where she became a much-loved “big sister” to a group of girls now grieving her violent death.
Larry McDaniel, the organization’s retired founder, described Susan as a determined survivor and a hardworking young woman whose progress made him proud.
“We get born into all kinds of things that we didn’t ask for, but she made her way and she got through it. She did what she had to do,” he told Our News Outlet.
“She was delightful, fun to be around and full of life—just a wonderful person.”
Susan Watford, 31, was allegedly beaten and strangled in front of her toddler during a cruise off the coasts of Mexico and Honduras
Susan Wengred, the name she used at the time, left the Amish community where she was born and entered foster care in Columbia, Missouri. She is pictured there during Christmas
McDaniel said Susan was especially committed to a program that used horseback riding to support foster children and military veterans coping with trauma.
“A couple of years ago she sent an email saying, ‘I’m doing really well,’” McDaniel recalled. “She was so proud of herself and how far she had come.”
“Sometimes you make mistakes and end up with someone who wasn’t a good choice and… this is… I’m just very, very sad. It’s a terrible thing. There are no words.”
Susan’s foster sister, Breana Chappell, was among the many former Coyote Hill residents who came together to mourn after learning of her death.
They remembered “Suz” as someone who cared for the younger girls and shared photographs of themselves holding hands beneath a Christmas tree, including one of Susan placing an ornament on the tree.
“One thing about foster care is that you don’t just meet strangers. You meet people who become family, people who grow up alongside you, people who leave permanent pieces of themselves in your heart,” Chappell wrote.
“She had been part of my life since I was a little girl. We shared a bond that went beyond foster care, and I will forever consider her my sister.”
After leaving the foster system, Susan faced a difficult transition into adulthood and had to build a life largely on her own.
Susan’s grieving foster sister remembered how “Suz” cared for the girls and shared photographs of them holding hands beneath a Christmas tree
At 17, Susan was arrested in 2013 after becoming involved in a series of crimes with her future first husband, Marland Lane, now 35.
Security footage showed her entering cars in Jefferson City, Missouri, and taking valuables before using a stolen credit card to make purchases.
Several days later, her vehicle crashed during a high-speed police pursuit in nearby Boone County. Officers had received reports of gunfire, and stolen property was discovered inside the wrecked car.
Susan faced charges including theft, fraud and forgery. In 2014, she pleaded guilty to felony stealing and received five years of probation.
She also served 60 days in jail for violating probation connected to an earlier offense.
Court documents indicated that Lane had been driving Susan’s car during the pursuit and admitted firing two stolen firearms from the vehicle.
He was sentenced to four years in prison for his role, while two other people in the car were also jailed on weapons and resisting-arrest charges.
Lane’s sentence ran at the same time as other terms related to the theft and forgery cases involving Susan, marijuana possession and driving without a license.
Despite his criminal record, Susan married Lane after his release. The couple had two children, Trey and Kristina, who are now estranged from their father.
Susan married Lane after his release from prison, and they had two children, Trey and Kristina. A fundraiser shared on GoFundMe is seeking clothes for them because they “have not been able to get into their house because of an investigation”
Before her death, Susan had earned a university degree, established a promising career at Target and was raising three children
Financial records suggested Susan was supporting the household, earning between $17,000 and $21,000 annually while Lane brought in about $4,500 through “odd jobs.”
The couple eventually relocated to Texas and settled in Tyler, roughly 100 miles east of Dallas. It would remain Susan’s home for the rest of her life.
She filed for divorce in 2019 and began rebuilding her future that October after taking a warehouse position at the local Target store.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Susan advanced through the company and became a team leader by 2024.
That same year, she completed an online bachelor’s degree in business administration from Colorado Technical University and joined the Delta Mu Delta Business Honor Society.
“I have a keen interest in financial analysis, budgeting and forecasting, and I apply my problem-solving and communication skills to various projects and assignments,” her profile stated.
But less than two years after divorcing Lane, Susan married Watford in December 2021. He had an even more extensive and troubling criminal history.
The couple had another child, a toddler who was allegedly forced to watch as Watford killed Susan.
Susan’s husband, Jason Leon Watford, 48, is jailed and accused of killing her in front of their youngest child during a cruise
Susan’s LinkedIn profile showed that she joined Target in 2019, rose to team leader by 2024 and earned a business degree
Watford allegedly told investigators that he beat and strangled Susan inside their cruise ship cabin
The full extent of what Susan may have endured in private remains unknown, though one alleged incident was reported to police in September 2024.
Susan told an officer that Watford grabbed her wrist during an argument about money, forcing her to use a Taser to protect herself.
She recorded audio of the confrontation, in which Watford could be heard growing angry as she repeatedly told him to move away.
Watford first denied assaulting Susan but later pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily injury to a family member. He was sentenced to 15 months of probation.
Just weeks before her death, Susan began arranging a visit with Chappell after learning that her foster sister had welcomed a baby.
“I want to come see you, or you should come here!” she wrote in a text message. “I’m sorry I haven’t called or texted much lately.”
She never made the visit.
Susan had planned to visit her former foster sister, Chappell, after learning about the birth of her new baby
On Sunday morning, Susan and Watford boarded the MSC Seascape in Galveston, Texas, for a cruise off the coasts of Mexico and Honduras.
By that evening, however, the couple were arguing during dinner. Watford left the restaurant and returned to their cabin at 7:46 p.m.
Susan followed 25 minutes later, and the dispute continued. According to a charging affidavit, Watford later told the FBI that he “snapped” and punched her in the face several times.
The affidavit alleged that the blows were so forceful they caused blood to come from Susan’s mouth and stain Watford’s shirt, pants and hands.
During the alleged attack, Watford reportedly placed both hands around Susan’s neck before wrapping his right arm around her throat from behind as she lay on the floor or bed.
“[Watford] stated that he applied pressure to [her] neck for approximately four to five minutes and released his hold only after becoming exhausted,” the affidavit said.
Susan was discovered about 10 minutes later when a housekeeper arrived to deliver towels. The worker allegedly noticed blood on Watford’s hands and clothing and saw Susan lying behind him before raising the alarm.
Watford was taken from the MSC Seascape in handcuffs after the vessel returned to Galveston, Texas, early Monday
Passengers photographed forensic investigators examining the ship and removing evidence
Susan was killed aboard the MSC Seascape, pictured in 2023, before the ship turned back toward Galveston on Monday
When the ship returned to Galveston on Monday morning, Watford was escorted off in handcuffs. He faces a federal murder charge that could carry a life sentence.
A fundraiser has been launched to provide clothing for Susan’s older children, who reportedly have been unable to enter their home during the investigation and cannot retrieve clothes or other essentials.
Susan’s toddler was inside the cabin when she was killed but was not physically harmed. The child is reportedly being cared for by Watford’s mother.
“My heart breaks knowing that someone as beautiful as you was taken from this world far too soon. You did not deserve this. Not one bit of it,” Chappell wrote.
“Your light should have had so many more years to shine, so many more memories to make and so many more moments to share with the people who love you.”
“I am so sorry that your story was cut short, that your babies have to grow up without your arms around them, and that those who love you are left trying to make sense of a loss that should never have happened.”
