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A Texas wife reportedly made heartbreaking plans with her foster sister just weeks before she was allegedly killed by her abusive husband while on a cruise.
Jason Watford, 48, allegedly punched his wife, Susan Watford, multiple times and strangled her in their cabin — with a child present — aboard the Caribbean-bound MSC Seascape Sunday after an argument at dinner.
Susan Watford, 31, had made plans to meet her foster sister, Breana Chappell, after hearing about the birth of Chappell’s new baby — just weeks before she was tragically killed, the Daily Mail reported.
“I want to come see you or you should come here!’” Watford, a mom of three, wrote in a text. “I’m sorry I haven’t called or texted much lately.”
Susan Watford, of Tyler, Texas, met Chappell at the Coyote Children’s Home in Harrisburg, Missouri, after she fled the Amish community where she was born.
“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 in a tribute to Susan on Facebook.
“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,” she said.
Chappell posted several pictures of Watford, also known as “Suz,” hanging ornaments around a Christmas tree at the home with her fellow foster siblings.
Larry McDaniel, the retired founder of the group, told the outlet she was a hard worker and a “survivor.”
“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,” McDaniel said. “She was delightful, fun to be around and full of life, just a wonderful person.”
“A couple of years ago she sent an email, saying, ‘I’m doing really well’ and she was so proud of herself, how well she had done,” he added.
“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 just a terrible thing, there’s no words.”
She had multiple brushes with the law alongside Marland Lane, her future first husband, including being nabbed in 2013 — at the age of 17 — for breaking into cars in Jefferson City and stealing valuables.
Days later, she was involved in a high-speed police chase where Lane fired stolen guns while reportedly behind the wheel of the car, the outlet reported.
Susan earned five years of probation and spent 60 days in jail after violating probation for a previous crime, and Lane served four years for his part in the incident, according to the report.
The pair married after Lane finished his prison stint and the couple had two children, before divorcing in 2019.
After separating, Susan became a high-flying Colorado Technical University business graduate and a member of the school’s Delta Mu Delta Business Honor Society.
She also worked her way up the ranks from a warehouse associate to a team leader at Target, a role she held at the time of her death, according to her LinkedIn.
Susan then married Jason Watford in December 2021, and the couple had a daughter together, who allegedly witnessed her mom’s gruesome killing.
Hours after the fight at the MSC Seascape restaurant, the pair made their way back to the cabin – and Jason Watford admitted it made him “snap,” prompting him to lash out at his wife “multiple times” which caused her to bleed from the mouth, according to court documents seen by The Post.
Jason Watford then choked his spouse 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 said.
Susan Watford lay motionless on the ground for around 10 minutes, but her husband didn’t call ship security for medical assistance. Instead, her body was later spotted by a housekeeper who had knocked on the couple’s door to drop off some towels shortly after 9 p.m. on Sunday.
The suspected killer was removed from the ship upon its return to Galveston on Monday — before the cruise continued with its itinerary. He was arrested and charged with murder.
Following his arrest, it emerged that Jason Watford had previously pleaded guilty to causing bodily injury after grabbing his wife’s wrist amid a dispute over cash.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788.
