The Texas wife allegedly killed by her abusive husband on a cruise ship was a high-flying Colorado Technical University business graduate who worked her way up the ranks at Target.

Susan Watford, 31, was on the MSC Seascape with her 48-year-old husband, Jason Watford, when he allegedly strangled her in their cabin — with a child present — after an argument at dinner, according to court documents seen by The Post.

Her body was found by a housekeeper who arrived to collect some towels.

Jason Watford was taken into custody when the ship returned to the Texas port early Monday morning.

He was charged with murder after admitting to the FBI that he snapped — and choked her “for approximately four to five minutes,” only releasing his hands when he became “exhausted,” according to the documents.

Photos of his slain wife have since surfaced on LinkedIn — where she proudly documented her rise up the ranks at Target.

Susan Watford, who lived in Tyler, started out in 2019 as a warehouse associate before enrolling at Colorado Technical University in 2021 for a business degree, 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. 

The Watfords were set to embark on a weeklong cruise to Honduras and Mexico, boarding in Galveston, Texas, on Sunday, hours before she was found dead.

The pair had an argument while dining at one of the ship’s restaurants – with the dispute continuing back in the couple’s cabin, according to the documents. 

The husband admitted the fight made him “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. 

Jason Watford allegedly killed his wife while a child was present in the room, the FBI revealed Tuesday, without saying if it was the Watfords’ own. The child was unharmed and is currently in foster care.

It’s unclear when Susan Watford was killed, but her body was spotted by a housekeeper who had knocked on the couple’s door to drop off some towels just after 9 p.m. on Sunday — around 90 minutes after Jason Watford had returned to the room. 

The husband answered the door — and the housekeeper saw the motionless body and blood on Jason’s clothes, the documents said.

Jason Watford then changed his clothes, left the cabin, and was seen sitting in the hall scrolling on his phone.

Susan Watford was found with “multiple facial injuries,” while her husband was detained by ship security.

The suspected killer was removed from the ship upon its return to Galveston Monday morning – 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.