The teenager accused of killing his stepsister, Anna Kepner, after sexually assaulting her on a Carnival cruise ship in November 2025 while in international waters and stuffing her body underneath the bed in their shared cabin is being held in jail until the start of his trial.
Initial Charges
Timothy Hudson, 16, was surrendered to U.S. Marshals on June 15, 2026, and is charged with first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse in the death of his 18-year-old stepsister Anna Kepner, whose body was found underneath a bed in their cruise ship cabin they shared with Kepner’s other half-brother.
Hudson was initially charged as a juvenile, so he was placed at his maternal uncle’s house after the cruise came to an end, and Kepner’s body was found. Since the case has been transferred to adult court, prosecutors have requested that he be held in jail pending trial.
Deemed a Danger to Society
U.S. Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres issued an order on Monday, June 15, 2026, mandating that Hudson be taken into custody, noting that he poses a danger to the community.
“A now-decreed adult defendant charged on probable cause with deliberately taking a human life, and sexually assaulting his victim in the course of doing so, presents a danger to himself and to others that no curfew, monitor, or custodial placement can be trusted to contain,” the order stated.
Torres found the allegations of the crime to be so severe that if Hudson had only been accused of one or the other, it would be enough to hold him behind bars. The teen has pleaded not guilty and remains so until proven otherwise by the prosecution. However, the judge said the charges must be considered in assessing community risk as is.
“Focusing just on the sexual assault charge, the Government’s case for a forcible rape is beyond clear and convincing. Indeed, it suggests a level of psychopathy and lack of remorse that by itself raises a serious concern that Defendant can snap at any time, despite the well-meaning and serious efforts of his caretakers to make sure that does not happen,” the judge added.
Murder of Anna Kepner
The family had been on their first blended vacation following the marriage of Hudson’s mother, Shauntel Hudson, and Anna’s father, Christopher Kepner. Anna Kepner was last seen on the night of November 6, 2025, returning to her cabin that she shared with Hudson and her 14-year-old half-brother.
The following morning, she was found dead under her bed. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office determined her death was by manual asphyxiation or strangulation, and the manner of death was deemed a homicide.
Prosecutors say Hudson murdered his stepsister while traveling through international waters aboard Carnival Cruise Line’s Horizon. Investigators conducted a rape kit on Kepner, which declared she had been sexually assaulted previously, and the DNA collected matched the Defendant.
Although “the current custodians of the Defendant have fully complied with the conditions of the Court’s original release order and have managed and housed the Defendant as well as anyone could expect,” the facts of the case show that Hudson cannot be managed and needs to be placed in police custody.
Charged as an Adult
Hudson is now facing a more serious penalty due to the change in venue from juvenile to adult court. “If convicted, he will be a felon, not an adjudicated delinquent, and may be sentenced as an adult without the age-21 ceiling that applies for juvenile disposition,” Torres said. “So the transfer to adult status has real consequences.”
The Defendant will be held at the Citrus County Jail, which is approved to house juveniles, and is required to undergo a series of mental health examinations. He will be allowed to have visitation with his family members. In July, he will be transferred to a federal juvenile facility in Miami, Florida, where he will remain until his trial, which is scheduled to begin in September.
Family Full of Grief
Shauntel Hudson agreed with law enforcement and the judge that her son should be in custody. She, along with Anna’s father, released a statement in February that said, “At this time, it is deeply painful and disturbing to our family that the person responsible is able to walk freely. This reality adds to our grief and outrage.”
“It is devastating to know that while we live every day with the loss of our child, the individual responsible has not yet been fully held accountable,” the statement added.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please get in touch with the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
