Anna Marie Kepner was an 18-year-old cheerleader at Temple Christian School from Titusville, Florida. Her grandparents said she and her stepbrother had been close, though her ex-boyfriend said Kepner had previously expressed discomfort around her stepbrother, claiming the stepbrother once tried to climb on top of her while she lay down.
On November 2, 2025, Kepner boarded the Carnival Horizon in Miami, Florida, with several family members — including her father, her paternal grandparents, her stepmother, three younger step- and half-siblings, and her stepbrother — for a planned six-night cruise with stops in George Town, Grand Cayman; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; and Cozumel, Mexico. Kepner, 18, shared a cabin with her stepbrother, 16. She was killed by mechanical asphyxiation; a cabin steward found her body on November 8 at 11:17 a.m., wrapped in a blanket under a bed and concealed by life vests. Family members said the stepbrother was distraught after the body was discovered and told investigators and relatives that he could not remember what happened. The ship returned to Miami as scheduled later that day. The stepbrother was hospitalized for psychiatric observation and then released into the care of a relative of his mother. The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the death and ruled it a homicide; bruising on Kepner's neck was consistent with an arm having been held across it. A memorial service for Kepner was held on November 20, 2025.
Kepner's stepmother and the stepbrother's father were separately engaged in an ongoing child-custody dispute in Brevard County, Florida. On November 17, 2025, the stepmother requested an emergency delay in a related hearing, citing the possibility that one of her minor children could be considered a suspect in Kepner's death. On December 5, a federal judge stated during a custody hearing that Kepner's stepbrother was considered a suspect. On February 6, 2026, the stepbrother, identified by then as Timothy Hudson, appeared before a federal magistrate in a sealed proceeding; charges were not made public at that time, and he was represented by a federal public defender. On April 13, 2026, a federal grand jury indicted Hudson on charges of murder and aggravated sexual abuse; the indictment was unsealed, and he is being tried as an adult. On June 15, 2026, a judge ordered Hudson held in custody before and during trial, ruling that the prosecution's case for forcible rape was 'beyond clear and convincing' and that the evidence 'suggests a level of psychopathy and lack of remorse' that raised concern he could pose a danger despite his caretakers' efforts.
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