Florida Teen Pleads Not Guilty in Stepsister’s Cruise Ship Death

A 16-year-old Florida resident has entered a not-guilty plea in federal court Tuesday to charges of murder and aggravated sexual abuse following the death of his stepsister during a family cruise late last year, according to court documents.

The teenager, identified as Timothy Hudson, is accused in connection with the November death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner. Her body was discovered on November 6, 2023, under a bed in a stateroom on the Carnival Horizon, where she was traveling with family members. Court filings confirm Hudson was sharing the room with Kepner and another juvenile during the cruise.

Kepner, a high school cheerleader from Temple Christian School in Titusville, Florida, died from mechanical asphyxia, a form of fatal suffocation caused by physical force or an object impeding breathing, according to official findings.

Following his arrest in February, Hudson was initially charged as a minor and the case remained sealed, resulting in all proceedings being closed to public access for several weeks. The charges have since been elevated after U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom approved a prosecution request to try Hudson as an adult, and the case was formally unsealed on April 10.

Hudson did not appear in court for his scheduled arraignment after waiving his right to be present. His defense attorney, Eric Cohen, submitted the formal plea and waiver on his behalf. As of now, Hudson remains free under the supervision of an uncle. However, prosecutors have requested he be detained pending trial, with that decision still awaiting a judicial ruling.

The investigation into the circumstances of Kepner’s death remains ongoing while court proceedings continue in Miami.