MIAMI (AP) — Federal prosecutors have filed murder and aggravated sexual abuse charges against a 16-year-old Florida boy in connection with his stepsister’s death aboard a Carnival cruise ship, the U.S. Justice Department announced Monday.
Timothy Hudson initially faced juvenile charges on February 2, but the proceedings remained under seal until U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom approved prosecutors’ request to try him as an adult. Defense attorneys did not oppose the transfer to adult court, according to court documents. Hudson’s legal team has not responded to requests for comment regarding the indictment.
The victim, 18-year-old Anna Kepner, was vacationing with family members on the Carnival Horizon in November when tragedy struck. Her body was discovered hidden beneath a bed in a cabin she shared with two other teenagers, including her younger stepbrother, before the vessel was set to return to Florida.
Medical examiners determined Kepner died on November 6 from mechanical asphyxia, a condition that occurs when breathing is prevented by an object or physical pressure.
“Our hearts go out to the victim’s family during this unimaginable loss,” U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones said in a written statement. “A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging serious offenses that allegedly occurred aboard a vessel in international waters.”
Kepner was a cheerleader at Temple Christian School in Titusville, Florida, located approximately 40 miles east of Orlando. During her November memorial service, relatives asked attendees to wear vibrant colors rather than traditional black “in honor of Anna’s bright and beautiful soul.”
Federal prosecution of minors is exceptionally uncommon. Hudson appeared at the Miami federal courthouse in February wearing a baseball cap and hoodie pulled over his face. His status remained unclear at that time due to age-related restrictions on public disclosure by attorneys, prosecutors, and court officials.
On February 6, a judge ordered Hudson to wear electronic monitoring while residing with his uncle. Court records indicate the conditions were modified last week to permit him to spend several days working with his father at a landscaping company.
Legal experts suggest the case falls under federal jurisdiction, rather than typical state court proceedings for juvenile defendants, because Kepner’s death occurred in international waters.
