{"id":58851,"date":"2026-04-28T17:38:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T21:38:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/stepbrothers-murder-trial-set-for-june-in-carnival-cruise-ship-death\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T17:38:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T21:38:13","slug":"stepbrothers-murder-trial-set-for-june-in-carnival-cruise-ship-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/stepbrothers-murder-trial-set-for-june-in-carnival-cruise-ship-death\/","title":{"rendered":"Stepbrother’s Murder Trial Set for June in Carnival Cruise Ship Death"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

A federal judge has scheduled a June trial date for a 16-year-old accused of murdering his stepsister during a family cruise vacation last fall.<\/p>

U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom announced Monday that Timothy Hudson will stand trial beginning June 1 in Miami on charges including first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse in connection with the death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner.<\/p>

Hudson, who was originally charged as a minor before his case moved to adult court, submitted a written not guilty plea last week. Federal prosecution of juveniles is uncommon in the court system.<\/p>

According to court documents, Kepner was aboard the Carnival Horizon vessel in November with family members, including Hudson, when tragedy struck. Authorities discovered her body hidden beneath a bed in a cabin she shared with Hudson and another teenager before the ship was set to dock back in Florida.<\/p>

Medical examiners ruled that Kepner died on November 6 from mechanical asphyxia, which occurs when breathing is prevented by an external object or force.<\/p>

In a public statement, Kepner’s father Christopher expressed the family’s faith in the legal process. “The situation is deeply painful and complex for the entire family,” Christopher Kepner stated, adding that they are placing “trust in the justice system to pursue the truth with care and integrity.”<\/p>

The victim was a cheerleader at Temple Christian School located in Titusville, Florida, approximately 40 miles east of Orlando. During her November memorial service, relatives asked attendees to dress in vibrant colors rather than traditional black clothing “in honor of Anna’s bright and beautiful soul.”<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A 16-year-old charged with murdering his 18-year-old stepsister aboard a Carnival cruise ship will face trial in federal court starting June 1. The teen is accused of sexually assaulting and killing Anna Kepner during a family vacation in November.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":58850,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[831],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777412292768.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-fjd","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":82056,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/teen-accused-of-killing-stepsister-on-carnival-cruise-ship-taken-into-custody\/","url_meta":{"origin":58851,"position":0},"title":"Teen Accused of Killing Stepsister on Carnival Cruise Ship Taken Into Custody","author":"Admin","date":"June 15, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A teenager charged with the sexual assault and murder of his 18-year-old stepsister aboard a Carnival Cruise ship has been taken into custody after a federal judge reversed his earlier pretrial release decision. The reversal came after the case was moved to adult court in April. The teen, who had\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "U.S. News"","block_context":{"text":"U.S. News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/us-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781569841728.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781569841728.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781569841728.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781569841728.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":51445,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/florida-teen-charged-as-adult-in-stepsisters-murder-on-carnival-cruise\/","url_meta":{"origin":58851,"position":1},"title":"Florida Teen Charged as Adult in Stepsister’s Murder on Carnival Cruise","author":"Admin","date":"April 13, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Timothy Hudson, 16, faces federal murder and sexual assault charges in the death of his 18-year-old stepsister Anna Kepner aboard a Carnival cruise ship in November. The case moved to adult court after prosecutors requested the transfer, with the victim found dead in her shared cabin.","rel":"","context":"In "U.S. News"","block_context":{"text":"U.S. News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/us-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776105546063.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776105546063.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776105546063.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776105546063.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":72582,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/federal-judge-to-decide-if-teen-stays-jailed-in-cruise-ship-murder-case\/","url_meta":{"origin":58851,"position":2},"title":"Federal Judge to Decide if Teen Stays Jailed in Cruise Ship Murder Case","author":"Admin","date":"May 27, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A Miami federal judge will determine whether a 16-year-old accused of murdering his stepsister aboard a Carnival cruise ship remains in custody until trial. The teen was initially released to live with an uncle under electronic monitoring, but prosecutors now want him jailed after the case moved to adult court.","rel":"","context":"In "U.S. News"","block_context":{"text":"U.S. News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/us-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779885452836.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779885452836.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779885452836.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779885452836.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":52763,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/federal-jury-awards-300k-to-cruise-passenger-over-excessive-alcohol-service\/","url_meta":{"origin":58851,"position":3},"title":"Federal Jury Awards $300K to Cruise Passenger Over Excessive Alcohol Service","author":"Admin","date":"April 15, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A Miami federal jury ordered Carnival Cruise Line to pay $300,000 to a California nurse who suffered brain injuries after being served 14 tequila shots and falling down stairs. 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