Teen accused in Anna Kepner’s Carnival cruise death faces detention hearing
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The teenage half-brother charged in the death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner aboard a Carnival cruise ship is scheduled to appear in federal court in Miami Wednesday morning as prosecutors push to put him behind bars ahead of his trial.
Timothy Hudson is charged with first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse after Kepner was found dead in a Carnival passenger cabin traveling offshore toward Miami in November 2025, according to federal court documents.
Prosecutors say Kepner was found in the cabin he shared with Hudson and another sibling. Hudson was 16 at the time of the alleged murder and is currently free under an advance release order.
PROSECUTORS WARN ANNA KEPNER’S half-brother should not walk free after alleged cruise ship murder
Anna Kepner’s 16-year-old half-brother is accused of sexually assaulting and manslaughtering her aboard Carnival Cruise Line’s Horizon ship. (Shauntel Kepner/Facebook)
Florida-based criminal defense attorney Tim Jansen told Fox News Digital that he found the teenage boy was released before the trial strike, given the seriousness of the charges.
“I don’t know how they were left in the care of someone with these charges. I find that alarming,” Jansen said.
Federal prosecutors said Hudson had previously been turned over to a family member while the case was handled under the Juvenile Delinquency Act. But after the case was transferred to adult prosecution and a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment, the government asked the court to reconsider the discharge decision.
FBI HOLDS STATE OR FEDERAL LIABILITIES AGAINST 16-YEAR-OLD CHILD IN ANNA KEPNER SHIP MURDER CASE: ATTORNEY
In the application, prosecutors argued that under adult bail standards, Hudson “poses a danger to others and should be held in pretrial detention.”
On Wednesday, the court will consider Hudson’s release under the federal Bail Reform Act, which judges use to determine whether a defendant should be detained, released or placed under bail conditions while awaiting trial.
Jansen said if the allegations are proven, he will present prosecutors with a compelling public safety argument.
LEGAL EXPERT: CARNIVAL CRUISE SHIP DEATH: FAMILY DYNAMICS MAY EXPLAIN THE SILENCE OF THE JEWELS
“At 16 years old, it looks like he’s going to spend the rest of his life in prison,” Jansen said. “As a prosecutor, I argue that he is both a flight risk and a danger to society. [allegedly] He sexually assaulted and killed a person. He demonstrated his ability to not conform. And I believe the court will arrest him.”
FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME SQUAD ON X
Prosecutors argued that the alleged crimes were among the “most serious, grave and violating crimes that one person could commit against another” and said no combination of circumstances could reassure the court that Hudson would not pose a danger to others. They also noted that he was currently living in a home with minors.
The government’s motion states that Hudson was released on parole, not bail.
SIGN UP TO RECEIVE THE TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER
Anna Kepner’s 16-year-old half-brother walks with his attorney outside a federal courthouse in Miami, Florida, on February 6, 2026. He was charged in connection with the death of his half-sister during a Carnival Rides in November 2025. (Fox News)
The defense lawyer did not agree to be taken into immediate custody. According to the application, Hudson’s attorneys said the matter should be referred to the judge who issued the original release order and that he should remain free pending the release decision.
If the judge issues a detention order on Wednesday, Jansen said Hudson could be taken into custody immediately.
SEND US A TIP HERE
“The U.S. Marshals Service will take him into custody immediately and they will then have to make arrangements to detain him separately from all other adult inmates,” Jansen said.
The father of the young man who was allegedly killed by his stepbrother while traveling said he could not ‘relive’ the travail in the murder case.
Jeffrey Kepner and Shauntel Kepner leave court in Melbourne, Florida, on December 5, 2025. The couple, who lost their daughter Anna Kepner on a Carnival Rides last month, attended an emergency custody hearing amid an ongoing dispute between Shauntel and her ex-husband Thomas Hudson. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)
Kepner’s parents expressed outrage that Hudson was returning to society despite being federally charged as an adult.
LISTEN TO THE NEW ‘CRIME AND JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO’ PODCAST
“We’re sorry he’s still out there. We’ve got six months and he should have been arrested already, but he’s still free to do whatever he wants right now,” Christopher Kepner said. he told the Daily Mail. “This is our problem. He can do whatever he wants, go wherever he wants, but the family can’t sit here and do nothing.”
If convicted, the teen could face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
DO YOU LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? FIND MORE IN TRUE CRIME CENTER
“I want to see him somewhere orange overalls and handcuffs. It doesn’t need to be free. “There is no need for him to be around any child or woman in public, in general,” Christopher Kepner said.
Anna Kepner has been identified as the deceased passenger on the Carnival Horizon cruise ship. (Instagram/AnnaKepner)
The ensuing legal battle comes months after Anna, affectionately called “Anna banana,” was found dead on a cruise ship during a family vacation with her father, stepmother, grandparents and several siblings.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION
Authorities later reigned his death is a murder It was caused by “mechanical asphyxiation,” according to documents previously reviewed by Fox News Digital.
He was found covered and wrapped in a blanket under the bed in the cabin, according to investigators. life jackets. The cabin was: shared with his stepbrother.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Hudson’s attorney for comment.
