16-Year-Old Stepbrother Charged in Anna Kepner Killing Aboard Carnival Horizon

Federal filings and family documents allege the U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Florida charged a 16-year-old stepbrother on Feb. 3, 2026, in the death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner, a Titusville high school student and cheerleader who died while the family was on a Carnival Horizon cruise. The family filing and subsequent reporting say the teen appeared in federal court in Miami on Feb. 6, 2026.

Sources differ on timing but preserve a clear sequence: multiple reports list Nov. 7, 2025, as the date Anna died aboard the Caribbean cruise, and crew and passenger accounts show the ship returned to PortMiami the next day. CBS-related reporting reproduced in other outlets says a housekeeper found Kepner under the bed in the cabin she shared with her stepbrother when the Carnival Horizon returned to Miami on Nov. 8, 2025. Gray News cited a cause of death as asphyxiation from a bar hold; New York Post described the same manner as strangulation in a bar hold.

The court filing reproduced in local coverage names Thomas Hudson as the biological father who filed an emergency custody petition in Brevard County family court after the charge surfaced. The filing states, "There has been a significant and unanticipated change in circumstances that requires the immediate transfer of sole time sharing and parental responsibility." That filing also quotes social media and states, "According to social media from the Kepner family, on Feb. 3, 2026, the petitioner/father’s son was charged by the United States Attorney in the Southern District for Florida for... and homicide of Anna Kepner," with the first alleged charge redacted in the public document.

Media reports and filings note the accused has not been publicly named because of juvenile protections, though NBC reproduced the initials "T.H." in the court papers. WESH reported the stepbrother is "facing two charges" while Gray characterized the filing as showing he was charged with homicide as a minor. Multiple outlets say parts of the case are sealed; the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office have not issued public statements.

Reactions cited in reporting include an interview with Anna’s ex-boyfriend Jim Thew, who told WESH, "There were signs before this," and "She complained about ... being uncomfortable around him." Former Palm Beach state attorney Dave Aronberg, quoted in coverage of the case, said: "If it’s a juvenile, you won’t know until he’s charged as an adult." Defense counsel identified as Molinelli refused to discuss the sealed federal filings, saying he would not reveal "whatever the charges under seal may be."

The family filing also alleges the teen was expelled from the household after the cruise and quotes social media material included in the petition that family members wanted the "nails in the coffin" of the minor. Other media reports have attributed additional allegations, including claims he was allowed to drink while the ship was in international waters and more inflammatory characterizations; those items appear in reporting but are not confirmed by law enforcement in the public record.

Investigative and prosecutorial details remain limited: the Feb. 6 federal appearance is on the record, the Feb. 3 charge date appears in the family filing, and the medical and charging documents that could confirm cause, exact counts, detention status, and whether the matter will be prosecuted in juvenile or adult court remain under seal or redacted in public filings. The case remains active and subject to federal jurisdiction because the death occurred aboard a cruise ship that returned to PortMiami.