Stepbrother of Anna Kepner pleads not guilty in cruise ship death case

The 16-year-old stepbrother of Anna Kepner has pleaded not guilty in federal court to charges tied to her death aboard a Carnival cruise ship, a case that now carries the possibility of life in prison and raises the difficult question of how to prosecute a killing that unfolded in international waters.

Timothy Hudson, identified in court filings as T.H., waived his appearance at an arraignment scheduled for Wednesday and entered the plea by filing a one-page document through his attorney. A federal grand jury indicted him on April 13 on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse, after prosecutors said the alleged assault and killing took place aboard Carnival Cruise Line’s Horizon while it was sailing to Miami in November 2025.

Anna Kepner was 18 and a cheerleader at Temple Christian School in Titusville, Florida, when her body was found under a bed in a cabin she was sharing with Hudson and another teen during the family trip. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office determined that her death was caused by mechanical asphyxiation. Prosecutors have said Hudson allegedly assaulted and killed Kepner while the ship was in international waters, a detail that places the case in federal court rather than a state courthouse in Florida.

The case was first brought as juvenile proceedings in February, then remained sealed for weeks before U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom ordered adult prosecution and the records were unsealed on April 10. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alejandra L. López is prosecuting the case, and the FBI’s Miami Field Office is investigating. Prosecutors are also seeking pretrial detention, arguing that Hudson should not remain free while the case moves forward; he had been living in the care of an uncle after his arrest, according to reporting.

The legal path has already been unusually complicated for Kepner’s family, which has had to watch the case move from sealed juvenile filings to adult federal charges in Miami. That process reflects the challenges of investigating crimes at sea, where jurisdiction can hinge on where the ship was sailing and what happened before it reached PortMiami. Former Palm Beach prosecutor Dave Aronberg said adult prosecution was inevitable and argued that the adult system is better equipped to handle a 16-year-old accused of a violent killing. Chris Donohue Sr., Kepner’s step-grandfather, said he was glad justice was starting and hoped she would get the justice she deserves.