On November 7, 2025, 18-year-old Anna Kepner was found dead under her bed on the Carnival Cruise Line’s Horizon during a family vacation.
Five months after her death, a federal grand jury indicted Timothy Hudson, the 16-year-old stepbrother of Anna, on charges of murder and aggravated abuse.
He will be tried as an adult in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida and could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted. In court documents, he is referred to as T.H.
He and Anna were passengers on the cruise ship Horizon while it was traveling back to Miami after a weeklong Caribbean cruise. Anna’s father, stepmother, grandparents, and several siblings were on board the cruise ship as well.
Sometime between November 6 and 7 of 2025, he allegedly assaulted her and killed her. Since Anna died on open water, the case is being tried in federal court.
According to court documents, Anna was sharing a room with T.H. during the cruise. On the night of November 6, she returned to her room and was found dead under her bed the next day, just before noon.
When the cruise ship docked in Miami on November 8, a group of FBI agents was waiting to start an investigation right away.
They questioned Anna’s family members, including her stepbrother. He was admitted into a medical facility upon the ship’s return to PortMiami.
He took medication for ADHD and insomnia. For two nights on the cruise, he had not taken his insomnia medication, including the night before Anna’s body was discovered.
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The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office determined that the cause of Anna’s death was mechanical asphyxiation. On February 6, T.H. made his first federal court appearance and was then released back into the custody of a family member, his uncle. He is not allowed to be alone with anyone under the age of 18 and is supervised under GPS monitoring.
His mother, Shauntel Kepner, and her husband, Anna’s father, Chris Kepner, were angry that T.H. was released. After the cruise ship docked, Shauntel cut off all contact with her son. T.H. claims that he doesn’t remember what happened and has shown no remorse since the murder.
“We’re upset that he’s still out. We’re six months in, and he should already have been arrested, and yet he’s free to do whatever he wants right now,” said Chris.
“That’s our problem. He’s been able to do whatever he wants and go where he wants, but the family’s been sitting here unable to do anything.”
He added that he wants to see T.H. in an “orange jumpsuit and handcuffs,” stating that someone who is a danger to himself and the public, particularly women and children, should not be walking around as a free man.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
