Teen accused of murdering stepsister on cruise ship free for now while judge mulls conditions of pretrial release

Anna Kepner was found dead aboard the Carnival Horizon during a family trip in November

Published May 27, 2026  •  2 minute read

Anna Kepner Photo by Instagram

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The teen accused of killing and sexually assaulting his stepsister on a Carnival Cruise ship will remain in the custody of a family member for now as he awaits trial, a Miami federal judge ruled Wednesday.

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Timothy Hudson, 16, was charged after his stepsister Anna Kepner, 18, was found dead aboard the Carnival Horizon during a family trip in November.

He was charged as a juvenile in February, but a federal grand jury indicted him as an adult in April, which led to court proceedings to determine if the teen should be jailed as he awaits trial.

“If it were a 20-year-old under the exact circumstances I probably would have detained,” U.S. District Judge Edwin Torres said, according to NBC News. “The presumption would be we were just not going to take that chance.”

“This is a different animal,” he added.

The judge also weighed whether to keep Hudson locked up in Miami-Dade County, where he was charged, or to move him to a Hernando County jail, which would be closer to his family.

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It’s unclear when the judge will issue his final ruling.

Prosecutor Alejandra Lopez reportedly argued that Hudson’s bail should be revoked, given that he’s living in his uncle’s house with two minors.

“What is needed to prove a danger? A second dead body?” she said, per NBC News.

Hudson’s lawyer, Evan Kuhl, argued that the teen is not a danger to the public or a flight risk, and has abided by the terms of his supervised release since his arrest.

The terms of Hudson’s release prohibit him from leaving his uncle’s home without being accompanied by his uncle or his aunt and he will continue to be electronically monitored by authorities.

Teen’s body found in cruise ship cabin

In November, Kepner’s body was found wrapped in a blanket and hidden under the bed of a room she shared with Hudson and another teen.

The teen cheerleader’s boyfriend said Hudson was “obsessed” with his stepsister.

The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office determined that her cause of death was a homicide caused by “mechanical asphyxiation.”

Florida officials allege Hudson sexually abused and murdered his stepsister.

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