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The teenage stepbrother accused in the death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner aboard a Carnival cruise ship will remain free until his trial, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Timothy Hudson is accused of first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse after Kepner was found dead in November 2025 inside a Carnival cruise cabin that was traveling on the high seas toward Miami, according to federal court documents.
On Wednesday morning, Hudson was seen arriving at the James Lawrence King Federal Justice building before his hearing, where prosecutors pushed to have the teen behind bars until his September trial.
The judge ruled Wednesday that Hudson can remain out of jail and on bond before his trial, with certain restrictions. The U.S. Marshals Office will explore housing options for Hudson in the Tampa area.
PROSECUTORS WARN ANNA KEPNER’S STEPBROTHER SHOULDN’T ROAM FREE AFTER ALLEGED CRUISE SHIP MURDER
Miami, FL, May 27th 2026 Timothy Hudson arrives at the James Lawrence King Federal Justice building in Miami, FL. He was charged in connection with the death of his stepsister on a Carnival Cruise in November 2025. (Matthew Symons for Fox News Digital)
Timothy Hudson enters Miami Federal Court with a public defender on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. He was charged in connection with the death of his stepsister on a Carnival Cruise in November 2025. (Matthew Symons for Fox News Digital)
Florida-based criminal defense attorney Tim Jansen told Fox News Digital he found that the teen boy being released before the trial was striking, given the severity of the charges.
“I don’t know how they got released into the custody of someone with these charges. I find that alarming,” Jansen said.
Federal prosecutors say Hudson was previously released to a family member while the case was still being 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 revisit that release decision.
In a court sketch, Timothy Hudson’s public defender is seen in Miami federal court on Wednesday, May 27. Hudson is accused of murdering his stepsister, Anna Kepner, and sexually assaulting her. (Lothar Speer )
In a court sketch, Timothy Hudson is seen sitting in Miami federal court on Wednesday, May 27. Hudson is accused of murdering his stepsister, Anna Kepner, and sexually assaulting her. (Lothar Speer )
In the filing, prosecutors argued that under adult bail standards, Hudson “is a danger to others and should be held in pretrial detention.”
Jansen said the allegations, if proven, would give prosecutors a compelling public-safety argument.
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“He’s 16 years old, looking at the spending the rest of his life in prison,” Jansen said. “I would argue as a prosecutor, he is both a flight risk and a danger to the community. He’s already [allegedly] sexually assaulted and killed one person. He’s demonstrated his ability not to conform. And I believe the court will detain.”
WATCH: Lawyer stunned teen accused in Anna Kepner murder is roaming free
Prosecutors argued that the alleged crimes were among “the most serious, egregious, and violative crimes one person can inflict upon another” and said no combination of conditions could assure the court that Hudson would not be a danger to others. They also noted that he currently lives in a home where minors reside.
The government’s motion says Hudson was not released on bond, but rather under a release order with conditions.
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Timothy Hudson enters Miami Federal Court with a public defender on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. He was charged in connection with the death of his stepsister, Anna Kepner, on a Carnival Cruise in November 2025. (Matthew Symons for Fox News Digital)
Timeline from Night of Alleged Murder:
Nov. 6, 2025, dinner: Prosecutors say Kepner left dinner because she wasn’t feeling well, saying that she had mouth pain from her braces and an upset stomach, and returned alone to cabin 8343.
7:35 p.m.: CCTV allegedly shows Hudson entering the cabin.
7:38 p.m.: CCTV allegedly shows Kepner entering the same cabin. Prosecutors say she is never seen leaving again.
7:51 p.m.: Kepner’s 13-year-old brother briefly enters the cabin and later tells investigators he saw Anna alive.
7:51 p.m. to 10:13 p.m.: Prosecutors say Kepner and Hudson were alone in the cabin for roughly three-plus hours.
10:13 p.m.: Prosecutors say Hudson exits the cabin and looks left and right down the hallway.
10:53 p.m.: Prosecutors say Hudson places the privacy sign on the cabin door and goes back inside.
11:21 p.m.: Kepner’s younger brother returns briefly to the cabin. He later tells investigators he did not see Anna inside.
12:09 a.m.: The brother returns again. Prosecutors say Hudson blocks him from entering, says he is changing and makes him wait outside for a couple of minutes.
12:09 a.m.: The brother says the bathroom and closet doors were open, and the cabin lights were on.
Anna Kepner’s 16-year-old stepbrother is accused of sexually assaulting and intentionally killing her on Carnival Cruise Line’s Horizon ship. (Shauntel Kepner/Facebook)
Morning of Nov. 7: Prosecutors say Kepner’s phone, which was missing from the cabin, is tracked by ship Wi-Fi/router data moving along the same path as Hudson.
9:26-9:55 a.m.: Prosecutors say CCTV and router data place Hudson, and allegedly Kepner’s phone, near the jogging track, smoking area and later near the trash-bin area where the phone was found.
11:24 a.m.: Cabin attendants discover Anna’s body, prosecutors say, wrapped in bedding and partially hidden under a bed, with a box of life vests positioned to obscure it.
Prosecutors said a rape kit collected during Kepner’s autopsy included vaginal swabs that tested positive for male DNA, and one swab also tested positive for sperm.
According to the transcript, FBI lab testing excluded another minor witness and found “very strong support” for Hudson as the male DNA contributor. They said FBI lab testing found the DNA mixture was 120 sextillion times more likely if Kepner and Hudson were the contributors than if Kepner and an unknown, unrelated person were contributors.
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Authorities later ruled her death a homicide caused by “mechanical asphyxiation,” according to documents previously reviewed by Fox News Digital.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Hudson’s attorney for comment.
Jeffrey Kepner and Shauntel Kepner leave court in Melbourne, Fla., on Dec. 5, 2025. The couple, who lost their daughter Anna Kepner on a Carnival Cruise the previous 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 have voiced their outrage that Hudson is not jailed pending his trial.
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“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,” Christopher Kepner told the Daily Mail. “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.”
Anna Kepner was identified as the passenger who died onboard the Carnival Horizon cruise ship. (Instagram/AnnaKepner)
If convicted, the teen could face a maximum penalty of life in prison.
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“I want to see him in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs. He does not need to be free. He does not need to be in the general public, around any kids or women in general,” Christopher Kepner said.
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