Anna Kepner’s suspected cruise ship killer carried out ‘barbaric, intentional, thoughtful act’: prosecutors
This article includes descriptions of sexual assault that some readers may find distressing.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Maine News Now does not typically name minors accused of crimes. The minor in this case has been identified in federal court records and by other news organizations, and we have made the editorial decision to identify him given the severity of the charges and the public interest in the case.
STEPBROTHER HELD WITHOUT BREAK AS 18-YEAR-OLD STRUGGLED TO BREATHE, PROSECUTORS ALLEGE IN CRUISE SHIP DEATH CASE
MIAMI — Federal prosecutors this week laid out a disturbing and detailed account of the final hours of Anna Kepner, the 18-year-old Florida cheerleader whose body was found hidden inside a cruise ship cabin last fall, arguing that the teenager accused of killing her made a deliberate, calculated choice to end her life.
According to a newly unsealed detention hearing transcript, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alejandra Lopez told a federal judge that Kepner's stepbrother, 16-year-old Timothy Hudson, strangled her with his hands for several minutes as she fought to survive, rather than releasing his grip.
"At any time T [Timothy] could have let that hold go. He could have allowed the victim to breathe. But instead, for minutes he held that position in order for her to die," Lopez told the court.
She called the killing "a barbaric, intentional, thoughtful act."
The final evening
Kepner died on November 6, 2025, while the Carnival Horizon was sailing back to Miami from Cozumel, Mexico. According to prosecutors, Kepner left her family at dinner that evening around 7:38 p.m., telling them she had an upset stomach and that her braces were hurting.
Surveillance footage shows Hudson entered their shared cabin, room 8343, minutes before she did, according to the transcript.
Kepner's 13-year-old brother briefly stepped into the cabin around 7:51 p.m. and saw her alive. After he left, prosecutors said, Kepner and Hudson were alone in the room for roughly three hours.
It was during that window, Lopez argued, that Hudson sexually assaulted Kepner and strangled her until she died of mechanical asphyxiation.
The morning after
A cabin attendant discovered Kepner's body the following morning. She had been wrapped in a blanket and partially pushed under a bed, with a box of life vests moved into position to help conceal her remains, prosecutors said.
The medical examiner found bruising on her neck and significant bruising near her left side. The medical examiner's findings were consistent with sexual assault occurring before death, according to prosecutors.
The evidence
Prosecutors pointed to several pieces of physical and digital evidence they say link Hudson to the crime.
A rape kit collected during Kepner's autopsy included vaginal swabs that tested positive for male DNA, and one swab tested positive for sperm, according to the transcript. FBI lab testing excluded another sexual partner as the source of the DNA, and found "very strong support" for Hudson as the male DNA contributor. According to prosecutors, 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.
Kepner's cellphone, which her family said she was "never without," was later found smashed in a trash bin near the rear of the ship. Prosecutors said surveillance footage and Wi-Fi router data showed Hudson moving through areas of the ship where the phone was also connecting to the network, including near the trash bin where it was recovered.
The prosecution's argument
Lopez was direct in urging the court to keep Hudson detained, telling the judge that what happened to Kepner was no accident.
"Not an accident, not some sort of brief, weird moment where it sort of happens like an accidental shooting. He made the decision to do that, and he continues to do that until she had breath no more," Lopez said.
Addressing the sexual assault allegations, she added: "Someone doesn't accidentally fall into someone's vagina with their sexual organ. He clearly made the clear, conscious decision. That is not a spur-of-the-moment act and it is not an accident. It is a clear and conscious decision that violates the body of another person."
The court's decision
Hudson has been charged as an adult with homicide and could face a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted. His trial is scheduled for September.
Earlier in the proceedings, he was released to his uncle's custody under strict conditions, including GPS monitoring, home detention, no unsupervised contact with minors, and the removal of firearms from the home. On Wednesday, prosecutors again argued that he should be held behind bars pending trial, but the judge ruled that Hudson could remain out on bond. The U.S. Marshals Service is exploring placement options for him in the Tampa area.
Anyone who has been affected by sexual assault can contact the Maine Statewide Sexual Assault Helpline at 1-800-871-7741 or RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).