Anna Kepner: Stepbrother accused of killing woman on cruise ship pleads not guilty – National
Timothy Hudson has received the indictment and is waiving his appearance at an arraignment scheduled for Wednesday, defence lawyer Eric Cohen said in a court filing viewed by The Associated Press. The 16-year-old also signed the one-page document.
Hudson was indicted as an adult by a federal grand jury on April 13 in the death of 18-year-old Kepner, whose body was found under a bed in a Carnival Horizon room that she was sharing with him and another teen during a family trip in November 2025.
Since his arrest in February, Hudson has been free in the care of an uncle. Prosecutors now want a judge to revoke his pretrial release while the case unfolds. That issue is unsettled.
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According to court records, Hudson was travelling aboard Carnival Cruise Line’s Horizon with Kepner and other family members on or about Nov. 6-7, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida said in a press release.
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“During that time, while the ship was in international waters en route to Miami, T.H. allegedly sexually assaulted and intentionally killed Kepner. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office later determined the cause of death to be mechanical asphyxiation.”
Mechanical asphyxia is when an object or physical force stops someone from breathing.
“Our hearts go out to the victim’s family during this unimaginable loss,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging serious offenses that allegedly occurred aboard a vessel in international waters. We will present the evidence in court and pursue this case with professionalism and care. As in every case, the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Kepner’s stepbrother was initially charged as a juvenile on Feb. 2. The case remained sealed until U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom ordered it transferred for adult prosecution.
Hudson faces a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Kepner’s death has drawn international attention and sparked intense speculation on social media.
Kepner, a recent high school graduate, was travelling with her family on the Carnival Horizon cruise from Miami to the Caribbean when she died.
Carnival Cruise Line previously confirmed her death in a statement to Global News, saying, “Our focus is on supporting the family of our guest and cooperating with the FBI.”
“Since this is an ongoing matter under the jurisdiction of law enforcement, it is up to the FBI’s Miami public affairs office to provide further details. Our focus is on supporting the family of our guest,” it continued.
Kepner’s stepbrother was first identified as a suspect in her death in November 2025, according to court documents filed by his divorced parents over custody of their youngest child in Brevard County, along Florida’s Space Coast.
Hudson’s mother, Shauntel Kepner, was advised by the FBI and her lawyers that “a criminal case may be initiated against one of the minor children of this instant action,” the legal document stated.
She asked that the proceedings be postponed until the “criminal investigation has concluded.”
In the emergency motion for temporary relief, viewed by Global News, one of the stated grounds is that a “sixteen year old child is now a suspect in the death of the step child during the cruise.”
Kepner’s stepbrother appeared in a federal court in Miami before a federal magistrate in a locked courtroom with his public defenders, prosecutors and U.S. Marshals on Feb. 6, NBC 6 South Florida reports.
The teen walked to another courthouse and entered a probation office where defendants are processed for pretrial release, according to the outlet.
Following the proceedings, Shauntel and Chris Kepner released a statement to People, confirming the stepbrother had been granted release.
“At this time, it is deeply painful and disturbing to our family that the person responsible is able to walk freely. This reality adds to our grief and outrage,” read the statement. “It is devastating to know that while we live every day with the loss of our child, the individual responsible has not yet been fully held accountable.”
— With files from The Associated Press
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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