Warning: This article contains details that some readers may find upsetting
Investigators in the case of Anna Kepner, the 18-year-old who died while on a family cruise, have disclosed new information linked to the allegations against her stepbrother.
Anna was travelling on the Carnival Horizon in November 2025 when she was discovered dead inside her cabin, with her body reportedly concealed beneath a bed.
Her stepbrother, Timothy Hudson, who was 16 at the time, was initially arraigned as a minor and charged with murder and aggravated sexual assault. A grand jury has since indicted him on the same counts, meaning he is now set to face proceedings as an adult.
Recent details outlined by prosecutors include claims that Hudson’s DNA was found on Anna’s body, along with a description of the final act alleged to have been used before her death, which was characterised as “a barbaric, intentional, thoughtful act”.
The update follows the release of a transcript from a court hearing held in February. That hearing focused on whether Hudson would be allowed to remain on house arrest with his uncle, or instead be held in custody while awaiting trial.
According to the transcript, Hudson was taken into custody after investigators said DNA linked to him matched DNA recovered from Anna’s body.
Alejandra Lopez, a prosecutor with the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, alleged in the hearing that Hudson used a “chokehold” on Anna.
In the transcript, Lopez said: “While she struggled to breathe for minutes, he continued to hold her neck in that manner so that she would die from lack of oxygen. Minutes go by.”
She continued: “At any time [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 and kept squeezing.”
Lopez later referred to the alleged conduct as “barbaric”.
During the hearing, the prosecution argued that Hudson should not remain on house arrest and should be detained while the case proceeds.
Summarising the accusations, Lopez said: “Without any warning, without any hint, without any prior indication, this defendant raped and killed his stepsister while on vacation.”
Elsewhere in the transcript, Lopez also pointed to CCTV footage said to show Hudson on November 7, 2025, as he passed the cabin.
“[A]s he walks by the cabin, he makes no effort to look and see what is happening inside, even though so many people are still inside the cabin with the door open,” she told the court, according to the transcipt.
“He looks straight ahead and walks away.”