A judge has made a decision on whether a teenage boy accused of killing his stepsister will remain in custody or be allowed to wait for trial outside of jail.
Timothy Hudson, 16, from Florida, is accused of murdering his stepsister, Anna Kepner, while the family was on vacation.
Anna was found dead on a Carnival Cruise ship in November 2025, with reports stating her body was discovered beneath a bed. Her death was later classified as a homicide.
Authorities have said she died from mechanical asphyxiation. The Cleveland Clinic notes this can occur due to “allergic reactions, drowning, and foreign objects blocking your airway”.
Hudson was subsequently charged in connection with the death of the 18-year-old cheerleader. The charges include first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse.
He was initially taken into custody and processed in juvenile court. At that stage, a judge allowed the teen (who was not publicly identified at the time) to stay with an uncle under electronic monitoring.
However, NBC News reports that a federal grand jury indicted Hudson as an adult in April. That move also allowed him to be publicly named. Prosecutors then pressed for him to be jailed while awaiting trial.
Hudson appeared in court yesterday (May 27) as the judge considered whether to revoke his bond before trial.
“We do not know what triggered him,” prosecutors said during the court hearing, per ABC. “Who will be the next object he will become fixated on?”
They also argued that “there is clear and convincing evidence that this defendant is a danger to the community”.
Despite the prosecution’s request, a federal judge ruled that Hudson can stay out on bond for now.
US District Judge Edwin Torres explained his reasoning, per NBC: “If it were a 20-year-old under the exact circumstances I probably would have detained.
“The presumption would be we were just not going to take that chance.”
He added: “This is a different animal.”
Torres also considered the practical impact of detention on Hudson’s family, who live hundreds of miles away in Hernando County. The judge noted it would be difficult for relatives to see him if he were held in Miami-Dade County, where the case was brought.
The court’s decision comes with strict limits: Hudson may only leave the home when accompanied by his uncle, and he will continue to be electronically monitored.
He is currently scheduled to go to trial in September.
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