Timothy ‘Tim’ Hudson, Anna Kepner stepbrother indicted on charges of murder & aggravated sex abuse in cruise ship death of Titusville, Florida teen girl who he was fixated on and had wanted to date.
The stepbrother of 18-year-old Anna Kepner, who was found dead on a cruise ship in November, is being charged as an adult in her death, the U.S. Department of Justice said Monday.
The DOJ is identifying him as T.H., 16, of Titusville, Florida.
Social media had previously identified the teen as Timothy ‘Tim’ Hudson.
T.H of Titusville, Florida to be tried as adult
He has been indicted as an adult by a federal grand jury on charges of murder and aggravated sexual abuse in the killing of his stepsister.
‘According to court records, T.H., 16, of Titusville, was traveling aboard Carnival Cruise Line’s Horizon with Anna Kepner and other family members on or about Nov. 6-7, 2025. 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,’ the release from the DOJ says.
The indictment further notes that T.H forced Kepner to ‘engage in a sexual act’ along with penetrating her. Kepner died from mechanical asphyxiation after her stepbrother held her in a bar hold, officials previously ruled.
T.H. was initially charged as a juvenile. T.H. appeared in federal court in Miami in February during a sealed hearing.
The case remained sealed until U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom ordered it transferred for adult prosecution.
T.H. is charged with murder in the first degree and aggravated sexual abuse. If convicted, Defendant faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Anna Kepner stepbrother lusted over her and wanted to date her
Kepner was a senior at Temple Christian School in Titusville.
She was a cheerleader and described as a ‘bright, kind-hearted young woman whose presence brought warmth and energy into the classroom,’ Temple Christian School posted on Facebook.
Kepner’s birth mother, Heather Wright, described her daughter as a great girl who never got into trouble.
‘She always wanted to make people laugh. She loved the water; we were constantly going to the lake here where I live so she could go swimming,’ Wright said.
Wright who had been ostracized by the teen’s family previously blaming her ex, the father (Christopher Kepner) of the victim for the teen girl’s death.
‘Why am I the bad guy?’ Wright told media. ‘He put them in the same room together.’
At the time of her November 6th death, Anna Kepner’s body was found stashed under a bed in the cabin she was sharing with her 16-year-old stepbrother, Tim Hudson.
Previous reports told of the step brother being fixated on his older step sister and wanting to date her, assertions that Anna’s dad had previously been warned of by Anna’s ex boyfriend.
