VIERA, Fla. (Court TV) — The parents of a 16-year-old who has been identified as the sole suspect in his 18-year-old stepsister’s death on a cruise ship returned to court on Wednesday.
Thomas Hudson testifies during a custody hearing on Dec. 17, 2025. (Court TV)
Thomas Hudson and Shauntel Hudson Kepner are the parents of the 16-year-old, identified as T.H., who is currently staying with an undisclosed relative as the FBI investigates his stepsister’s death. Eighteen-year-old Anna Kepner’s death was ruled a homicide after she was found inside the cabin in which she had been staying on the Carnival Horizon in early November. Anna had been staying in the cabin with T.H. and Anna’s 14-year-old brother.
Before Shauntel, Anna and the rest of the family left on their cruise, Thomas had filed a motion claiming his ex-wife was in contempt of their parenting and custody agreement; he claimed that she withheld T.H. and their youngest child from him and refused to allow him to exercise his parenting time.
MORE | New details about Anna Kepner’s cruise revealed during custody hearing
Shauntel Kepner enters court ahead of a custody hearing on Dec. 17, 2025. (Court TV)
While an emergency petition to change custody arrangements for Shauntel and Thomas’ youngest children was denied, a hearing on Wednesday aimed to determine whether Shauntel had, in fact, alienated her children and/or prevented them from visiting their father.
Judge Sandra Valentin paused the hearing and continued it to a later date when it became clear that more testimony was needed in the case. No new date was immediately set.
No charges have been filed in Anna’s death, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which has led the investigation, has not released any information about the status of their case or what may happen next. At a previous hearing, Shauntel’s attorney said the FBI was working to determine whether charges would be filed federally or whether the case would be turned over to the state for further action.
