MIAMI (Court TV) — Timothy Hudson, the 16-year-old boy accused of raping and murdering his 18-year-old stepsister Anna Kepner while on a family cruise vacation, allegedly walked around the ship after he wrapped her body in a blanket and stuffed her under a bed in their cabin.
Timothy Hudson, center, charged with sexually assaulting and killing his 18-year-old stepsister on a Carnival Cruise ship, leaves following a hearing at the James Lawrence King Federal Justice Building, Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on Wednesday unsealed a 145-page transcript of Hudson’s February bond hearing, which sheds light on the alleged series of events before, during and after Kepner’s death. Hudson is charged with first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse.
The family was on a weeklong Carnival cruise to the Caribbean in November. Kepner and the suspect were sharing a room with her biological 13-year-old brother. The teens’ parents, who had recently married, were staying in a room across the hall with their 9-year-old daughters. One floor above, Kepner’s grandparents had their own room.
On Nov. 6, the family spent the day in Cozumel, Mexico, and returned to the ship that evening for dinner. Kepner complained of an upset stomach and said her braces were hurting so she returned to her cabin shortly after 7:30 p.m., surveillance video showed. Hudson was already in the room.
Kepner’s 13-year-old brother entered the cabin with two friends about 15 minutes later and saw her inside. It was the last time anyone saw her alive.
Hudson remained inside the cabin with Kepner for hours. Authorities believe he raped and strangled her to death. He exited the cabin shortly after 10 p.m., looking left and right to see if anyone was around, the transcript said. The suspect entered and exited the cabin twice more before placing a “Privacy” sign on the door.
Around midnight, the half-brother tries to enter the room, but Hudson stopped him from doing so, claiming he’s “changing.” Hudson allowed the boy to enter a few minutes later. The boy went to sleep for the night, not knowing his sister was dead under the bed.
The following morning, Hudson allegedly roamed the ship with Kepner’s cellphone in hand. He smoked on a deck, walked near a ship restaurant and went to the jogging track before returning to the room and walking out a couple minutes later, prosecutors say. Hudson then allegedly walked to the back of the ship and destroyed Kepner’s phone, ditching it in a trash can.
A cleaning person entered the cabin at 11:24 a.m. and discovered Kepner’s body. As this was unfolding, Hudson walked passed the cabin and didn’t look inside, authorities say.
Kepner died of strangulation, and there was evidence of pre-death sexual assault, a medical examiner determined. DNA results from Kepner’s rape kit matched Hudson, authorities said. Hudson is being charged as an adult in federal court.
On Wednesday, he appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres, who would determine whether to revoke Hudson’s bond or allow him to stay with a relative in the Tampa area. Prosecutors argued Hudson should be behind bars, while his attorneys argued he should remain free.
Ultimately, Torres sided with the defense, though he said he wanted to speak to someone from the U.S. Marshals Service about the logistics of having him stay in Central Florida as opposed to the Miami area, where the trial is taking place, before making his final decision, according to The Associated Press.
News cameras swarmed Hudson outside the courthouse as he and his legal team walked to their vehicle. They made no comment.
As Court TV previously reported, Hudson was initially charged as a juvenile in February before prosecutors filed charges in adult court.
In court records that remain sealed to the public, investigators reportedly said that Hudson sexually assaulted and intentionally killed Kepner while the ship was in international waters.
“Our hearts go out to the victim’s family during this unimaginable loss,” U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said in a statement.
Immediately after announcing the indictment, federal prosecutors filed a motion seeking to revoke bond for Hudson. Immediately after the ship docked, Hudson was removed from the family’s home and sent to live with a maternal uncle. At a previous hearing in family court, his mother, Shauntel Kepner, revealed her son was no longer welcome at the home she shares with her husband — Kepner’s father. In filings, Hudson’s father has pledged to support his son.
Lauren Silver contributed to this report
