Timothy Hudson, the 16-year-old stepbrother of Anna Kepner, was ordered into federal custody 7 months after she was found dead on a cruise ship. CBS News reports he will be held in federal custody until his trial. He was free since the murder in November.
“The Government has established, by clear and convincing evidence, that no condition or combination of conditions of release will reasonably assure the safety of the community going forward,” Magistrate Judge Edwin G. Torres wrote in his order on June 10.
Judge Torres ordered Timothy to be handed over to the U.S. Marshals Service on Monday morning and transferred first to the Citrus County Jail. He will then be transferred to the Miami-Dade County Metro West Detention Center by no later than July 10.
Step-brother of Anna Kepner, Timothy Hudson, ordered into federal custody. They finally decided that he belongs in confinement. The Kepner family released a statement. pic.twitter.com/QJDVj8NnbC
— Rose (@901Lulu) June 15, 2026
A housekeeper found Anna’s body under the bed in her stateroom on board the Carnival Horizon cruise ship on November 7, 2025. Her cause of death was ruled as mechanical asphyxiation.
Anna was killed “on or about November 6-7, 2025,” after the cruise ship left the port of Miami. CBS News reported that she had been traveling with her dad, his wife, two siblings and two stepsiblings.
Anna had gone back to her room on the evening of November 6 after telling the family she was not feeling well.
At the time of her death, Anna was sharing the room with Timothy and a half sibling, according to court documents filed by Timothy’s parents.
Shauntel Hudson, Anna Kepner’s stepmother, said Anna, Timothy and a 14-year-old half-brother shared the room on the advice of a travel agent. Shauntel testified that the three teenagers “wanted to stay together” in the room.
Anna’s grandmother told ABC News that her granddaughter and Timothy “were just like brother and sister” and were “two peas in a pod.”
However, Anna’s ex-boyfriend told reporters at her memorial service that Anna did not enjoy spending time with Timothy.
On Dec. 5, 2025, a Florida judge announced Timothy, then known only as “T.H.”, was “a suspect” in Anna’s death.
After 5 months of investigation by the FBI, Timothy was indicted on charges of murder and aggravated sexual abuse on April 13, 2026. The FBI stated Timothy sexually assaulted Anna, before intentionally killing her.
The FBI investigated the case since crimes on the high seas fall under federal jurisdiction. An FBI agent testified that Timothy tried to destroy and dispose of Anna’s cell phone.
A crew member discovered the smashed phone in a trash can on board the ship. Despite the damage, the FBI was able to download the phone’s contents. They matched the movement of the cell phone with surveillance video on the ship and were able to determine that it was Timothy who discarded the cell phone in a trash can on the other side of the ship.
The agent testified that a crucial piece of evidence in the case is still missing.
Anna’s family expressed disappointment when he wasn’t taken into custody earlier this year. Timothy had been sent to live with relatives after appearing in a Miami federal court in February.
“At this time, it is deeply painful and disturbing to our family that the person responsible is able to walk freely,” Shauntel and Christopher Hudson said in a statement in February.
Timothy will be tried as an adult in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, according to PEOPLE. He faces life in prison if convicted.