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The tragic case surrounding 18-year-old Anna Kepner, who was discovered deceased in her cruise ship cabin last November, has taken a new turn. Her stepbrother now faces homicide charges, as detailed in recent court documents linked to an unrelated family issue.
On February 20, Thomas Hudson filed an emergency petition in divorce court, seeking full custody of his 9-year-old daughter from his ex-wife, Shauntel Hudson. Shauntel, along with her husband Christopher Kepner—Anna’s father—currently holds primary custody of the child.
Anna Kepner was found dead aboard a Carnival cruise ship on November 7, during a family vacation.
The custody petition references “social media from the Kepner family,” revealing that Anna’s teenage stepbrother was charged with homicide on February 3 by the U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Florida. The document, however, does not disclose the stepbrother’s name.
This development follows the stepbrother’s appearance at a Miami federal court on February 6. Witnesses observed the teenager arriving from juvenile court, dressed in a camouflage hoodie with his face obscured by a baseball cap pulled low and a hood tightened around it.
Anna Kepner’s 16-year-old stepbrother outside a federal court building in Miami, Florida, Feb. 6, 2026. The teen is accompanied by his attorney. He was charged in connection to the death of his stepsister, according to court documents. (Fox News)
The petition further justifies the need for the custody transfer by describing a “significant and unanticipated change of circumstances,” an apparent reference to the homicide charges.Â
Anna Kepner’s 16 year-old stepbrother with his attorney in Miami. (Fox News)
Kepner was found dead in her cabin on a Carnival cruise ship on Nov. 7. She was under the bed, wrapped in a blanket and covered in life jackets. The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s Office listed Anna’s time of death as 11:17 a.m.
The next day, the ship, Carnival Horizon, returned to the Port of Miami, having completed a six-night Caribbean voyage, where the FBI began investigating.Â
Anna Kepner died while on board the Carnival Horizon. (Instagram/Anna Kepner)
Shortly after the alleged killing, Christopher Kepner said in a cryptic interview that he wanted his stepson to face consequences, but did not directly say that his stepson was responsible for Kepner’s death.Â
“I want him to face the consequences… I will be fighting to make sure that does happen,” Kepner told People. “I do not stand behind what my stepson has done. I cannot say that he is responsible, but I can’t decline.”
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