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The teenager at the center of an inquiry into the tragic death of his stepsister aboard a Carnival cruise was briefly hospitalized following the voyage for reasons that remain undisclosed.
This revelation came to light on Thursday during a custody hearing concerning the 16-year-old’s mother, Shauntel Kepner, and her former husband, Thomas Hudson. The couple is involved in a legal battle over the custody of two of their children, as reported by WKMG.
Both Kepner and Hudson have suggested that the teenager is a suspect in the fatal incident involving 18-year-old Anna Kepner, who was discovered concealed under a bed in her cabin on the Carnival Horizon cruise ship earlier this month. However, the FBI, which is spearheading the investigation, has yet to confirm these allegations, according to CrimeOnline.
In light of the ongoing investigation into her stepdaughter’s death, Shauntel Kepner had previously sought a postponement of the custody proceedings.
The Carnival Horizon returned to the Port of Miami on November 8, a day after Anna Kepner’s body was found while the vessel was near the Cuban coastline.
Anna Kepner, her father, Shauntel Kepner, and at least two of her children were on the cruise. Anna Kepner and the 16-year-old boy shared a stateroom, Shauntel Kepner’s attorney said at the hearing on Thursday, according to WKMG.
The attorney, Millicent Athanason, denied allegations from Hudson’s attorney that the boy was allowed to drink alcohol because the ship had been in international waters, claiming videos showed that didn’t happen.
“The issue that counsel raised about drinking, there are videotapes on the ship that confirmed that there was absolutely no drinking,” said Athanason. “DCF investigated and saw there was no alcohol in mom’s house whatsoever. So I’m not sure where that’s coming from.”
Athanason said the boy was hospitalized “immediately after the incident” and was now living with relatives of his mother.
Shauntel Kepner said that her son “has a psychiatrist appointment” next month, but the judge stopped her from continuing, advising her not to speak without seeking advise from her attorney.
There was no ruling on Thursday, and Brevard County Circuit Court Judge Michelle Pruitt Studstill set a 4-hour hearing on December 5 to discuss custody arrangements.
Hudson’s attorney indicated that the 16-year-old might be called to testify, but the judge said that they would have to file a motion indicating they planned to call him and that she anticipated he would “choose not to testify and invoke his Fifth Amendment right.”
The attorneys also indicated Christopher Kepner, Anna Kepner’s father, might be called to testify at that hearing.