The death of a teenager, Anna Kepner, on a Carnival cruise ship seems very complicated because it involves a blended family. Many people who follow the true crime case become a bit confused by all the names and relationships. Fortunately, amid new information, an investigative reporter broke it down in a clearer fashion. Read on for the details.
The News Via Family Court
The new information that arrived this week was aired by Ashleigh Banfield on her Drop Dead Serious podcast. Apparently, the details didn’t come from the FBI. Rather, they come via a separate custody fight between the parents. It also involves the probable suspect: a 16-year-old boy. Ashleigh Banfield explained that Anna Kepner’s mom, Shauntel and her ex, Thomas Hudson, fight it out in court and it seems quite bitter.
You might have heard that on board the cruise ship were a nine-year-old girl, Anna, a 14-year-old, and the 16-year-old step-sibling. Plus, Shauntel and her new husband. Thomas Hudson, wanted the nine-year-old handed over to him because of what happened with Anna. However, Shauntel was determined to keep her other daughter with her.
So far, she succeeded because she told the court that the 16-year-old was living with another relative and they keep the two kids apart. So far the court seemed to agree that would be okay.
The 16-Year Old Suspect
Moving to the 16-year-old who is believed to have killed his sister Anna by using a chokehold, it emerged that that the 14-year-old and the 16-year-old boy shared Anna’s cabin. If you don’t know, she was found stuffed under a bed in her cabin, dead.
Shauntel admitted that she and her husband never checked on Anna and the two boys sharing her cabin on the final night. Additionally, she confirmed her 16-year-old son skipped two doses of his ADHD and insomnia medication before Anna’s death.
Startling New Information
The new information involves another brother who wasn’t on the cruise. Ashleigh explained that the 18-year-old brother, Andrew, testified in the custody case. In his testimony, he claimed that he resisted moving into the home with Shauntel and Kepner after they married. At the time, he was 16 years old.
He claimed that he wanted to get out of the car. But, his mother and stepfather stopped him by force. “I was put in a chokehold,” Andrew told the court. “They held me against the seat until I couldn’t fight back anymore.”
Naturally, that testimony seems relevant. After all, the Medical Examiner decided that Anna Kepner was killed by asphyxiation after she was allegedly put in a chokehold. Ashleigh seemed interested in that aspect because the family’s alleged method of restraint seemed the same as the suspected method of murder.
A Reporter Weighs In
Josh Boswell, a senior reporter covering the story, joined Banfield on News Nation and Ashleigh replayed it on her podcast. During their conversation, he called Andrew’s testimony a “really significant detail.” Plus, he noted that he had no doubt the FBI would also be looking at that sort of thing.
He also mentioned that as the death of Anna Kepner happened at sea on a cruise, prosecuting the 16-year-old might be tricky. After all, the FBI handles the case as it happened in international waters. So, it could be difficult to prosecute a minor. Still, there might be a way to transfer the case to state courts.
Right now, it’s not clear when or if the FBI will charge the boy. What is known is that the nine-year-old daughter remains with her mother. Meanwhile, the criminal investigation continues. Prosecutors now await for a psychiatric evaluation and the toxicology report before deciding on charges.
Viewers React
In the comments section, as folks who followed the true crime case of Anna noted once again, that so many people failed Anna. One of them opined, “What kind of idiotic parents think that sticking an 18-year-old girl with a 16-year-old boy who is not even related to her in the same bedroom on a cruise ship is OK[?]”
Here are a few more responses from the discussion:
- so the chokehold that killed Anna is something that this family does or has done before! wtf is wrong with this family?!
- the Testimony of the 18 year old son “I was put in a chokehold & held against the seat. They held me against the seat until I couldn’t fight back anymore.”
That’s how they say Anna died. The young step brother who was obsessed with Anna has seen this chokehold done by his parents on the other children. - One would think the testimony of the child (who is now 18, but was a kid), saying the stepfather and mother put him in a chokehold would carry some weight with the judge.
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below and come back here often for all your true crime news and updates.