Anna Kepner Update: Suspect Appears In Federal Court

Timothy Hudson, a 16-year-old step sibling, finally officially appeared in court as a suspect in the death of Anna Kepner. Remember, she died on a cruise ship and journalists became aware that her death wasn’t an ordinary one as the FBI showed up.

A Federal Court Appearance

The younger sibling appeared in a federal court in Miami on Friday. Unsurprisingly, given his age, NBC South Florida noted that it was behind closed doors. However, true crime followers at least can take heart in the fact that someone is finally facing the music for the 18-year-old’s suspicious death on a Carnival cruise ship late last year.

Don’t expect too much feedback in the near future though, as the case docket remains sealed for now, and the actual charges are confidential. Later, the news update revealed that Timothy Hudson visited a probation office. Probably, that involved processing for pretrial release.

Secrecy In Juvenile Cases

Notably, all the secrecy isn’t unusual when it comes to juvenile offenders. A criminal defense attorney, Ryan Vescio, told News 6, “Well it’s very likely that he has been criminally charged in the federal system.”

The Anna Kepner case, like all juvenile cases, means that “All those under the age of 18 start as juvenile delinquents which means the proceeding is closed. The courtroom is closed and we’re not going to see any paperwork on the docket at this point.”

The Possible Charges

Additionally, he spoke about the possible charges which might include anything from evidence tampering to homicide. Another thing to consider is that juveniles like Timothy Hudson, no matter what true crime he committed, can only be incarcerated until their 21st birthday.

Crime watchers already hoped on social media that the boy would face charges as an adult. Well, that possibility still exists because the legal expert suggested that the government may seek trying the teen as an adult.

“Given the facts of this case, the brutal nature of her death and the cover-up that was involved, I think it’s likely that ultimately the government will proceed as an adult in this prosecution,” Vescio said.

The Death Of Anna

Anna Kepner died on the morning of November 7 while aboard the Carnival Horizon with her father, stepmother, grandparents, and siblings. Journalists got involved when the ship returned to Port Miami because FBI vehicles were seen on the dock. Of course, they immediatley sniffed out a suspicious death.

Later, the news that a young teen was involved arrived via a family court dispute. During that case, confrimation arrived that Anna Kepner shared a cabin with Timothy and another male sibling.

Apparently, a housekeeper found Anna’s body stuffed under a bed, and that kickstarted the investigation. Later, the medical examiner revealed that Anna died from asphyxiation. Interestingly, another sibling in the family court claimed that he’d seen that particular chokehold used in the family, years before.

More From The Family Court

During the family court proceeding, we reported that the following details emerged:

Anna’s stepmother, Shauntel Hudson, claimed that the three teens were close. In fact, she referred to them as the “three amigos.” Plus, she insisted that sharing a room with two male siblings was Anna’s choice, rather than sharing a room with her grandparents.

True crime followers already heard the confirmed news that the 16-year-old moved out of the family home, was hospitalized, and then went to stay with relatives. During that time, he underwent psychological evaluation.

Notably, other news that arrived revealed that Timothy claimed he had no recollection of the death of his sister.

FBI Stay Tight-Lipped

The FBI declined to comment on the ongoing investigation. And for now, the court proceedings go forward under a lot of secrecy. Of course, if the prosecution gets him tried as an adult, much more news will probably come to light.

Are you pleased that finally, it seems that someone will be held accountable for the death of Anna Kepner? Let us know in the comments below, and remember to come back here often for all your crime news and updates. And remember, we have a crime channel on TikTok, so go and give True Crime Examined a follow.