Anna Kepner: Teen Stepbrother To Be Tried As Adult In Cruise Murder

The cruise ship death involving Anna Kepner finally made some headway and this week, the news arrived that her stepbrother, Timothy, 16, will be tried as an adult. After months of silence, true crime followers finally get a peek at the federal government’s decision on the teen. Read on to find out more details.

Tried As An Adult Since Juvie Appearance

In February, we reported that Timothy Hudson appeared in court as a suspect in the death of the murdered high school girl. However, it was all pretty secret because of his age. At the time, the juvenile stepsibling was seen visiting a parole office prior to pretrial release. Well, that all changed because court documents now show he’ll face the music as an adult.

Still, not every person who saw the report by Brian Entin Investigates this week is cheering. In fact, certain aspects seem a bit odd. When he hosted investigative reporter Ben Ashford on his Tuesday podcast, the news arrived that Timothy’s been living with an uncle.

In the meantime, the indictment seems scarce on details. However, Ashford noted he was charged with “first-degree murder and aggravated sexual assault.”

A Lot Of Freedom?

Incredibly, despite very serious true crimes on his plate, Timothy Hudson’s been living in rural Florida. That sounds okay, because the uncle allegedly has a military background. However, he’s essentially free. Ashford said that he spotted the murder suspect “replenishing firewood” at a roadside stand.

Apparently, Anna Kepner’s dad feels very angry about Timothy not being held in a secure facility. While he’s wearing an ankle monitor, the family doesn’t think it goes far enough given the nature of the crime.

Details Of The Crime

If you haven’t been following the cruise ship death case, Anna Kepner died on November 7. At the time, the blended family enjoyed a vacation on the Carnival Horizon. In the morning, a housekeeper found her body stuffed under a bed in the cabin she shared with Timothy, her stepsibling, and her half-brother.

Back in December, true crime followers heard that a lot of information arrived via a complex family court case. Another sibling talked about a chokehold, and that tied in with the medical examiner’s report. Essentially, Anna Kepner died from suffocation. But, new details reveal the horror of it all.

Horrific Details 

Here’s the awful side of it. Apparently, the family claimed that Anna Kepner and her two siblings were such big besties that the family called them “the three amigos.” On the night that Anna died, she’d complained of feeling unwell. Apparently, she went to the casino to tell her grandparents she was retiring to her cabin.

There, she ended up alone with Timothy Hudson. Another half-brother, aged 14, went off to grab some Instagram-style pics. When he returned, he didn’t see Anna. He climbed into bed and fell asleep. Plus, allegedly, Timothy also slept in the same cabin that night. Meanwhile, Anna lay dead beneath a bed.

The other news included the fact that allegedly, to this day, Timothy still claims he can’t remember anything that happened that night. 

The Legal Jargon Seems Puzzling

According to Ashford, who followed the case very closely, the sexual assault allegedly involved privates of both Anna and her stepbrother. In fact, the way he described it, there seemed to be some penetration. Calling it what it was, Brian Entin seemed puzzled by the charges.

There’s a lot of talk about why the feds chose “aggravated sexual assault” instead of “sexual battery.” Notably, in Florida law, rape’s defined as the latter in “Florida Statute § 794.011.” That includes non-consensual penetration by a sexual organ or object.

For some folks, it seems that the feds call the alleged brutal act by a different label. You can bet your last dollar that folks who watched the podcast call out the confusing terminology.

Anger About The Adults On The Cruise 

Unsurprisjngly, viewers feel furious about the father who Ashford described as still very much in “love” with his wife, Shauntel Hudson Kepner. If you don’t know, she’s the mom of Timothy Hudson.

Ever since the death of Anna Kepner was reported, many people felt angry about the three kids being allowed to sleep in the same cabin. Arguments that a boyfriend of Anna’s claimed she feared Timothy, floated around. However, Ben Ashford doesn’t think they hold much water. Still, blaming the adults sits high in armchair opinion.

Viewers React

In the comments section, many true crime watchers vented about the charges, the parents, and the fairly easy time that Timothy seems to enjoy since his alleged crimes.

One of them asked, “I’m sorry but unsupervised and unrelated teens on a cruise wandering the ship and sleeping alone together? What kind of parents ever think any of this is ok?”

Here are a few more responses from the discussion:

• That’s crazy. He’s old enough to know better. He’s lying about forgetting. A teen daughter should have never been in a room with 2 boys.
• Ive never understood how that [suspect] was allowed to stay w a relative and not be in jail until the sentencing!
• Good I’m glad they’re treating him as an adult. He was old enough to know better and committed the worst crimes imaginable. Hope he sits in prison forever.

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