<\/p>\n
Anna Kepner, 18, was found dead on a cruise ship that was headed to PortMiami on Nov. 8, 2025.<\/p>\n
Obituary for Anna Kepner<\/p>\n
A judge scheduled a June trial for a 16-year-old boy charged as an adult with raping and murdering his 18-year-old stepsister onboard a cruise ship in November.<\/p>\n
A grand jury indicted the teen, identified in court records by his initials, T.H., on April 10 on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated sexual battery. He\u2019s accused of strangling Anna Kepner while the two of them shared a room on the Carnival Horizon. Cleaning staff found Kepner\u2019s body underneath a bed on Nov. 7, the day before the ship returned to PortMiami.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Teen charged with killing stepsister on cruise out of Miami pleads not guilty<\/a><\/p>\n The teen faces life in prison on each charge if he\u2019s convicted. He entered not-guilty pleas through his attorney on April 21.<\/p>\n The trial is scheduled to begin June 1.<\/p>\n Before taking the case to a grand jury, prosecutors charged T.H. as a minor on Feb. 2, and a judge ordered him released, with conditions, in the custody of a relative.<\/p>\n Following the indictment, prosecutors argued unsuccessfully that he should be jailed until trial, saying he is a danger to the public, according to court records. His attorneys counter the teen is not a flight risk and has complied with the judge\u2019s conditions, which have not been made public.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Family of girl killed on Miami-based cruise says stepbrother charged: court doc<\/a><\/p>\n Kepner was on the cruise with her father, stepmother and two step-siblings, including T.H. Her father, Christopher Kepner, released a statement to Miami Herald news partner CBS News Miam<\/a>i regarding the trial saying his family was placing \u201ctrust in the justice system to pursue the truth with care and integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe situation is deeply painful and complex for the entire family,\u201d Kepner said.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Stepbrother of teen killed on Carnival cruise charged as adult with her murder<\/a><\/p>\n The teen, from Titusville, was identified as the focus of the FBI\u2019s investigation into Anna Kepner\u2019s murder from the beginning through Brevard County court documents in an ongoing custody case involving his father and Anna\u2019s mother, Shauntel Kepner, following their divorce in 2023.<\/p>\n The FBI investigated the case because Anna was killed in international waters.<\/p>\n Thomas Hudson, the teen\u2019s father, has been trying to obtain custody of his 9-year-old daughter, who lives with the Kepners, according to the Brevard County documents, some of which stated the 16-year-old was the target of the investigation.<\/p>\n .<\/p>\n
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