The father of 18-year-old Anna Kepner has spoken out, calling the teenage boy accused of killing her a threat to the public. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Christopher Kepner, father of Anna said he wants his stepson behind bars as the case heads toward trial.
“I want to see him in an orange jumpsuit,” Christopher said, expressing anger over a court decision that allows the 16-year-old, Timothy Hudson to live with a relative instead of being held in custody.
“He’s in a danger to himself and a danger to others,” he added.
Who is Anna Kepner and what happened to her?
Anna Kepner was an 18-year-old cheerleader from Titusville, Florida. She was on a family cruise on the Carnival Horizon when she was allegedly killed by her stepbrother, Timothy Hudson in November.
She was pronounced dead at 11:17am on November 7 while the ship was sailing back from Mexico to Florida, according to the Daily Mail.
The night before her body was found, Anna told her family at dinner that she was not feeling well and went to bed early. While her 14-year-old half-brother walked around the ship taking photos, Anna was alone in the cabin with her stepbrother Timothy who takes medication for ADHD and insomnia, according to the Daily Mail.
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When the younger boy returned, he did not see Anna and thought she was with other family members, including Christopher, his wife Shauntel or their grandparents Jeffrey and Barbara Kepner. He went to sleep, not knowing that his sister’s body was just a few feet away.
The next morning, when the boys went for breakfast and Anna was still missing, the family became worried. A medical emergency was announced on the ship. Christopher who is 41 rushed to her cabin on Deck 8 where a cleaning crew had already found her body.
Anna’s body was found under the bed, wrapped in a blanket and covered with life preservers, according to Daily Mail sources. A law enforcement source later told ABC News that she died from asphyxiation caused by a bar hold, meaning an arm had been pressed across her neck.
“We’re upset that he’s still out. We’re six months in and he should already have been arrested and yet he’s free to do whatever he wants right now,” Christopher told the Daily Mail. “He’s been able to do whatever he wants and go where he wants but the family’s been sitting here unable to do anything.”
“He’s still saying that he can’t remember and that’s about it. He hasn’t apologized. He hasn’t shown any remorse for anything,” Christopher added.
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“The investigation and charges
FBI agents boarded the Carnival Horizon when it reached Miami on November 8. They interviewed family members and checked CCTV footage. Timothy Hudson told investigators he could not remember what happened in the cabin, according to sources as cited by Daily Mail.
His name first came up in court documents during a custody dispute between his parents, Shauntel and her ex-husband Thomas Hudson. Both parents called him a “suspect,” and one document described Anna’s death as a “suspected murder”.
Timothy was first charged as a juvenile on February 2. The case was later moved to adult court by US District Judge Beth Bloom. On Monday, the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida announced the charges.
The indictment describes the killing as a “willful, deliberate, malicious, and premeditated killing… with malice aforethought.” It also says Anna died “during the perpetration of, or attempt to perpetrate, an aggravated sexual abuse.”
Timothy now faces possible life in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. He cannot face the death penalty because he was a juvenile at the time, the Department of Justice announced.
“Our hearts go out to the victim’s family during this unimaginable loss,” said US Attorney Jason Reding Quinones. “A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging serious offenses that allegedly occurred aboard a vessel in international waters. We will present the evidence in court and pursue this case with professionalism and care.”
