Judge declines to jail teenager accused killing stepsister aboard cruise ship

MIAMI — A federal judge declined to jail a Florida teenager accused of murdering and sexually assaulting his stepsister on Wednesday, allowing him to remain in the custody of a family member while he awaits trial. Timothy Hudson, 16, has been free since the slaying of Anna Kepner, who died on Nov. 7, 2025 aboard a Carnival cruise ship. He was arrested and charged as a juvenile and allowed to live with an uncle because of his age. But in April, he was indicted by a federal grand jury as an adult, introducing the possibility that he could be jailed as he awaits trial. “If it were a 20 year old under the exact circumstances I probably would have detained,” U.S. District Court Judge Edwin Torres said. “The presumption would be we were just not going to take that chance.” “This is a different animal,” Torres said. Torres took into consideration that detaining Hudson in Miami-Dade County — where he was charged — would make it difficult for his family, who lives hundreds of miles away in Hernando County, to visit him. The judge said he wanted to “know what my options are” about potentially detaining Hudson closer to home before deciding to hold him behind bars. Alejandra Lopez, a lawyer for the government, argued that Hudson is “a danger to the community” and questioned how authorities can trust “this defendant won’t act again.” She noted that two minors live in Hudson’s uncle’s home, where he is residing. “What is needed to probe a danger? A second dead body?” she asked. Evan Kuhl, a public defender representing Hudson, argued that his client is not a danger to the public nor a flight risk because he has abided by the conditions of his release for several months without any incidents. Lopez shot back that it took months after Kepner’s death for officials to charge Hudson because authorities were gathering evidence. “How is he going to be a risk of flight if he doesn’t even know if he’s going to be charged?” she asked. “That doesn’t make sense.” Hudson is only allowed to leave his house with his uncle or aunt, and will be electronically monitored by authorities. The November cruise vacation included the victim’s father, stepmother and two of her children, including the young suspect Hudson. Kepner’s father and Hudson’s mother married in December 2024. Kepner’s body was found wrapped in a blanket, brusied and under a bed in her room, concealed by life vests. Her death was ruled a homicide caused by “mechanical asphyxiation,” according to the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner. The girl and her stepbrother were sharing a room on the cruise, according to Hudson’s father’s lawyer. The teenager was arrested while the ship was in international waters en route to Miami. He was hospitalized upon the ship’s docking and has since been in counseling, according to a lawyer for his mother. Chris Kepner — Anna Kepner’s father and Hudson’s stepfather — declared that “justice needs to be served” on the day Hudson’s indictment was made public. Kepner was a high school senior and cheerleader, with hopes of cheerleading for the University of Georgia. She was remembered in her obituary for lacking a filter and being “bubbly, funny, outgoing, and completely herself.” At the time, her family said that “in true Anna fashion, the family would like everyone to know there is no GoFundMe” for her funeral. She was set to graduate high school this spring. Lopez said Wednesday that Hudson’s trial could begin in September.