He is the step-parent of Anna Kepner who is accused of strangling her at Carnival Horizon
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Anna Kepner spent her last moments fighting for breath as her killer continued to press on, prosecutors said, describing the 18-year-old’s strangulation as “a brutal, deliberate, and deliberate act.”
In a newly unsealed letter, prosecutors laid out their case against Kepner’s 16-year-old stepfather, identified as Timothy Hudson, who is accused of killing him in their Carnival Horizon cabin in November 2025. If convicted, the teenager could face a maximum prison sentence.
“While she was struggling to breathe for minutes, he continued to hold her neck in such a way that she died from lack of oxygen,” Assistant US Attorney Alejandra Lopez told the court.
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Prosecutors are giving details of Anna Kepner’s final moments after her killer strangled her to death in her guest house. They described his killing as “a barbaric, deliberate, premeditated act.” Timothy Hudson has been charged with murder and sexual assault. (Matthew Symons of Fox News Digital | Anna Kepner/Instagram)
Instead of giving up, Lopez said, Kepner died of asphyxiation after being sexually assaulted inside cabin 8343 while the ship was returning to Miami from Cozumel, Mexico.
“That is a barbaric, deliberate, thoughtful act…”
“It’s not an accident, it’s not a short, weird period where it happens like an accidental shooting. He made a decision to do that… and he continues to do that until he’s not breathing anymore,” Lopez said.
Prosecutors say Kepner returned to the cabin alone around 7:38 p.m. on Nov. 6. after telling her family at dinner that she has a stomach ache and that her braces are hurting her.
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His stepfather had entered the room minutes earlier, according to surveillance footage presented in court.
Her 13-year-old brother briefly entered the house around 5:51 p.m. and saw Kepner alive, prosecutors said.
After that, Lopez argued, Kepner and Hudson were alone for about three hours, which he said was enough time to attack her, strangle her and hide her body.
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Timothy Hudson arrives at the James Lawrence King Federal Justice Building in Miami, Fla., on May 27, 2026. (Matthew Symons of Fox News Digital)
Her body was found the next morning, wrapped in a blanket and tucked under the bed. Prosecutors say the box of protective clothing was removed to help hide him.
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The medical examiner found bruises on her neck and significant bruising around her left side
“At any time T [Timothy] he could have let that go on,” Lopez said. “He could have let the victim breathe. But instead, he held that position for a few minutes to die.”
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The 16-year-old stepfather, identified as TH in court documents, is accused of sexually assaulting and killing Anna Kepner, 18, on the Carnival Cruise Line’s Horizon ship. (Shauntel Kepner/Facebook)
Prosecutors also pointed to DNA evidence, saying swabs from Kepner’s vaginal cavity showed “strong support” for Hudson as the male DNA donor.
The medical examiner, prosecutors said, concluded that the evidence was consistent with sexual assault before death.
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Anna Kepner has been identified by her family as the passenger who died on the Carnival Horizon. (Facebook)
Investigators also discussed Kepner’s missing cell phone, which his family said he “never had.” The phone was later found crushed in a trash can near the back of the ship, prosecutors said.
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Surveillance footage and Wi-Fi router data allegedly showed Hudson walking through areas of the ship where the phone was connected to the routers, including near the trash can where it was later found.
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Prosecutors said a rape kit collected during Kepner’s autopsy included genital swabs that tested positive for male DNA, and one swab that also tested positive for sperm.
According to the document, testing by the FBI lab excluded the other partner, and found “very strong support” for Hudson as the male DNA donor. Prosecutors said tests by an FBI lab found that the DNA mix was 120 sextillion times greater if Kepner and Hudson had contributed than if Kepner and an unknown, unrelated person had contributed.
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“A person doesn’t accidentally fall on someone’s genitals with their genitals. They clearly made a clear, rational decision…,” Lopez said. “That’s not a spur of the moment action and it’s not an accident. It’s a clear and rational decision to hurt someone else’s body.”
Timothy Hudson appears in court during a hearing in Miami federal court on May 27. He is accused of murdering his stepfather, Anna Kepner, and sexually assaulting her. (Lothar Speer/Anonymous)
The teenager was released into the custody of his maternal uncle under strict conditions, including GPS monitoring, house arrest, no direct contact with children and the removal of firearms from the home.
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On Wednesday, prosecutors again fought for Hudson to remain in custody until his trial in September.
But the judge ruled that Hudson could stay out of jail and be held pending trial, with certain restrictions. The US Marshals office will explore housing options for Hudson in the Tampa area.
