MIAMI, FL- On Monday, November 7, 2025, the body of 18-year-old Anna Kepner was found dead on a Carnival cruise ship enroute to Miami, wrapped in bedding and partially hidden under a bed, with a box of life vests positioned to obscure it. The focus of the investigation quickly turned to Timothy Hudson, Kepner’s step-brother who was eventually arrested for her murder. Hudson was released on bond pending his September 2026 murder trial.
However, Fox News Digital reports that federal prosecutors recently submitted new evidence under seal against Hudson, who is also accused of sexually assaulting Kepner. He has been charged with first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse. The feds entered a pair of filings on June 8 noting they have obtained “newly disclosed, supplemental information” to support their effort to revoke Hudson’s release and remand him to custody.
Prosecutors said the filing contains information concerning the “performance of any examinations or tests” and are asking the court to consider it to put Hudson back in jail pending trial. The new filings did not indicate the type of examinations or tests that were conducted or what they showed since the order was immediately sealed and the court granted the request, Fox News said.
The government has filed a “Motion for Review and Revocation of Order of Release Pursuant to the Bail Reform Act,” an effort to overturn Hudson’s release.
When he was arrested in February, he was charged as a juvenile and remanded to the custody of an uncle due to his age, however in April, a federal grand jury indicted him as an adult, leading to the possibility of him being jailed as he awaits trial.
However in May, a magistrate judge ruled he could remain free pending his murder trial with certain restrictions. In a bizarre statement, U.S. District Judge Edwin Torres said, “If it were a 20-year-old under the exact circumstances I probably would have detained. The presumption would be we were just not going to take that chance. This is a different animal.”
In other words, a 17-year-old who rapes and kills his step-sister is worthy of being out on the street but a 20-year-old who does the same thing is not. Torres’ explanation enraged Kepner’s father and Hudson’s stepfather, Christopher Kepner.
“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,” Kepner told the Daily Mail. “That’s our problem. 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.”
If convicted, Hudson could face a maximum penalty of life in prison.
“I want to see him in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs. He does not need to be free. He does not need to be in the general public, around any kids or women in general,” Christopher Kepner continued.
The incident began on November 6, 2025, when Anna Kepner left dinner, saying she wasn’t feeling well, and returned to her cabin. CCTV showed Hudson entering the cabin at 7:35 p.m, followed three minutes later by Anna. She was never seen leaving the cabin. Just under 15 minutes later, Anna’s 13-year-old brother briefly entered the cabin and saw her alive.
Between 7:51 and 10:13 p.m, Kepner and Hudson were alone in the cabin. At 10:13, Hudson exited the cabin and briefly looked left and right down the passageway. Hudson then placed the privacy sign on the cabin door and went back inside.
At 11:21 p.m, Kepner’s younger brother briefly went back to the cabin, and told investigators he didn’t see Anna inside. At 12:09 a.m., he returned to the cabin, however Hudson blocked him from entering, telling him he was changing and making him wait outside for a couple of minutes. The brother told investigators the bathroom and closet doors were open and the cabin lights were on.
Prosecutors said that Anna’s phone was missing from the cabin, but was tracked by the ship’s WiFi router data moving around the ship along the same path as Hudson. CCTV data placed Hudson and Kepner’s phone near the jogging track, smoking area, and later near the trash-bin area where Anna’s body was found.
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