The father of a teen allegedly slaughtered by her stepbrother on a cruise is skipping the June murder trial, saying he simply cannot “relive” the trauma of discovering the girl’s body in her cabin.
“Unless they ask for me to be there, neither my wife or I will be attending,” Christopher Kepner, 41, told the Daily Mail.
“I’ve heard all the evidence. I saw it for myself. They have everything they need. It’s going to be too painful to relive it all again.”
Kepner’s 16-year-old stepson, Timothy Hudson, is headed to trial June 1 in Miami federal court on first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse charges in the Nov. 7 slaying. Timothy has pleaded not guilty.
CHEERLEADER WHO DIED ON CRUISE SHIP ‘FOUGHT FOR HER LIFE’ AS FEDS WEIGH POSSIBLE CHARGES FOR STEPBROTHER
The 16-year-old stepbrother, identified as T.H. in court documents, is accused of sexually assaulting 16-year-old Anna Kepner and intentionally killing her on Carnival Cruise Line’s Horizon ship. (Shauntel Kepner/Facebook)
In a harrowing account, Kepner described the moment his family vacation became a living nightmare.
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“I checked her pulse. I pulled her out from under the bed,” Kepner said. “I knew my daughter was dead long before the medical examiner got there. I don’t want to be back in that room.”
TEEN FOUND DEAD ON CARNIVAL CRUISE SHIP DIED FROM MECHANICAL ASPHYXIATION, RULED HOMICIDE: REPORT
Authorities later ruled her death a homicide caused by “mechanical asphyxiation,” caused by “mechanical asphyxiation,” according to documents previously reviewed by Digital.
According to investigators, she was found under the bed in her cabin, wrapped in a blanket and covered with life jackets. The cabin was shared with her stepbrother.
Anna Kepner’s 16-year-old stepbrother walks outside a Federal Court building in Miami, Florida, on Feb. 6, 2026, accompanied by his attorney. He was charged in connection with the death of his stepsister on a Carnival Cruise in November 2025. ()
ANNA KEPNER’S STEPBROTHER CHARGED AS ADULT WITH MURDER, SEXUAL ABUSE IN FLORIDA TEEN’S CRUISE SHIP DEATH
Now, the family is working to remember the 18-year-old cheerleader from Central Florida affectionately called “Anna Banana.”
“We are celebrating Anna by keeping it all about her and doing the things she liked,” Kepner said. “We want to remember Anna how she lived — and not how she died.”
Anna Kepner was identified by her family as the passenger who died onboard the Carnival Horizon. (Facebook)
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If convicted, the teen faces 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,” Kepner previously said.
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Digital has reached out to Timothy Hudson’s attorney for comment.
“Our hearts go out to the victim’s family during this unimaginable loss,” U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida said. “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. As in every case, the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”
