Newly unsealed court documents have shed disturbing light on the hours following the alleged murder of 18-year-old Anna Kepner aboard a Carnival cruise ship last November, painting a chilling picture of the calculated behaviour prosecutors say her 16-year-old stepbrother Timothy Hudson displayed in the aftermath of the crime.
Hudson is charged as an adult in federal court with first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse, with prosecutors alleging he raped and strangled Kepner in the cabin the two shared during a family Caribbean vacation. The case is being tried in federal court because the alleged crimes took place in international waters.
The blended family had embarked on the cruise together following the recent marriage of Kepner's father and Hudson's mother. The sleeping arrangements placed Kepner, Hudson and Kepner's 13-year-old biological brother in one cabin, while their parents stayed across the hall with two younger daughters and Kepner's grandparents occupied a cabin one deck above.
On November 6, the family had spent the day in Cozumel, Mexico, before returning to the ship that evening. Surveillance footage reportedly showed Kepner heading back to the cabin at around 7:30pm after complaining of stomach pain and discomfort from her braces. Hudson was already inside. Kepner's younger brother briefly entered the room with two friends before leaving again. Prosecutors say that was the last time anyone saw her alive.
Investigators believe Hudson remained alone with Kepner for several hours before allegedly raping and strangling her to death. A medical examiner later ruled her cause of death was strangulation and found evidence of sexual assault, with DNA collected during the examination reportedly matching Hudson.
What the newly unsealed 145-page transcript from Hudson's February bond hearing makes plain is what allegedly happened next. According to prosecutors, Hudson exited the cabin just after 10pm, pausing to check whether anyone was in the corridor before doing so. He re-entered and exited multiple times before eventually hanging a Privacy sign on the door.
Around midnight, Kepner's younger brother tried to enter the room but was turned away by Hudson, who claimed he was changing. The boy was let in minutes later and went to sleep, entirely unaware that his sister's body lay hidden in a blanket beneath the bed.
The following morning, prosecutors allege Hudson walked calmly around the ship carrying Kepner's phone for hours, visiting the smoking deck, a restaurant area and the jogging track before returning briefly to the cabin. He later made his way to the rear of the ship, where he allegedly destroyed the phone and threw it in a bin. At 11:24am, a crew member cleaning the cabin discovered Kepner's body. Prosecutors say that as the discovery unfolded, Hudson walked past the cabin and did not look inside.
Hudson's mother Shauntel Kepner, Anna's stepmother, has since told family court that her son is no longer welcome in the family home. His biological father has pledged to support him through the case. Outside court, Hudson and his legal team declined to comment.
