A recent report reveals that Anna Kepner’s 16-year-old stepbrother has been charged with her tragic murder. The Florida cheerleader, aged 18, was found strangled in a bar hold on board the Carnival Horizon ship last November. Her lifeless body was discovered under the bed in the room she shared with her stepbrother.
According to court documents filed by lawyers representing his biological father, Thomas Hudson, the stepbrother, who had a disturbing obsession with Anna, has now been charged as the main suspect in the case.
The court documents are part of a custody dispute between Hudson and Shauntel Kepner, his ex-wife. Hudson is seeking sole custody of Kepner’s step-sibling, who has been residing with her father, Chris, and Shauntel since the tragic incident on the cruise ship.
The filed document states, “According to social media from the Kepner family, on Feb. 3, 2026, the petitioner/father’s son was charged by the United States Attorney in the Southern District for Florida for… and homicide of Anna Kepner.”
Despite the FBI not officially naming the stepbrother as a suspect, there is a sealed case against him. He appeared in court earlier this month and was processed for pre-trial release.
Family members shared that Anna fought for her life in her final moments before she was found dead on the Carnival Horizon cruise ship. Her younger brother overheard a disturbing altercation between Anna and her stepbrother in their shared room.
Anna Kepner, a high school senior with plans to join the Navy, was last seen alive at a family dinner before her untimely death. The investigation is ongoing, with Carnival Cruise Line cooperating with law enforcement.
