The 16-year-old stepbrother accused of killing Florida cheerleader Anna Kepner onboard a cruise ship is set to skip his court appearance on Wednesday.
Timothy Hudson waived his appearance for his arraignment hearing on Wednesday in federal court in Miami, meaning he would not be there while his attorneys file a not guilty plea on his behalf, Fox 35 Orlando reports.
The teenager has been federally charged as an adult with aggravated sexual abuse and first-degree murder in Kepner’s November 2025 death, when she was found dead in a cabin aboard the Carnival Horizon cruise ship.
Prosecutors have said Hudson was the only one with Kepner, 18, when she died from manual asphyxiation.
Hudson was originally charged as a juvenile in the case, and was released into the custody of an uncle under the condition that he has no contact with anyone under the age of 18 and agrees to GPS monitoring.
But since the case was transferred to adult court, prosecutors are asking for Hudson to be held in custody pending his trial – arguing in court documents that he is a danger to himself and others, according to Fox 35.
If he were to be convicted of first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse, Hudson could now face decades behind bars – although mandatory life-without-parole sentences for juveniles were deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2012.
The 16-year-old stepbrother of Anna Kepner is (seen arriving in federal court in February) has been unmasked as Timothy Hudson after being charged as an adult in her murder
The high school senior, from Titusville, Florida, was on a six-day Carnival cruise to the Caribbean with her family when she was found dead onboard between Mexico and Florida on November 7
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
