Cheerleader Anna Kepner ‘fought for her life’ as she was strangled to death in a cruise ship cabin she shared with her stepbrother, her heartbroken aunt has revealed.
On November 7, the 18-year-old’s dead body was shoved underneath a bed on the Carnival Horizon ship she and her blended family were vacationing on.
The Titusville, Florida, teen was on board the doomed vessel with her father, stepmother, grandparents, half-brother and stepbrother – who is under investigation for her murder.
Anna’s jarring death has been ruled a homicide by mechanical asphyxiation – meaning she was placed in a choke hold. It has left her loved ones demanding answers as they grieve her untimely death.
As authorities investigate the murder, Anna’s aunt, Krystal Wright, spoke out about what she believes may have unfolded in her niece’s final moments.
‘I know Anna fought. I know she fought for her life, so it’s rough. It’s rough,’ Wright told Fox 35 Orlando.
Wright also expressed anger and confusion over the fact that Anna’s 16-year-old stepbrother, who is being probed as a suspect, has not been arrested.
‘We don’t understand, if the boy is a suspect, why has he not been charged yet? What’s happening there?’ she asked.
Cheerleader Anna Kepner, was found dead underneath a bed on a cruise ship on November 7
Anna is seen above with her 16-year-old stepbrother, who is a suspect in her death
‘It’s turmoil. We’re just sitting here waiting.’
While authorities have not publicly named the 16-year-old, whose name cannot be shared for legal reasons, the Daily Mail previously revealed that he was listed as a suspect in investigative documents.
His mother, Shauntel Kepner, has also revealed that federal authorities are looking into him and his alleged role in Anna’s death.
She made the bombshell claim in a court filing in the child custody battle she is in with her ex-husband, Thomas Hudson, over their two sons.
Other than the 16-year-old, Shauntel has a 17-year-old son who was resistant to moving in with the Kepners and lives with his father.
Shauntel and Hudson also have a nine-year-old daughter, who lives in the Kepner household. Hudson is now seeking emergency custody of her.
Anna’s father, Christopher Kepner, said he would not shield his 16-year-old stepson from criminal charges.
‘I do not stand behind what my stepson has done,’ Christopher told People. ‘I want him to face the consequences… I will be fighting to make sure that does happen.’
He added: ‘He was the only one that was in the room, and the FBI has an ongoing investigation in which they will have to provide the evidence to say that he did do it or did not do this.’
Anna’s aunt, Krystal Wright, said that her niece ‘fought for her life’ before she died
Anna’s jarring death has been ruled a homicide by mechanical asphyxiation
While Anna’s grandparents described her and her stepbrother as ‘two peas in a pod,’ the victim’s ex-boyfriend told a different story.
Josh Tew, 15, who broke up with Anna about six months ago, told the media outside of her memorial that he once witnessed the stepbrother climbing on top of her against her will.
He said that about nine months ago, he was having a late-night FaceTime call with his then-girlfriend, who was in the house she shared with her dad and Shauntel, who had brought her children into the home when she moved in.
Anna was lying down and ‘he walked in there and tried to get on top of her … but he got caught by me in the process of it,’ Josh claimed.
‘I was like, “What the hell are you doing in her room?” Then he got scared and ran away. And I heard his footsteps running through the house because he got caught.’
Josh said that Anna was ‘too scared to tell anybody’ because, if she did, her stepbrother would ‘do something to her.’
He alleged that Anna was uncomfortable with Shauntel and her children living with her. Shauntel also has a 17-year-old son, Andrew,
‘Their dad had just met this woman, not even like a year ago, and she doesn’t really like her,’ Josh said.
Shauntel, Christopher and Anna are pictured with their blended family
The 16-year-old was ‘obsessed with’ Anna and relentlessly pursued her despite their blended family, Steven Westin, Josh’s father, told Inside Edition.
‘He’s infatuated, attracted to her like crazy,’ Westin claimed. ‘He always wanted to date her.’
Christopher said the last time he saw Anna was on November 6, when the family had gathered for dinner on the cruise ship.
Anna, who had left dinner because she did not feel well, had returned to the room she shared with her stepbrother and her half-brother, 14. The two boys had bunk beds, while Anna had her own.
On the night of her death, both boys went back to the room after Anna, but her younger brother left to take pictures of the $800 million ship to post on social media.
But when he tried to return to the room later on, he heard yelling and chairs being thrown, Josh claimed the 14-year-old told him.
Josh said the boy told him their stepbrother had prevented him from entering their room, and that he had heard yelling.
The following morning, the boys went to breakfast, but Anna was nowhere to be found.
A cleaner made the grim discovery of her corpse, causing the FBI to swarm the ship when it docked in Miami. She was pronounced dead at 11.17 am.
