Tragic teen Anna Kepner’s ex-boyfriend has claimed her 16-year-old stepbrother tried to climb on top of her against her will months before she died on a cruise – and was named a ’suspect’ in explosive court documents.
Josh Tew, who broke up with the 18-year-old cheerleader six months ago, also gave a chilling details about the last moments of Anna’s life before she was found wrapped in a blanket and stuffed under a bed in her cabin on November 7.
She had been on a six-day Caribbean getaway with her dad, stepmom, siblings and step-siblings when she was declared dead in the international waters between Mexico and Florida.
Tew, who is 15 and talked the media with his mother’s permission, said Anna’s little brother heard yelling and chairs being thrown in the cabin the previous evening when she was inside the room with the 16-year-old.
The ex said the young sibling told him the stepbrother barred his entrance into the room and then ‘heard her her yelling at her in a harmful way, like “shut the hell up” and stuff like that.
‘And that’s when he knew something was going on. There was screaming going on. Something was banging around, like chairs were getting thrown around in the room.
‘But he wouldn’t talk to me any more. He said the FBI told them that if they talk they’ll get arrested because it’s tampering with an investigation or something.’
Josh said he called the FBI because he was so concerned about that he had been told. ’They told me they’re glad I gave them the information,’ he said.
The former boyfriend, speaking after Anna’s emotional celebration of life in her home with of Titusville, Florida, also said he ‘caught’ the 16-year-old stepbrother trying to get on top of the teen nine months ago.
Anna Kepner went on the cruise with her 16-year-old stepbrother and other family members. Court filings obtained by the Daily Mail confirm the stepbrother is now a ‘suspect’ in her death
Her stepbrother faces possible criminal charges in her death
Josh Tew, who broke up with the 18-year-old cheerleader six months ago, also gave a chilling details about the last moments of Anna’s life
He said was having a late-night FaceTime call with his then girlfriend house shared by dad Christopher Kepner, 41, and new partner Shauntel Hudson who had brought her children into the home when she moved in.
Anna was laying down and ‘he walked in there and tried to get on top of her and do a sexual thing with her, but he got caught by me in the process of it. 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.
He added: ‘She was too scared to tell anybody. Because that one time that he said that if she said anything about getting on top oh her he’d do something to her.
‘She told me that she was uncomfortable with them (his step relations) being at the house because she didn’t fully know who they were.
‘That their dad had just met this woman, not even like a year ago, and she doesn’t really like her… she has an attitude most of the time and was very controlling over her. But I told her, they’re going to be your parents at the end of the day, you know.
Anna slept in the dining room of the house. ‘But most of the time she did sleep in her friend’s beds and stuff because of her being uncomfortable with him being at the house,’ he added.
‘She was the best that ever happened to me. I last talked to her three weeks ago. I was meant to go on that cruise.’
Christopher and Anna’s stepmother Tabitha split in 2023, but he soon found love with Shauntel, who divorced Thomas Hudson last year and moved to Titusville with their two youngest children
Anna’s stepmother, Shauntel Hudson, has been locked in a custody battle with her ex, Thomas Hudson, over their children. On Tuesday, she filed a response acknowledging that ‘it is true that there is an open investigation’ into her stepdaughter’s death
Anna’s ex spoke out as swaths of folk in Titusville packed The Grove church to pay tribute to the ‘bubbly’ teenager.
The hour-long service included photos of Anna throughout her life flashed up on a screen while the pastor described them. None of her parents read a eulogy.
Former classmate Daisy Fletcher spoke poignantly to the Daily Mail before the celebration, emphasizing her friend’s empathy for others.
Fighting back tears, she said: ‘Whenever someone was upset Anna put a lot of effort into making sure they felt really cared about, that she was really there for them.’
The student, also 18 and who now lives in Orlando, Florida, hinted though that Anna did have ‘issues’, but would not go into detail.
‘Seeing her go through her own bouts, her own issues, it was heartbreaking,’ Daisy said. ‘She was a very kind person and actually very sturdy.
‘Anna was so bright. Both smarts wise and also the way she interacted with people. She made them laugh a lot. She laughed a lot herself, very bubbly and such a good friend.
‘Anna felt pretty confident and she deserved the good that she had in life.’
Relatives, friends and strangers who just wanted to give support thronged the church in the community where the school cheerleader had brought such joy to countless other lives.
Friends and family remembered Kepner for her bubbly personality
Daily Mail exclusively revealed that the teenager’s stepbrother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, now faces possible criminal charges as family and friends gathered Thursday for Kepner’s funeral.
The boy was ‘obsessed with’ Kepner and relentlessly pursued her despite their blended family, Steven Westin, the father of Kepner’s ex-boyfriend, told Inside Edition.
‘He’s infatuated, attracted to her like crazy,’ Westin claimed. ‘He always wanted to date her.’
Westin went on to claim that his son tried to warn Kepner’s parents, but they ‘didn’t want to believe me.’
But Kepner’s embarrassed mother has now been forced to wear a disguise to her daughter’s funeral.
Heather Kepner told Inside Edition she had been instructed not to attend the service in Titusville, Florida – but was determined to say goodbye.
‘I’m going to wear a disguise,’ she said. ‘I’m going to put a wig on and wear some really tall shoes because I’m four-foot-nine.’
Heather, who lives in Oklahoma and has not seen her daughter in recent years, had previously claimed she was not informed of her daughter’s untimely death.
‘My beautiful baby girl was found dead Friday, and I just found out last night,’ she said in a TikTok video on November 11.
‘Her dad and stepmom didn’t even try to contact me, so I’m gonna give that to God and let Him sort it out, along with whoever did this to my baby girl.’
But Kepner’s father, Christopher, has also claimed investigators have shared barely any details with him.
‘We were there as a family. Everybody was questioned. Everybody came off that ship. I don’t know who they are looking at or what their investigation is,’ he said.
‘The FBI hasn’t shared anything with me yet. I would imagine they’re going to be in contact with me about it – but I know as little as everybody else.
‘I have no idea what is going on right now. We are just trying to sit still and wait for answers.’
A packed memorial service was held Thursday night for the slain cheerleader
Photos of the slain teenager adorned the walls of the Titusville, Florida church
Heather described her daughter in an interview with Fox 13 as being ‘always happy’ as she recalled her daughter’s love of horseback racing and cheerleading.
‘She was a really good child,’ the heartbroken mother said. ‘She never really complained about much. She never really cried that much as a baby, and as a teenager, she was the same. Just always happy.’
She added that Anna had a gift for lifting other’s spirits and cherished becoming a big sister.
Anna grew up on Florida’s sun-drenched Space Coast with Christopher, 41, his ex-wife Tabitha Kepner, 33, and siblings, aged 14 and nine.
Christopher and Tabitha split in 2023 but the crane operator soon found love again with Shauntel, who divorced Thomas Hudson last year and relocated to Titusville with their two youngest kids.
But her teenage stepbrother is now in the care of an unnamed ‘third party,’ according to a motion filed Tuesday by the boy’s father demanding urgent clarification of what is happening to his son.
Thomas Hudson is also seeking immediate custody of their other minor child, a nine-year-old girl currently living in Titusville, Florida, with Shauntel Hudson and Anna’s dad, Christopher Kepner.
‘The respondent took the remaining minor children on a cruise with a stepchild of her paramour,’ his filing says.
‘The sixteen-year-old child is now a suspect in the death of the stepchild during the cruise. While released from custody, the sixteen-year-old child is residing with a third party.’
The filing adds: ‘The sixteen-year-old’s future has been put in jeopardy because of the choices made by the respondent… the youngest child is at immediate risk of abuse, abandonment, or neglect in the care of the respondent.’
Anna’s stepmother, Shauntel Hudson, has been locked in a custody battle with Thomas. On Tuesday, she filed a response acknowledging that ‘it is true that there is an open investigation’ into her stepdaughter’s death
Shauntel filed a response late Tuesday denying allegations that she ‘abused, neglected or abandoned’ her children.
She added: ‘It is true that there is an open investigation regarding the death of the biological daughter of the stepfather and [boy’s initials] is a suspect regarding this death which occurred recently on a cruise ship.’
Shauntel’s filing said the boy was staying with one of her relatives and she is providing counseling for all of her children.
Thus far, the FBI has refused to say how Anna died – or whether she was murdered – on board the Carnival Horizon, which visited Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel before sailing back to Miami.
Sources have told the Daily Mail that Anna complained of feeling unwell on the evening of November 6 and went back to her cabin.
When she didn’t appear for breakfast the next day her family members began searching the sprawling $800million mega-vessel which carries up to 4,700 guests.
A maid eventually found the youngster wrapped in a blanket, covered over with life jackets and stuffed under a bed, according to our sources, who spoke under condition of anonymity.
The Miami Dade County Medical Examiner lists Anna’s time of death at 11.17am on November 7 but it has not revealed its findings.
Kepner posted a TikTok video from on board the ship six months ago saying how much she wanted to return
Known by her nickname Anna Banana, the 18-year-old was set to graduate in May and had plans to join the military.
A gymnast and varsity cheerleader, she attended Temple Christian School in Titusville, where her Kia Forte remained parked up this week, covered in flowers and tributes from heartbroken pals.
She was a ‘bright, kind-hearted young woman whose presence brought warmth and energy into the classroom,’ the school said in a touching Facebook post.
Christopher said his daughter’s ultimate career goal was to join the local police department so she could protect her friends and family.
‘The whole family is lost for words. We miss her and love her more than anything,’ he added.
Anna had been on previous cruises and had raved about her love of travel on TikTok.
One post showed her enjoying a holiday on the very same boat six months earlier. She danced about in a white dress and captioned the haunting clip: ‘I wanna go back.’
Carnival said in a statement: ‘Our focus is on supporting the family of our guest and cooperating with the FBI.’
A spokesman for the bureau added: ‘No further information is being released at this time.’
