Timothy Hudson, 16, who is accused of killing his stepsister during a Carnival cruise in 2025, surrendered to U.S. Marshals on Monday after a federal judge ordered his detention. File Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI | License Photo
June 15 (UPI) — The Florida teenager accused of killing his stepsister during a Carnival cruise in 2025 surrendered to U.S. Marshals on Monday after a judge ordered his detention.
Timothy Hudson, 16, was originally allowed to stay with an uncle while awaiting trial for the slaying and sexual assault of Anna Kepner, 18, but U.S. District Judge Edwin Torres issued an order on Wednesday for the teenager to be detained until trial.
Torres wrote Hudson displays “a level of psychopathy and lack of remorse that by itself raises a serious concern that Defendant can snap at any time, despite the well-meaning and serious efforts of his caretakers to make sure that does not happen,” NBC News reported.
The judge wrote the teenager “presents a danger to himself and to others that no curfew, monitor, or custodial placement can be trusted to contain.”
Hudson, who pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse, surrendered to U.S. Marshals on Monday, People reported.
Hudson is being tried as an adult.
Anna Kepner, 18, was found dead underneath a bed in the room she shared with Hudson aboard a Carnival Horizon cruise ship on Nov. 8. A medical examiner concluded she had been sexually assaulted and died from asphyxiation.
Hudson’s mother and Kepner’s father, who were also on the cruise, married 11 months prior to the incident.
The Kepner family released a statement to ABC News on Monday.
“We would like to thank the FBI, the United States Attorney’s Office, and the U.S. Marshals Service for their assistance in helping place the accused murderer of Anna Marie Kepner behind bars until trial,” the statement said. “It was painful for our family to know that he had been free for as long as he was. We are now at peace knowing that he will not be able to harm anyone else while awaiting trial.”
Anna Kepner would have celebrated her 19th birthday this past weekend.
“While birthdays are never the same without her, we continue to honor her memory and cherish the love and joy she brought to our lives,” the family’s statement said. “As we move closer to the start of the trial in the coming months, we remain hopeful for a swift conclusion to this process and for justice to be served.”
Hudson’s federal trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 8.
