Overview
- Prosecutors say 18-year-old Anna Kepner died of mechanical asphyxia after her body was found concealed under a bed on Nov. 7, 2025, aboard the Carnival Horizon during a family cruise.
- The defendant, 16-year-old Timothy Hudson, has pleaded not guilty to federal counts of first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse and faces a possible life sentence if convicted.
- Hudson was first arrested and charged as a juvenile and released to an uncle with GPS monitoring, but a federal grand jury later returned a superseding indictment that moved the case to adult federal court.
- At a May 27 hearing, Judge Edwin Torres denied prosecutors' request for pretrial detention and kept Hudson in a family member's custody with electronic monitoring and strict limits on when he may leave the home.
- The case is in federal court because the death occurred in or while returning from international waters, a rare path that raises questions about trying a minor as an adult and about pretrial detention standards.