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Judge Sets June 1 Trial for Teen Accused of Killing Stepsister on Carnival Cruise

The rare federal case underscores how a crime in international waters places a 16-year-old in adult court under U.S. jurisdiction.

Overview

  • The Miami federal court set a June 1 jury trial in an order issued Monday, according to filings and multiple news outlets.
  • Prosecutors say the 16-year-old, Timothy Hudson, was indicted as an adult on first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse, and he has pleaded not guilty in a written filing.
  • He remains on pretrial release at an uncle’s home with GPS monitoring and a ban on being alone with minors, as the Justice Department asks the judge to revoke that release.
  • Investigators say Anna Kepner, 18, was found under a bed in their shared cabin on the Carnival Horizon, and the medical examiner determined her cause of death was mechanical asphyxia.
  • Because the death occurred as the ship returned from international waters, the FBI and federal prosecutors took the case, and a conviction on both counts could bring a life sentence.