Overview
- The 16-year-old filed a not-guilty plea on Tuesday and waived his arraignment appearance, which a magistrate judge accepted Wednesday in Miami federal court.
- He remains released to an uncle with GPS monitoring, as prosecutors ask the court to revoke that release and detain him before trial.
- Prosecutors allege he sexually assaulted and killed 18-year-old Anna Kepner aboard the Carnival Horizon in November 2025, and officials say she died from mechanical asphyxiation after being found concealed under a bed.
- The case moved from sealed juvenile proceedings to adult federal prosecution when the file was unsealed April 10, exposing him to a possible life sentence but not the death penalty because of his age.
- Prosecutors told the court they have turned over discovery, including the medical examiner’s report and DNA lab analyses, and the FBI is leading the case because the alleged crimes occurred in international waters.