Overview
- The 16‑year‑old, identified in court documents as T.H., surrendered to U.S. Marshals on Monday after U.S. Magistrate Judge Edwin G. Torres revoked his pretrial release.
- A federal grand jury indicted him as an adult on first‑degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse in the November 2025 death of 18‑year‑old Anna Kepner, whose autopsy found sexual assault and mechanical asphyxiation.
- Prosecutors told the court they have physical and electronic evidence linking the defendant to the crime and argued the adult indictment and severity of the allegations show he poses a danger to others.
- The judge ordered him booked into Citrus County custody with instructions to transfer him to a Miami‑area juvenile detention facility by July 10 and to receive mental‑health evaluation and continued access to counsel and family.
- A federal trial is scheduled for Sept. 8, and because the case is in federal court due to the death occurring in international waters the defendant faces adult penalties that can include life in prison.