The 16-year-old stepbrother of Anna Kepner, who tragically died aboard a Carnival cruise ship in November, appeared in federal court in Miami on Friday.
Anna, aged 18, was found deceased on November 7 in the shared cabin with her brother-in-law and brother while on vacation with her family aboard the Carnival Horizon.
Her brother-in-law has been identified as a suspect in prior court documents, although his name hasn’t been released.
An attorney representing the stepbrother’s mother mentioned in December that the FBI was contemplating charges against the young boy.
During the court appearance on Friday, the brother-in-law was present with his public defender, prosecutors, and federal marshals in a private courtroom, according to reports.
The details of the case remained sealed as of Friday evening, leaving the possible charges unknown.
The boy, dressed in a camouflage zip-up and hat, looked downcast as he exited the courthouse alongside one of his public defenders.
He then headed to the probation office for pretrial processing.
Following her death, Anna’s body was reportedly found hidden beneath the bed, and the medical examiner indicated that she died from “mechanical asphyxiation,” ruling her death a homicide.
On the fateful night, while Anna was locked in the cabin with her brother-in-law, her youngest brother heard “screams” coming from inside.
Shawntel Kepner, the brother-in-law’s mother, previously stated that he hadn’t taken his usual ADHD and insomnia medication for two days during the cruise.
Stay updated on Anna Kepner’s case
According to text messages sent by Shawntel to her ex-husband, she was admitted to a medical facility a day after Anna’s body was found but claimed to have no memory of the events.
Christopher Kepner, Anna’s father, expressed that he wanted his son-in-law to “face the consequences” but was hesitant to assert his involvement in the tragic incident. “I can’t say he’s responsible, but I can’t say no,” he noted.
He emphasized that the brother-in-law was the only person present in the room, and the FBI is investigating to establish whether he committed the act.
In the wake of Anna’s passing, her brother-in-law was taken in by other family members to mitigate any “risk of danger” to other children until he was returned in early December.
Kepner’s father remarked that Anna’s ex-boyfriend expressed feeling “unsafe” around his brother-in-law, claiming the young boy was “infatuated” with Anna.
Anna, a devoted Christian who had been baptized in May, was set to graduate this year from Temple Christian School in Titusville, Florida. She had plans to enlist in the U.S. Navy and aspired to work as a police officer for kindergarten through ninth grade.
