Trial Set for Stepbrother Accused in Cheerleader’s Death

The 16-year-old stepbrother of the murdered cheerleader, Anna Kepner, is set to go on trial next month for charges related to her rape and murder during a family cruise, authorities announced.

U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom confirmed that Timothy Hudson will face trial on June 1 in Miami, facing serious charges of first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse connected to the death of his sister-in-law in November.

Hudson opted not to appear in Miami federal court earlier this month, allowing his attorneys to enter a not guilty plea concerning allegations that he strangled Kepner, who was 18, and concealed her body under a bed in their cruise cabin on the Carnival ship Horizon.

Initially charged as a juvenile, Hudson’s case was sealed until a grand jury indictment earlier this month moved it to adult court.

In court documents, Hudson is still referenced as TH due to his age. Kepner, a high school cheerleader from Florida, was discovered dead on November 7. A cleaning crew found her wrapped in a blanket, wearing a life jacket, beneath her bed during the cleanup of the ship’s cabin.

The medical examination later revealed her cause of death as mechanical asphyxia, caused by an obstruction preventing breathing.

According to Stephen Westin, the father of Kepner’s ex-girlfriend, Hudson was reportedly “obsessed” with Kepner and had previously attempted to assault her while she was asleep.

Since being charged in February, Hudson has been living with his paternal uncle, a situation that has sparked anger from Kepner’s father, Christopher Kepner, who is married to Hudson’s mother.

Kepner expressed his pain with a statement, saying the family “trusts the justice system to pursue the truth with care and integrity,” while acknowledging the complexity of their situation.