Anna Kepner’s family ‘at peace’ after her alleged killer stepbrother is shipped off to jail

Anna Kepner’s family revealed they are now  “at peace” after the cheerleader’s stepbrother and accused killer was sent to jail ahead of his trial.

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Loved ones of the slain 18-year-old felt relieved that Timothy Hudson, 16, “will not be able harm anyone else,” following a Florida judge’s decision to revoke his pretrial release on June 15. 

In his written order, US Magistrate Judge Edwin G. Torres stated that the evidence against Hudson showed a serious level of danger that no monitor or curfew could contain.

“It was painful for our family to know that he had been free for as long as he was,” the Kepner family said in a statement to ABC News.

“We are now at peace knowing that he will not be able to harm anyone else while awaiting trial.”

Baby-faced Hudson is being tried as an adult and faces charges of murder and aggravated sexual abuse following Kepner’s November 2025 asphyxiation death aboard a Carnival Cruise ship.

The cruise was a vacation for the blended family, who had assigned Kepner and Hudson to share a room. 

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Following the tragedy, the family fractured publicly when Hudson’s step-grandmother openly criticized the parents’ choice of room arrangements, calling it a recipe for disaster.

Following an early February 2026 arrest on sealed juvenile charges, a federal grand jury indicted Hudson as an adult for first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse on March 10, 2026. 

Here is the latest on Anna Kepner, cheerleader found dead on Carnival Cruise:

• Stepgrandma of Anna Kepner, killed on cruise ship, wants teens’ dad to be charged: ‘Recipe for disaster’
• Anna Kepner’s smashed cellphone pointed straight to stepbrother in her sex assault, murder: filings
• New questions raised in Carnival cruise murder case after DNA from unknown male minor found
• Judge issues surprise ruling in cruise ship murder case against Anna Kepner’s stepbrother

The case was officially transferred to adult court in mid-April, and a federal judge ordered Hudson held in jail on June 15, 2026, revoking his pretrial release.

Kepner’s family noted that Hudson’s bail was revoked just days after what would have been Anna’s 19th birthday.

“While birthdays are never the same without her, we continue to honor her memory and cherish the love and joy she brought to our lives,” the family wrote.

They “remain hopeful for a swift conclusion to this process and for justice to be served,” the statement continued.

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