Teen accused of killing stepsister on Carnival cruise may face reduced sentence in plea talks
Timothy Hudson, now 17, is weighing a plea that could cap his prison term at roughly 20 years for the murder and sexual assault of his 18-year-old stepsister Anna Kepner on the Carnival Horizon.
Anna Kepner, an 18-year-old high-school senior from Titusville, Florida, was found dead under a bed in her cabin on the Carnival Horizon after a family cruise in November 2025. Federal investigators linked her 16-year-old stepbrother Timothy Hudson to the crime through DNA evidence, and he was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse. Hudson, who turned 17 this week, has been detained in Miami and must decide by January 15 whether to plead.
His public defender has requested additional time to explore a plea, and a former federal prosecutor says a deal could reduce his sentence to roughly 20 years, compared with a possible life term if he goes to trial. The proposed agreement would spare the victim’s family from a public trial and could place Hudson in a juvenile-appropriate facility for part of his term. The case highlights the challenges of handling serious juvenile offenses in the federal system.
Why it matters
The plea could dramatically shorten the prison time of a teen charged with a brutal murder, affecting the victim’s family and juvenile justice precedent.
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