The parents of slain teen Anna Kepner issued a statement Monday, following the arrest of her stepbrother on murder charges.
According to federal court documents, U.S. Magistrate Judge Edwin G. Torres ordered 16-year-old Timothy Hudson’s arrest after revoking his pretrial release. He’s currently behind bars at the Citrus County Jail in Lecanto, Florida.
“It was painful for our family to know that he had been free for as long as he was. We are now at peace knowing that he will not be able to harm anyone else while awaiting trial,” the Kepner family said in a statement Monday to ABC News.
As Criminal Enterprise reported, authorities stated that 16-year-old Kepner endured a a violent sexual assault on November 6, while aboard the Carnival Horizon cruise ship for a blended family celebration.
“A barbaric, intentional, thoughtful act,” Alejandra Lopez of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida said.
After following her into a cabin, Hudson allegedly sexually assaulted Kepner and put her in a fatal choke hold, which investigators said left visible physical evidence of a struggle.
“While she struggled to breathe for minutes, Hudson continued to hold Kepner’s neck in that manner so that she would die from lack of oxygen. Minutes go by,” Lopez continued, according to the documents.
Hudson then stuffed her body underneath a cabin bed and placed a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door, according to the prosecution.
At around 10:49 p.m. that night, security footage captured Hudson leaving the cabin while peeking both ways down a hallway. Wi-Fi routers traced Kepner’s phone, which coincided with Hudson’s movements, to a trash bin on a separate deck.
Pretrial custody has remained the central debate between federal prosecutors and Hudson’s defense team. A judge initially granted Hudson release on juvenile charges, but prosecutors requested detention following his adult indictment on April 13.
In May, a federal judge allowed Hudson to return home under electronic monitoring. The court also ordered the U.S. Marshals Service to relocate him to housing near Hernando County, away from South Florida.
The judge sequentially deemed Hudson a danger to society.
“The Court now finds that Defendant should be held going forward in the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending his trial in the case,” the judge wrote.
“The Court rests that conclusion on dangerousness alone, as the Court finds that the original conditions of release adequately assure the Defendant’s appearance at trial.”
The family thanked the “FBI, the United States Attorney’s Office, and the U.S. Marshals Service” for their assistance in coordinating the arrest.
“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 statement continued.
“As we move closer to the start of the trial in the coming months, we remain hopeful for a swift conclusion to this process and for justice to be served.”
Hudson’s federal trial is expected to begin on September 8.
[Featured image: Anna Kepner/TikTok]
