Newly unsealed court documents in the Anna Kepner murder case revealed a “barbaric” attack and sexual assault, allegedly carried out by her 16-year-old stepbrother during family cruise aboard the Carnival Horizon last year.
The documents were initially presented during a February hearing at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, to decide if Timothy Hudson should remain jailed whileawaiting trial for his 16-year-old stepsister’s death.
The documents were unsealed during a hearing Wednesday, where U.S. Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres declined to place the defendant in custody. Torres had previously granted Hudson pretrial release during February’s hearing.
Kepner, according to the documents, endured a a violent sexual assault on November 6, while she had been aboard the 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 stated.
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.
Kepner’s father and stepmother were in a shared cabin across the hall, with their two daughters, while Kepner, Hudson, and her 14-year-old brother shared a cabin.
“While she struggled to breathe for minutes, he continued to hold her neck in that manner so that she would die from lack of oxygen. Minutes go by,” Lopez continued, according to the documents.
“At any time [Timothy] could have let that hold go. He could have allowed the victim to breathe. But instead, for minutes, he held that position in order for her to die and kept squeezing.”
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.
Investigators later found Hudson’s DNA on Kepner, leading to charges that include murder and aggravated sexual assault.
In April, a federal grand jury wrote in a superseding indictment that Hudson carried out a “deliberate, malicious and premeditated killing” during the commission of “aggravated sexual abuse.”
He has since been charged as an adult.
While arguing to keep Hudson behind bars, Lopez said that “without any warning, without any hint, without any prior indication, this defendant raped and killed his stepsister while on vacation.”
The defense argued that after his release in February, Hudson, a first time offender, has abided by his release conditions. They also argued that he’s considered a low flight risk, with strong familial ties to the state.
The judge rejected the prosecution’s motion and allowed Hudson to remain free and in the custody of a relative in Hernando County , while awaiting trial, scheduled for September. He’s required to wear a GPS monitor.
If convicted, Hudson faces a mandatory life sentence behind bars.
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[Featured image/Anna Kepner: TikTok]
