Anna Kepners family is demanding accountability after the bubbly, funny, outgoing 18-year-old Florida cheerleader was found dead in her cruise ship cabin last November, and court records now indicate her 16-year-old stepbrother has been charged with homicide in connection with her death.
According to The Blaze, newly surfaced legal filings suggest a federal case is quietly moving forward against the teenage boy, even as a bitter custody battle unfolds around him. CBS News reported that attorneys for Thomas Hudson, the biological father of the 16-year-old, disclosed the alleged criminal charges in a February 20 emergency motion filed in family court.
The lawyers wrote, According to social media from the Kepner family, on February 3, 2026, the Petitioner/Father's son, TH, was charged by the United States Attorney in the Southern District of Florida for the [redacted] and homicide of Anna Kepner."
The filing is part of Hudsons effort to gain custody of his 9-year-old daughter, who currently lives primarily with his ex-wife, Shauntel Kepner, and her current husband, Christopher Kepner, Annas biological father. The same household that once included the 16-year-old stepson is now at the center of both a federal homicide investigation and a high-stakes dispute over parental rights and child safety.
Hudsons petition argues that the circumstances in the Kepner household have changed so dramatically that the court must intervene. "There has been a significant and unanticipated change in circumstances that requires the immediate transfer of sole time sharing and parental responsibility," the petition said, according to Gray News.
The reported homicide case against the 16-year-old and the custody fight over the 9-year-old girl are proceeding in parallel, underscoring how one alleged act of violence has fractured an entire blended family. For conservatives who have long warned about the instability that can accompany complex family arrangements and lax discipline, the case raises troubling questions about supervision, accountability, and the protection of minors.
Court documents obtained Tuesday by WESH-TV reveal the depth of the Kepner familys anger toward the accused teenager. The filing noted that the family wants Annas 16-year-old stepbrother buried, language that reflects a desire for the harshest possible consequences rather than leniency for a juvenile defendant.
The same document stated, "Immediately after the cruise, the respondent/mother and Chris Kepner expelled [the minor] from their household, and neither has seen [the minor] since then." It further added, "Social media from the Kepner family has indicated that they want the 'nails in the coffin' of [the minor], and that both the Kepner family and the respondent 'want him buried.'"
CBS News reported that the federal case against Annas stepbrother is currently under seal, with Miami-based U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom presiding. The 16-year-old appeared at a February 6 hearing in Miami federal court, though the details of the proceeding remain shielded from public view.
Neither the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida nor the FBI has responded to Blaze News requests for comment, leaving the public with more questions than answers about the precise nature of the charges. The secrecy surrounding the case, while not unusual in juvenile matters, will likely fuel further debate over transparency, victims rights, and the publics interest in knowing how federal authorities handle serious crimes involving minors.
As Blaze News previously reported, Anna had embarked on what was supposed to be a celebratory family vacation aboard the Carnival Horizon, which left Miami on November 2 for a six-day Caribbean cruise. According to ABC News, she traveled with her grandparents, father, stepmother, siblings, and step-siblings, a multigenerational trip that turned into a crime scene.
Annas grandmother, Barbara Kepner, told ABC News, "The two younger girls stayed with the parents, and then the three teenagers, they decided amongst themselves they wanted to stay in the room together." She added that the adults had tried to build in a safeguard: "But we had a larger room, and we made it very clear that at any time if they weren't getting along, they didn't want to be together, we had an extra bed in our room that they could come to."
On November 7, Anna was discovered dead in the cabin, wrapped in a blanket and covered with life vests, a chilling detail that suggested someone had attempted to conceal her body. NBC News previously reported that the Miami-Dade Medical Examiners Office determined her time of death to be 11:17 a.m. that day.
The Carnival Horizon, which can carry nearly 4,000 passengers, returned to PortMiami on November 8 as federal authorities began their investigation. A source told ABC News in November that Annas death may have been caused by asphyxiation from a bar hold, a chokehold maneuver in which an arm is pressed across the neck, and noted that two bruises were visible on the side of her neck.
WTVJ-TV reported that a court document filed in early December stated, "The 18-year-old daughter was found asphyxiated under the bed in the room which she shared with TH. The actions of the unsupervised TH are currently under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation."
Family members have spoken publicly about their belief that Anna resisted her attacker. Krystal Wright, Anna's aunt, told WOFL-TV in November, "I know Anna fought. I know she fought for her life, so it's rough. It's rough."
Annas father, Christopher Kepner, has been more guarded in his public comments, though he has made clear he expects accountability. He told People magazine, "I do not stand behind what my stepson has done," signaling a moral line that he believes has been crossed.
Christopher continued, "I want him to face the consequences. ... I will be fighting to make sure that does happen." At the same time, he acknowledged the legal process still unfolding, saying, "I cannot say that he is responsible, but I cant decline."
He also emphasized the central factual question that federal investigators must resolve. "He was the only one ... in the room, and the FBI has an ongoing investigation in which they will have to provide the evidence to say that he did do it or did not do this," Christopher pointed out.
Anna, who was set to graduate from high school this year, had mapped out a future rooted in service and law and order, according to her obituary. She hoped to join the U.S. Navy after graduation and later become a K-9 police officer, ambitions that resonate with many Americans who value military service and strong policing.
Her obituary also describes her as a Christian whose "faith blossomed as beautifully as her smile," a reminder that behind the legal filings and sealed indictments is a young woman whose life reflected traditional values of faith, family, and duty. As the sealed federal case moves forward and the custody battle intensifies, the central question remains whether the justice system will deliver the accountability Annas grieving family is demanding while upholding the rule of law in a case that has shaken a blended American family to its core.
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