New court documents in Anna Kepner case detail alleged 'barbaric' act and DNA findings
Warning: This article contains details that some readers may find upsetting
New documents have revealed the actions of Anna Kepner's stepbrother after her alleged murder.
Anna, 18, had been on holiday with her family on a Carnival Cruise ship when she was found dead in her cabin, with her body having been hidden under the bed.
Following her death, Anna's 16-year-old stepbrother Timothy Hudson was initially arraigned as a minor before being charged with murder and aggravated sexual assault.
Advert
Since then however a grand jury indicted Hudson on the same charges, and he will be tried as an adult.
Now, a transcript of a bond hearing for Hudson which was held back in February in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida has been obtained in which prosecutors outline Hudson's alleged actions.
The 145-page-long transcript describes how Hudson left the cabin shortly after 10pm, 'looking left and right to see if anyone was around'.
In the transcript, the court also heard that the cause of death had been 'most likely from a chokehold'.
Prosecutor Alejandra Lopez told the court, according to the transcript: "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."
She added: "At any time [he] 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."
Lopez went on to describe Hudson's alleged final act against Anna as a 'barbaric, intentional, thoughtful act'.
The prosecutor also goes into detail about how Hudson allegedly behaved on CCTV footage from November 7 2025.
This reportedly included footage of him walking past the cabin.
"[A]s he walks by the cabin, he makes no effort to look and see what is happening inside, even though so many people are still inside the cabin with the door open," Lopez told the court, according to the transcript, adding: "He looks straight ahead and walks away."
The hearing was held to decide whether Hudson should be allowed to stay with his uncle while kept under house arrest, or if he should be taken into custody while awaiting trial.
In the transcript, it says that police arrested Hudson after investigators found that his DNA matched with DNA found on Anna's body.
Hudson is currently in his uncle's care after courts rejected a motion from prosecutors at a further hearing on May 27 to take him into custody.
Kit Roberts