Anna Kepner's killingaboard a Carnival cruise ship is back in the spotlight after newly unsealed FBIcourt transcriptsrevealed DNA evidence prosecutors say directly links her 16-year-old stepbrother, Timothy Hudson, to a violent sexual assault before her death.
The 18-year-old Florida cheerleader was found dead inside a stateroom on the Carnival Horizon in November 2025, hidden beneath a bed and covered with life jackets.
Hudson, now being tried as an adult, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse charges as disturbing details from the federal investigation continue to emerge in court.
Federal prosecutors told a Miami judge this week that semen recovered during Anna Kepner's rape examination showed a 'high probability' DNA match toHudson. According to the newly unsealed transcript, prosecutors believe Kepner was sexually assaulted before being strangled inside the cabin the two shared during the family cruise.
Assistant US Attorney Alejandra Lopez said the teen likely died from mechanical asphyxia after being held in a chokehold for several minutes. Prosecutors alleged the pressure was so severe that Kepner's eardrum burst.
Court records also revealed investigators ruled out another person who had consensual sexual contact with Kepner during the trip after his DNA did not match evidence collected by the FBI.
Prosecutors saidsurveillance camerasshowed Hudson entering their shared stateroom at around 7.35 pm on 6 November 2025, and Kepner entering at around 7.38 pm. Kepner was reportedly still active on Snapchat shortly after 8 pm, but she was never seen leaving the room again.
Around 10.13 pm, Hudson was allegedly captured on surveillance video peeking into the hallway before exiting the cabin alone.
Trigger warning-The cause of Anna Kepner's death was determined to be mechanical asphyxia. An autopsy showed that Anna had been pinned down and forcibly raped. It likely took 3-5 minutes for Timothy Hudson to strangle Anna until she was dead.Anna left dinner on November 6,...pic.twitter.com/Rib8NHdR3M
Investigators also used cruise ship WiFi tracking data to argue Hudson later carried Kepner's phone to another deck and discarded it near a trash area. The phone was eventually recovered by a cruise employee.
Source: International Business Times UK
