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The stepbrother of 18-year-old Anna Kepner, who was found dead in her cabin on a cruise ship in November, has been charged with homicide, according to court documents related to a separate family matter.
In a Feb. 20 emergency divorce court petition, Thomas Hudson petitioned his ex-wife Shauntel Hudson, the mother of the couple's 9-year-old daughter, for full custody of their daughter. Shauntel and her husband, Christopher Kepner, Anna's father, currently have primary custody of the child.
Anna Kepner, 18, was found dead aboard a Carnival cruise ship on Nov. 7, during a vacation with her family. (Anna Kepner/Instagram)
The petition, which cites "social media from the Kepner family," says that Anna's teenage stepbrother was charged with homicide by the U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Florida on Feb. 3. The petition does not name the stepbrother.
The revelation comes after Kepner's stepbrother was photographed heading into a Miami federal court on Feb. 6. The teenager, who was reportedly seen leaving juvenile court before heading to federal court, walked into the courthouse in a camouflage hoodie, his face concealed beneath a low-pulled baseball cap and a hood wrapped tightly around it.
LIFE JACKETS MEANT TO SAVE LIVES COULD EXPOSE A KILLER IN FLORIDA TEEN'S CRUISE SHIP MYSTERY
Anna Kepner’s 16-year-old stepbrother outside a federal court building in Miami, Florida, Feb. 6, 2026. The teen is accompanied by his attorney. He was charged in connection to the death of his stepsister, according to court documents. (Fox News)
The petition further justifies the need for the custody transfer by describing a "significant and unanticipated change of circumstances," an apparent reference to the homicide charges.
Anna Kepner’s 16 year-old stepbrother with his attorney in Miami. (Fox News)
Kepner was found dead in her cabin on a Carnival cruise ship on Nov. 7. She was under the bed, wrapped in a blanket and covered in life jackets. The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner's Office listed Anna's time of death as 11:17 a.m.
The next day, the ship, Carnival Horizon, returned to the Port of Miami, having completed a six-night Caribbean voyage, where the FBI began investigating.
Anna Kepner died while on board the Carnival Horizon. (Instagram/Anna Kepner)
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Shortly after the alleged killing, Christopher Kepner said in a cryptic interview that he wanted his stepson to face consequences, but did not directly say that his stepson was responsible for Kepner's death.
"I want him to face the consequences… I will be fighting to make sure that does happen," Kepner told People. "I do not stand behind what my stepson has done. I cannot say that he is responsible, but I can’t decline."
Fox News' Sophia Compton and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
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Peter D'Abrosca is a reporter at Fox News Digital covering campus extremism in higher education.
Follow Peter on X at @pmd_reports. Send story tips to [email protected].
