The 16-year-old stepbrother of Anna Kepner, the Florida teen who was found strangled to death on a Carnival Cruise ship last month, is living with a relative after being named a suspect in the case.
Kepner, 18, had been traveling aboard the Carnival Horizon from Miami to the Caribbean with her father, Christopher Kepner, stepmother Shauntel Hudson, Shauntel’s two minor children, including the 16‑year‑old, and her grandparents.
This week, the teen suspect’s father, Thomas Hudson, stated in a family court motion that his ex-wife, Shauntel Hudson, also the mother of the teen suspect, “failed to properly supervise” their son on the trip, which he had not approved, the Associated Press reports.
Kepner was found asphyxiated on November 7, reportedly covered in life jackets, under a bed in the cabin she shared with the teen suspect and 14-year-old biological brother, while the adults stayed across the hall. Her death has since been ruled a homicide.
In court papers reviewed by AP, Shauntel Hudson wrote that the teen suspect had been staying with a relative since they returned from the cruise “to ensure the safety of the youngest child of the parties.”
“All parties agree that (the teen’s) location will remain confidential and will not be disclosed to anyone other than his parents and law enforcement authorities,” a November 13 document filed in the custody case this week states, per AP.
During a family court hearing on Friday, Shauntel Hudson’s attorney said it’s unclear how long her son will stay with relatives, as authorities await toxicology results and psychological evaluations while considering possible charges in Kepner’s death.
Shauntel Hudson said during the hearing that the three teens wanted to room together on the cruise.
“The three of them … were like best friends,” Shauntel Hudson said, AP reports.
Kepner’s death resulted in Thomas Hudson launching a custody battle for his younger children due to concerns about their safety. This includes the teen suspect, as well as another 9-year-old daughter he shares with Shauntel Hudson. The estranged couple also has an adult son.
The judge ruled Friday that the Hudsons’ youngest child is not in immediate danger while living with her father and Shauntel Hudson, according to ABC News.
Anna Kepner was a high school cheerleader from Florida’s Space Coast, set to graduate next year. She reportedly felt unwell during dinner the night before her death and returned to her cabin. The next morning, she was absent from the family’s planned breakfast and was missing until a maid found her body around 11 a.m.
No one has been charged in her death case as authorities consider whether to pursue federal or state charges. The case involves international waters, making it typically federal, though juvenile prosecutions by the federal government are rare.
