Timothy Hudson had his pretrial release revoked and was ordered into custody after prosecutors filed a motion last week
Credit: AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
NEED TO KNOW
- Timothy Hudson, 16, surrendered to U.S. Marshals on June 15 after Judge Edwin Torres revoked his pretrial release.
- Judge Torres revoked Hudson’s pretrial release because he is now being tried as an adult on charges of murder and aggravated sexual abuse in the death of his stepsister Anna Kepner
- Judge Torres wrote the “case for a forcible rape is beyond clear and convincing,” adding that it “suggests a level of psychopathy and lack of remorse that by itself raises a serious concern that [Hudson] can snap at any time”
Timothy Hudson, the 16-year-old charged with murdering his stepsister Anna Kepner while they traveled aboard a Carnival Cruise back in November 2025, surrendered to U.S. Marshals on June 15.
He did so at the direction of Judge Edwin Torres, who ordered Hudson to turn himself in a week after prosecutors moved to revoke his pretrial release, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.
Judge Torres writes in the order, a copy of which was obtained by PEOPLE, that the prosecution's "case for a forcible rape is beyond clear and convincing," adding that it "suggests a level of psychopathy and lack of remorse that by itself raises a serious concern that [Hudson] can snap at any time, despite the well-meaning and serious efforts of his caretakers to make sure that does not happen."
As a result, Judge Torres writes that Hudson presents a "danger" to both himself and others.
Judge Torres wrote that he reversed his earlier decision granting Hudson pretrial release because the teenager is now being tried as an adult.
Hudson had been released into the custody of a family member without having to post bail following a Feb. 6 appearance in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. At that time, he was charged as a minor.
He has since been indicted and arraigned on charges of murder and aggravated sexual abuse.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida had argued that Hudson should be kept in custody when he was first charged in February, but failed to meet the burden of proof required by the Juvenile Detention Act (JDA).
That federal statute emphasizes rehabilitation over punishment for juvenile defendants, and as such strongly discourages pretrial detention for minors or conditioning their release on the posting of bail.
This is why Judge Torres issued a release order allowing Hudson to remain in the custody of a family member following his Feb. 6 pretrial detention hearing.
Hudson is accused of sexually assaulting and then killing 18-year-old Anna aboard the Carnival Cruise Line's Horizon as it traveled through international waters.
The two were on their first blended family cruise following the marriage of Hudson's mother Shauntel Hudson to Anna's father Christopher Kepner.
Anna was last seen returning to the stateroom she was sharing with Hudson and her 14-year-old half-brother on the night of Nov. 6, 2025, according to court filings.
She was found dead under her bed just before noon the next day, and the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner's Office later determined her cause of death to be mechanical asphyxiation and her manner of death to be homicide.
Hudson's own mother has made it clear that she believes her son should be in custody, releasing a statement with Anna's father following his first court appearance in February, which read in part: "At this time, it is deeply painful and disturbing to our family that the person responsible is able to walk freely. This reality adds to our grief and outrage."
It continued: "It is devastating to know that while we live every day with the loss of our child, the individual responsible has not yet been fully held accountable."
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
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