Teen accused of murdering stepsister on cruise told he can stay out of jail
A judge has ruled whether a teenage boy who is accused of murdering his stepsister will await trail behind bars or not.
16-year-old Florida teen Timothy Hudson is believed to have killed his stepsister Anna Kepner on vacation with their family.
Anna's body was reportedly discovered under a bed on a Carnival Cruise ship in November 2025 and her death went on to be ruled a homicide.
She's said to have died from mechanical asphyxiation. Per Cleveland Clinic, this can be caused by 'allergic reactions, drowning, and foreign objects blocking your airway'.
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Hudson was later charged in relation to the 18-year-old cheerleader's death. Official charges are first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse.
He was arrested and charged as a juvenile, and a judge ordered that the teen (who had not been named at the time) could live with an uncle and be electronically monitored.
But a federal grand jury indicted him as an adult in April, NBC News reports. With this in mind, it meant that Hudson could be publicly named. As well as this, prosecutors then argued that Hudson should be imprisoned as he awaits trial.
Hudson was in court yesterday (May 27) to see what his fate would be before his trial.
"We do not know what triggered him," prosecutors said during the court hearing, per ABC. "Who will be the next object he will become fixated on?"
They also said that 'there is clear and convincing evidence that this defendant is a danger to the community'.
But a federal judge has ruled that the 16-year-old can remain on bond.
US District Judge Edwin Torres said of his decision, per NBC: "If it were a 20-year-old under the exact circumstances I probably would have detained.
"The presumption would be we were just not going to take that chance."
He added: "This is a different animal."
Another element that played a part in Torres' decision is the fact that Hudson's family lives hundreds of miles away in Hernando County and it would have been hard to visit the teen if he was detained in Miami-Dade County (where he was charged).
There are terms that come with the judge's decision though; Hudson is only allowed to leave his house with his uncle and will be electronically monitored by authorities.
The teen is set to go to trial in September.
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Topics: Crime, Florida, Cruise ship, US News
Niamh Shackleton