Mom of teen killed on carnival cruise admits she was 'misinformed' about murder charge against stepbrother
Phoebe Tonks
Featured Image Credit: Family handout
The mother of 18-year-old cheerleader Anna Kepner, who was found deceased on board the Carnival Horizon last November, has admitted she incorrectly stated that her daughter’s stepbrother was charged with murder.
Heather Wright, the victim's biological mother, released a video over the weekend that offered an update in the case that has remained unsolved for over three months and offered fresh hope for justice.
In the video, Wright said that Anna’s stepbrother had been charged with murder; however, it appears this is not actually the case.
"Well, apparently I was misinformed,” she explained in a new video. “They didn‘t charge… with F—king anything when he went to federal court, so I’m not sure what that’s all about.”
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“I also heard he’s being tried as a juvenile and not an adult, which is f—ked up. That boy knew what he was doing when he did it. No if, ands, buts about it. Everybody pray for me. Pray for justice for my daughter. Thank you for all the love and support.”
Adding that 'nobody is really keeping me in the loop', she went on to say: "I'm still all in the dark out here in Oklahoma.”
Kepner, a popular cheerleader from Titusville, was found dead under a bed on November 7 by a person cleaning the cabin, which she shared with her stepbrother and another sibling.
Following her death, the medical examiner concluded her cause of death had been a homicide, and the FBI and federal authorities picked up the case as it happened in international waters.
Throughout the investigation, no details of any potential suspects have ever been publicly released; however, Kepner’s stepbrother, a 16-year-old juvenile, appeared at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on Feb. 6, where he and his public defender appeared before a magistrate in a closed-door hearing.
No details of any charges have been released, and it is still unclear whether he has been accused of any wrongdoing. All hearings will remain behind closed doors in case prosecutors decide to try the boy as a juvenile.
The boy’s mom, Shauntel, and her husband, Christopher — who is Anna's father — released a statement after the proceedings, in which they expressed their disappointment that he had been released on probation as part of a pretrial release.
"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," read the statement, in part.
"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."
UNILAD has contacted the FBI and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida for comment.