Anna Kepner: Accused Cruise Ship Killer Free While Evidence Mounts
Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski | True Crime News & Commentary
True Crime Today
3.3 • 907 Ratings
🗓️ 24 April 2026
⏱️ 14 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The person accused of killing Anna Kepner aboard a Carnival cruise ship just pleaded not guilty in federal court — and he didn’t even show up to say it. His attorney filed a one-page document while the sixteen-year-old stayed home, wearing a GPS ankle monitor, living with a relative, and recently cleared to work at his biological father’s landscaping business.
That’s the reality of this case right now.Anna Kepner was eighteen years old. She was found dead under a bed aboard the Carnival Horizon — wrapped in a blanket, concealed beneath life jackets — during what was supposed to be a family bonding cruise.
The medical examiner ruled it a homicide by mechanical asphyxiation. Bruising on her neck was consistent with an arm held across it. Her fourteen-year-old brother reportedly heard yelling and violent sounds from the locked cabin the night before her body was found. Ship surveillance reportedly shows one person entering and exiting that stateroom.
The accused — Anna’s stepbrother, Timothy Hudson — faces first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse charges in federal court. He requested adult prosecution himself. Prosecutors have turned over the full evidence file, including the autopsy, body cam footage, and a cellphone data extraction from a phone identified only as “C.K.” And they estimate this trial would take seven days.
Meanwhile, the defense is fighting to keep him free and asking for the same judge who released him in February to decide the detention question again. Anna’s father is calling for an orange jumpsuit.
The ex-boyfriend’s family says they tried to warn people about this kid before the cruise. And the family that was supposed to come together on that ship has fractured in every direction.
The not guilty plea is in. The evidence is exchanged. The detention fight is pending. And accountability is still just a word on a court docket.
Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/
Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePod
This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.
#AnnaKepner #CarnivalHorizon #CruiseShipMurder #TimothyHudson #NotGuiltyPlea #FederalIndictment #JusticeForAnna #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers #TrueCrimePodcast
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This is Hidden Killers with Tony Bruske. |
| 0:03.4 | Here now, Tony Brewski. |
| 0:08.2 | The person accused of killing Anna Kempner is working a landscaping job right now, by the way, |
| 0:16.6 | in case you were playing along at home with this. |
| 0:19.1 | That is where this case stands. |
| 0:21.2 | A 16-year-old facing first-degree murder and aggravated abuse charges in federal court |
| 0:29.8 | accused of killing and assaying his own step-sister aboard a carnival cruise ship. |
| 0:36.2 | And his pretrial release conditions were recently amended to allow him to leave his |
| 0:40.0 | uncle's home and work at his biological father's landcaping business. |
| 0:45.9 | He wears a GPS ankle monitor. |
| 0:47.8 | He's supervised by an adult. |
| 0:49.6 | When he leaves the house, he lives with a relative in Hernando County, Florida. |
| 0:54.8 | And according to his own defense attorneys, in a filing submitted to the court, he has |
| 1:00.1 | complied with every condition that was set for him. |
| 1:04.1 | Anna Kepner's body was found under a bed aboard the Carnival Horizon, wrapped in a blanket, |
| 1:09.1 | concealed beneath life jackets. |
| 1:15.4 | Not exactly accident if you're, you know, reading the tea leaves. |
| 1:30.5 | The Miami-Day Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide by medical exfixiation. |
| 1:34.8 | Her airway was physically blocked. |
| 1:36.7 | Reporting on the investigation described bruising on her neck consistent with an arm held across it. She was 18 years old. |
| 1:46.0 | She was a high school cheerleader |
| 1:47.5 | in Titusville, Florida. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from True Crime Today, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of True Crime Today and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.