Judge keeps teen accused in cruise ship killing out of jail before trial

A federal judge refused to send Timothy Hudson to jail before trial, a ruling that turned on a key shift in the case: once the 16-year-old was indicted as an adult, juvenile detention rules no longer controlled his custody. Instead of being held in pretrial detention, Hudson remained with a family member under strict conditions, including electronic monitoring and leaving home only with an uncle or aunt.

The decision came after federal prosecutors in Miami charged Hudson with first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse in the death of his 18-year-old stepsister, Anna Kepner, aboard Carnival Cruise Line’s Horizon. The alleged killing occurred on or about Nov. 6-7, 2025, while the ship was in international waters on the way to Miami. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner ruled that Kepner died of mechanical asphyxiation.

Hudson, of Titusville, Florida, was first charged as a juvenile on Feb. 2, 2026. Prosecutors later secured an adult indictment from a federal grand jury in April 2026, after U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom ordered the matter transferred for adult prosecution. That move changed the legal framework around detention and trial, putting the case into a far more serious posture in federal court.

In May 2026, U.S. District Judge Edwin Torres declined the government’s request to jail Hudson immediately. Prosecutors argued that he posed a danger to the community, while the defense said he had complied with release conditions for months. Court records show Hudson had been living with an uncle, and the family’s distance from Miami-Dade County has complicated the case as it moves through federal court.

The cruise setting also put federal investigators at the center of the case. Because the death happened in international waters, the FBI became involved in a proceeding that raised questions about jurisdiction and preserving evidence on a moving vessel. The case remains sealed in part, but the adult prosecution has already become a test of how the justice system handles juveniles accused of severe violence far from land and under federal maritime rules.

Anna Kepner was a senior at Temple Christian School in Titusville and a varsity cheerleader. After her death, classmates and community members left flowers and balloons on her car at school, and her father, Christopher Kepner, accepted her diploma at her graduation ceremony in May 2026. Her family has said it is trusting the justice system to pursue the truth while describing the situation as deeply painful and complex.