Teen accused of killing stepsister on cruise to be jailed pending trial

The 16-year-old charged in the death and sexual assault of his stepsister, Anna Kepner, while on a cruise with other family members will be jailed before and during his trial, a judge has ruled. Timothy Hudson had initially been released pending trial after being charged as a juvenile in February, but after he was charged in April as an adult with first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse, Magistrate Judge Edwin G. Torres ruled he was no longer subject to rules regarding juvenile detention. "The Government has established, by clear and convincing evidence, that no condition or combination of conditions of release will reasonably assure the safety of the community going forward," Torres wrote in his order filed June 10. Torres ordered Hudson be handed over to the U.S. Marshals Service on Monday morning and then transferred first to Citrus County Jail and then, eventually, to the Miami-Dade County Metro West Detention Center by no later than July 10. Hudson was in federal custody as of Monday night, according to a source familiar with the matter. He had previously been in the custody of his maternal uncle, per his previous court-ordered release. Hudson has pleaded not guilty to the charges. According to prosecutors, Hudson was traveling on Carnival Cruise Line's Horizon with Kepner, who was 18 at the time, and several other family members when she was killed in November 2025. …