Newly unsealed court documents have revealed a shocking DNA development in the murder case of 18-year-old Anna Kepner, the Florida teen who was found dead aboard a Carnival cruise ship last November.
Kepner’s 16-year-old stepbrother, Timothy Hudson, is accused of sexually assaulting and killing her during a family cruise aboard the Carnival Horizon. Prosecutors allege Hudson murdered Kepner before wrapping her body in a blanket and hiding it under a bed in the cabin they were sharing.
Now, court records reportedly show that investigators identified DNA connected to another juvenile male who had contact with Kepner before her death.
The unnamed individual, described in court documents as “minor witness two,” was reportedly an out-of-state minor. Authorities say he has been excluded as being involved in Kepner’s death.
The new detail has raised fresh questions in an already disturbing case, though prosecutors continue to allege that Hudson was responsible for the killing.
According to reports, a rape kit performed after Kepner’s death revealed male DNA from two sources. One was allegedly linked to Hudson, while the other was connected to the unnamed juvenile witness.
Investigators later excluded that second juvenile from DNA found after Kepner’s death, according to reports.
Kepner was traveling with family on the Carnival Horizon during a cruise from Cozumel, Mexico, to Miami when she was killed. Her body was later found concealed under a bed in the shared cabin.
Prosecutors have alleged that Hudson sexually assaulted Kepner and killed her by mechanical asphyxiation. Reports have previously described the alleged cause as a form of asphyxiation involving force that prevented her from breathing.
Hudson has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Although he is 16, he is being charged as an adult in the case. He is currently on house arrest while awaiting trial, which is expected to begin in September.
The defense is expected to challenge how prosecutors interpret the evidence, including the timeline of what happened before Kepner’s death and how the DNA findings fit into the case.
The revelation involving the second juvenile witness could become a major point of dispute as both sides prepare for trial.
Kepner’s death stunned her Florida community and drew national attention because of where it happened: aboard a family cruise ship.
The case grew even more disturbing after prosecutors alleged that her own stepbrother was responsible.
For now, the newly revealed DNA evidence adds another complicated layer to the case, but authorities have not accused the second juvenile witness of any role in the killing.
Hudson remains the person charged in Kepner’s death, and a jury may ultimately be asked to decide whether prosecutors can prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Until then, the case remains one of the most unsettling cruise ship murder stories in recent memory: a teen girl found dead under a cabin bed, a stepbrother accused of murder, and now a new DNA revelation that could shape the trial ahead.