The federal case over the death of 18-year-old cheerleader Anna Kepner aboard a Carnival cruise ship has taken a chilling new turn, with unsealed court records showing investigators collected DNA from a second juvenile who allegedly had sex with her during the trip.
Timothy Hudson, 16, is accused of raping and murdering Kepner, his stepsister, while the ship was traveling from Cozumel, Mexico, back to Miami last November.
Prosecutors have said Hudson was the only person in the cabin with Kepner when she was strangled to death. Her body was later found hidden under a bed in the room she shared with Hudson and her 14-year-old half-brother.
But newly unsealed documents have added another layer to the disturbing case.
According to a 145-page detention hearing transcript reviewed by Fox News, prosecutors disclosed that Kepner allegedly had sex during the cruise with another juvenile, identified in court filings as “minor witness two.”
The revelation surfaced as prosecutors detailed DNA evidence gathered during Kepner’s autopsy, including vaginal swabs from a rape kit.
Two swabs produced male DNA, and one tested positive for sperm. Those results allowed the FBI to obtain search warrants for DNA from both Hudson and the second juvenile.
When the samples were compared, prosecutors said the results overwhelmingly pointed to Hudson, not the other boy.
Anna Kepner/Instagram
FBI lab results found Hudson was 120 sextillion times more likely to have produced the DNA on the swab that tested positive for sperm, according to prosecutors. He was also 1.2 septillion times more likely to have produced the male DNA found on the other swab.
Prosecutors gave few details about the second juvenile, saying only that he was another guest on the cruise, had interacted with Kepner and had no connection to the family.
The defense, however, has seized on the distinction between DNA evidence and proof of murder.
Hudson’s attorneys argue that even if the DNA suggests he had sex with Kepner, it does not prove he killed her. They have accused prosecutors of assuming the sexual contact, alleged sexual assault and killing were all part of the same event.
At a hearing last week, Hudson’s defense team pressed the FBI’s lead case agent on whether investigators collected DNA from the marks and bruises on Kepner’s neck to determine who may have strangled her.
‘I’m not sure. Of that I’m not sure, no,’ the agent replied.
The defense also asked whether the medical examiner could determine if the person who allegedly raped Kepner was the same person who killed her.
‘I don’t think they made that determination,’ the agent said.
That line of questioning was aimed at creating reasonable doubt as Hudson’s lawyers try to separate the DNA findings from the murder charge.
Prosecutors are expected to rely on more than the rape kit results. Their case is expected to include surveillance footage, phone-location data and the timeline of who entered and left the cabin.
According to prosecutors, cruise ship surveillance showed Kepner entering the cabin at 7:38 p.m. and never coming back out. Hudson allegedly spent a key stretch of time in the same room.
Prosecutors also said Kepner’s phone later traveled along the same route as Hudson before it was found destroyed in a trash bin.
The judge said the evidence rose to the level of probable cause but stopped short of calling the prosecution’s case strong, noting that “various defenses” could be raised.
A federal judge allowed the teenager charged with sexually assaulting and killing his 18-year-old stepsister, Anna Kepner, on a Carnival Cruise ship to remain free for now as the judge considers arguments following a hearing in Miami.
Timothy Hudson was initially arrested and… pic.twitter.com/PeXmLhKXe8
— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 27, 2026
Kepner’s father, Christopher Kepner, has said he is convinced Hudson killed his daughter and believes the teen is a danger to the public.
In April, Christopher told the Daily Mail that his family was furious Hudson had been allowed to live with a relative instead of being held behind bars while awaiting trial.
He also said Hudson had not apologized or shown remorse.
‘We’re upset that he’s still out. We’re six months in and he should already have been arrested and yet he’s free to do whatever he wants right now,’ Christopher told the Daily Mail.
Christopher said he wants Hudson in custody.
‘I want to see him in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs. He does not need to be free. He does not need to be in the general public, around any kids or women in general,’ the father added.
Christopher said he and his wife, Shauntel, who is Hudson’s mother, have not spoken to Hudson since December.
Hudson was placed in the care of a paternal uncle in Central Florida and is being monitored with a GPS ankle bracelet.
The teen was first charged as a juvenile on Feb. 2. The case was moved to adult court on April 10, which allowed court documents to be unsealed.
If convicted of first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse, Hudson could face life in prison. He is not eligible for the death penalty because he was a minor at the time of the alleged crimes.
Hudson’s trial is scheduled to begin in September.
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