Judge revokes teen's release, Hudson jailed pending trial

A 16-year-old boy accused of killing and sexually assaulting his stepsister aboard a cruise ship has been taken into federal custody after a judge revoked his pretrial release. Timothy Hudson surrendered to U.S. Marshals in Tampa on Monday morning and is now being held pending his trial scheduled for September.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Edwin G. Torres ordered the detention in a June 10 ruling, finding that no conditions of release could reasonably assure community safety. Hudson had been living with a maternal uncle since his initial arrest earlier this year. He is charged as an adult with first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse in the death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner.

Kepner was found dead on November 7, 2025, inside a cabin she shared with Hudson and a younger half-brother aboard the Carnival Horizon cruise ship. The vessel was in international waters en route to Miami at the time. According to court records, the medical examiner determined Kepner had been sexually assaulted and died from asphyxiation.

Prosecutors allege the crime occurred during a roughly three-hour period on the evening of November 6 when Hudson and Kepner were alone in the cabin. They say Kepner’s Apple...