Hudson, a teenager charged in the federal case over the death of his 18-year-old stepsister aboard a Carnival Cruise ship, pleaded not guilty in Miami federal court and waived his appearance at an arraignment set for Wednesday, according to defense attorney Eric Cohen.
Cohen said in a court filing that Hudson received the indictment and entered the not-guilty plea on Tuesday. Cohen also said the 16-year-old signed the one-page document and is waiving his appearance in the case before U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom, who is presiding over the matter in Miami.
Prosecutors, meanwhile, are asking a judge to order Hudson held in custody while the case unfolds. Cohen said Hudson has been free in the care of an uncle since his arrest in February, but the court has not resolved whether he will be detained on pretrial custody grounds.
Hudson is being prosecuted as an adult in Kepner’s death. He faces charges including murder and aggravated sexual abuse related to the death of Anna Kepner, whose body was found under a bed in a Carnival Horizon room that she was sharing with Hudson and another teenager during a family trip in November.
Kepner was a high school cheerleader at Temple Christian School in Titusville, Florida, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of Orlando. The cause of her Nov. 6 death was determined to be mechanical asphyxia, which occurs when an object or force stops someone from breathing.
Records and hearings in the case were closed to the public for weeks after Hudson was initially charged as a minor, but Bloom granted the government’s request to have him prosecuted as an adult. The case was unsealed on April 10, making the federal proceedings public as they move forward toward arraignment.