Timothy Hudson, a 16-year-old charged in federal court in the November death of his 18-year-old stepsister aboard a Carnival Cruise ship, is scheduled to stand trial beginning June 1 in Miami, a judge said in an order issued Monday. U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom set the date for Hudson’s trial on charges that include first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse, according to the order.
Hudson’s case began in juvenile court but was transferred to adult court, the order said. Hudson, who entered a written plea of not guilty last week, is expected to face the federal charges stemming from what prosecutors say occurred during the trip.
The allegations center on Anna Kepner, who was traveling on the Carnival Horizon in November with her family, including Hudson. Before the ship was scheduled to return to Florida, Kepner’s body was found concealed under a bed in a room she was sharing with Hudson and another teen, a criminal complaint said.
The criminal complaint also said the cause of Kepner’s Nov. 6 death was mechanical asphyxia, which is when an object or physical force stops someone from breathing. Kepner’s death has been charged in connection with allegations that Hudson sexually assaulted her before she died.
MSI previously reported that Hudson entered a written not guilty plea in the cruise-ship death of his stepsister in Florida. That earlier development came as the federal case proceeded toward adult-court litigation.
Hudson’s case is notable for its posture in federal court, where minors are rarely prosecuted, according to the report. The order said Hudson was initially charged as a juvenile before the case was transferred to adult court.
In a statement after the court proceedings, Kepner’s father, Christopher Kepner, said the family was placing “trust in the justice system to pursue the truth with care and integrity.” Christopher Kepner also said the situation was “deeply painful and complex for the entire family.”
Family members described Kepner as a high school cheerleader at Temple Christian School in Titusville, Florida, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of Orlando. At her memorial service in November, relatives encouraged people to wear bright colors rather than the traditional black “in honor of Anna’s bright and beautiful soul.”