A federal judge has ruled that the teenager accused of killing his stepsister aboard a Carnival cruise ship will remain in custody through his upcoming trial, rejecting arguments that he be released under supervision.
Timothy Hudson, now facing adult charges of first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse, had been living with a relative under court-ordered release since February, when he was initially charged as a juvenile. That changed in April, when prosecutors filed adult charges, triggering a new detention hearing.
Magistrate Judge Edwin G. Torres found that prosecutors met the legal standard required to justify detention, writing that no combination of release conditions could reasonably ensure community safety. He ordered Hudson transferred from federal custody to a county jail, and eventually to a Miami-Dade detention facility by mid-July.
The case stems from the November 2025 death of Anna Kepner, 18, during a Carnival Horizon cruise. According to court filings, a medical examiner determined Kepner had been sexually assaulted and asphyxiated. Investigators say the two were alone together in their shared cabin for roughly three and a half hours the night she died, a window they identified partly through data from her smartwatch, which stopped recording activity during that period.
In his written order, Torres emphasized the severity of the allegations, noting that a confined shipboard setting and a family relationship between victim and accused heightened concerns about future risk. He also pointed to the presence of other minors in the household where Hudson had been staying, writing that protecting them weighed in favor of detention rather than continued release.
The judge was careful to note that the ruling does not amount to a finding of guilt, stating that the presumption of innocence remains fully intact. He also acknowledged Hudson has no prior criminal record and had complied with release conditions for months, but said that history alone wasn’t enough to offset the risk posed by the charges.
Hudson has pleaded not guilty. His trial is scheduled to begin in September.
