BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – The 16-year-old stepbrother of Anna Kepner, the Brevard County woman who was found dead during a Carnival cruise last year, has been indicted on murder charges in her death.
The U.S. Justice Department says Timothy Hudson was indicted as an adult by a federal grand jury on Monday. The charges include first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse. Hudson was Kepner’s stepbrother.
[RELATED: What to know about the Anna Kepner investigation]
Anna Kepner, 18, was found dead in her stateroom on board the Carnival Horizon in November during a family vacation. The Miami-Dade medical examiner’s office said the cause of death was mechanical asphyxiation.
[WATCH: Records show step-sibling may be charged after Titusville 18-year-old found dead on cruise]
Investigators say Hudson and Kepner were sharing a stateroom, and cameras show no one else entered or exited their room the night she was killed.
According to a news release, Hudson was charged as a juvenile in February, and the case was sealed until a federal judge ordered it to be transferred for adult prosecution.
If convicted, Hudson faces life in prison.
Monday, where Anna attended school and would have graduated from next month, Temple Christian School grandparent Nancy Larkins offered her support to the Kepner family.
“We knew basically from the beginning what has happened, and we’ve been waiting for this, and we are very grateful,” Larkins told your Titusville Community Correspondent James Sparvero. “We are very happy that this is gonna happen, and we hope for the family that it’s going to be a good outlook, and that they’re going to get some closure,” she said.
Larkins, who said her granddaughter was close friends with Anna, described Kepner as a beautiful person and soul.