A shocking new court filing is pulling back the curtain on the tragic death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner — and the family fallout that followed.
According to emergency court documents, Anna’s 16-year-old stepbrother has been charged with homicide in connection with her death.
The revelation surfaced in a Feb. 20 emergency petition filed in Brevard County, Florida, by Thomas Hudson. In the filing, Hudson is seeking immediate full custody of his 9-year-old daughter, whom he shares with ex-wife Shauntel Hudson. The child currently lives primarily with Shauntel and her husband, Chris Kepner — Anna’s father.
“There has been a significant and unanticipated change in circumstances that requires the immediate transfer of sole time sharing and parental responsibility,” the petition states.
The document goes on to allege that Anna’s teenage stepbrother was charged with homicide on Feb. 3 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, citing social media posts from the Kepner family. CBS News first reported on the petition.
Anna, who was from Titusville, Florida, was found dead on Nov. 7, 2025, during a family vacation aboard the Carnival Horizon. Her body was discovered under a bed in her cabin while the cruise ship was returning to Miami after a weeklong Caribbean trip.
Court filings in the case state that she died from asphyxiation caused by a “bar hold.”
Because Anna’s death occurred on open water, the case is being prosecuted in federal court. A law enforcement source told PEOPLE that the teen stepbrother appeared in federal court in Miami on Feb. 6. U.S. Marshals escorted him to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, where he appeared with a public defender before a magistrate in a closed hearing.
Following that appearance, Shauntel and Chris released a statement expressing outrage that the teen had been granted release.
“At this time, it is deeply painful and disturbing to our family that the person responsible is able to walk freely,” they said in part. “This reality adds to our grief and outrage. It is devastating to know that while we live every day with the loss of our child, the individual responsible has not yet been fully held accountable.”
Meanwhile, the Feb. 20 custody petition alleges that new information has surfaced that could “potentially call into question the judgment and parenting” of Shauntel and Chris.
Federal prosecutors and the FBI, which is leading the investigation, have previously declined to comment.