A family member of Timothy Hudson, the 16-year-old stepbrother of Anna Kepner who has been charged in connection with her passing, is calling for charges against the victim’s father over alleged neglect.
The tragedy occurred last November during a Carnival cruise ship vacation Kepner was on with her blended family from Florida, including her father, Chris, and stepmother, Shauntel.
The 18-year-old victim was sharing a cabin with two of her stepbrothers, one of whom was Shauntel’s son, Hudson, when she was found lifeless beneath one of the beds.
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Hudson was arrested following an FBI investigation and charged as an adult with first-degree m*rder and s*xual a*sault. He has pleaded not guilty to both charges and remains in the custody of an uncle ahead of his September trial.
Sonya Ziske, Hudson’s step-grandmother and Shauntel’s stepmother, said she helped raise the suspect and believes his account that he “truly does not remember” what happened.
In an interview with CBS News, she accused Chris and Shauntel of allowing the children to drink on the cruise ship and criticized the adults for letting them sleep in the same room.
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Ziske blasted what she described as a “lack of parental supervision on a floating city that is usually like Sin City.”
“Putting three teenagers, two boys and a girl in a room together that were not raised together, It’s just a recipe for disaster,” she said.
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According to Ziske, she and her husband, who is Shauntel’s biological father, were warned by Shauntel not to speak to the press.
The grandmother called for both Chris and Shauntel to be charged in connection with the crime.
“Timothy has said that they were drinking. I believe 100% those kids were drinking on the ship,” she claimed.
“He did not change from all the interviews that he has had. He has not changed what he has said at all. If there was any type of memory there, he wouldn’t be able to say the same exact thing.”
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Shauntel has previously denied through her attorney that the stepsiblings were drinking aboard the cruise.
“There are videotapes on the ship that confirmed that there was absolutely no drinking,” stated Millicent Athanason, an attorney for Shauntel during a November custody hearing.
Ziske, who helped raise Hudson, said she is not sure whether he committed the crime
Unlike Anna Kepner’s grandmother, who suggested Hudson was guilty, Ziske wants to give the teen suspect the benefit of the doubt.
“I’m not saying he did, or he did not. I’m saying it’s not his character,” she said.
“Everybody’s out there saying how he’s walking free. He is not free. His life is over, whether he is innocent or guilty.”
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Ziske wants Chris and Shauntel to lose custody of their children based on their failure to prevent the crime.
She claims Shauntel “kept them isolated from everybody over here. From their dad, from their grandparents. From all of us.
“So, I don’t know the past two years. Like, if he was angry, or his mental state, I don’t know any of that.”
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Authorities recovered Anna Kepner’s phone from the ship’s lost and found, per CBS News. The phone was found in a trash can, with Hudson reportedly seen on surveillance footage disposing of the device.
Hudson and Kepner were alone in the cabin they shared from about 7:51 p.m. to 11:21 p.m. on November 7, 2025.
Prosecutors allege that Kepner’s Apple Watch, which tracked her heart rate, stopped working during that time.
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Kepner’s family was alerted about her absence when she did not join them for breakfast the following day.
The cheerleader’s body was found beneath a bed in the cabin on November 8, concealed with a blanket and life vests.
The official cause of passing was determined to be asphyxiation caused by a bar hold, suggesting that the attacker pressed their arm across the victim’s neck. The autopsy further revealed that the 18-year-old had been r*ped.
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During the investigation, authorities found a DNA sample that reportedly tested positive for male bodily fluid. Laboratory results later matched the DNA to Hudson.
Kepner’s ex-boyfriend has claimed that, during a video call with the cheerleader, he once saw Hudson trying to get on top of her, which made her feel “uncomfortable.” The ex said he reported the incident to Kepner’s parents at the time.
Hudson is set to stand trial on September 8. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
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Anna Kepner was a high school senior at Temple Christian School in Titusville, Florida.
At her memorial service in November, the victim’s family encouraged people to wear bright colors instead of black “in honor of Anna’s bright and beautiful soul.”
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Christopher said he wants to see Hudson “in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs,” adding, “He does not need to be free. He does not need to be in the general public, around any kids, or women in general. He’s a danger to himself and a danger to others.”
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The victim’s father told The Daily Mail in April that the suspect insists he cannot remember what happened and has not apologized or shown remorse for his alleged acts.
Shauntel has reportedly not spoken to her son since the incident.
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