Anna Kepner’s damaged cellphone becomes key clue in cruise ship murder case against stepbrother: Filings

Anna Kepner’s cellphone emerged as a key piece of circumstantial evidence as federal investigators zeroed in on her stepbrother, Timothy Hudson, in the Florida 18-year-old’s murder investigation.

Kepner was found dead Nov. 7, 2025, in cabin 8343 aboard the Carnival Horizon, which she shared with Hudson, then 16, and a 13-year-old relative. Hudson faces charges for her alleged sexual assault and murder.

Prosecutors said surveillance video did not show her leaving the cabin after she returned there the previous evening.