Tragedy at Sea: Cheerleader's Death Investigated as Homicide
The mysterious death of 18-year-old cheerleader Anna Kepner aboard a Carnival cruise ship has been officially declared a homicide, with authorities now focusing their investigation on her 16-year-old stepbrother as the prime suspect.
Known affectionately as 'Anna Banana' to friends and family, the teenager was discovered dead in her cabin on November 7th during a Caribbean family vacation. The grim discovery revealed she had been wrapped in a blanket and covered with life vests, adding to the disturbing nature of the case.
Disturbing Details Emerge From Final Hours
According to a death certificate obtained by ABC News, Anna died from mechanical asphyxia - essentially suffocation - one day before her body was found. While the exact timing of the fatal injury remains unclear, authorities have revealed they believe her stepbrother may have placed her in a bar hold, with his arm pressed across her neck.
The three teenagers - Anna, her 16-year-old stepbrother, and her 14-year-old brother - were sharing a cabin aboard the Carnival Horizon during the family's six-day Caribbean getaway. The blended family arrangement had only recently been established after Anna's father, Christopher Kepner, 41, married Shauntel Hudson, who brought her children into the household.
Josh Tew, Anna's ex-boyfriend who remained close to the family, provided chilling details about her final moments during a memorial service last week. He revealed that Anna's younger brother had witnessed disturbing events unfolding in the cabin on the night she died.
'He heard yelling and chairs being thrown in the cabin where Anna was alone with her stepbrother,' Tew told reporters. 'The stepbrother barred his entrance into the room, and he heard her being yelled at in a harmful way.'
Pattern of Concerning Behaviour Revealed
Further disturbing details emerged as Tew disclosed that the stepbrother had allegedly attempted to climb on top of Anna against her will months before the fatal incident. Speaking with his mother's permission, Tew described catching the stepbrother in Anna's room during a late-night FaceTime call.
'He walked in there and tried to get on top of her... but he got caught by me in the process,' Tew recalled. 'I was like, "What the hell are you doing in her room?" Then he got scared and ran away.'
The former boyfriend added that Anna had felt too frightened to report the earlier incident because the stepbrother had allegedly threatened to 'do something to her' if she told anyone. She had also expressed discomfort about her new step-relatives, telling Tew she didn't fully know them and that her father had only recently met Shauntel Hudson.
Family Tragedy and Legal Complications
The investigation has become entangled in an existing custody battle between Shauntel Hudson and her ex-husband, Thomas Hudson, concerning their children. In a motion filed with Brevard County Court in Florida, Hudson's attorney acknowledged that 'an extremely sensitive and severe circumstance has arisen' involving the FBI investigation into Anna's suspected murder.
The court documents reveal that Hudson is seeking to seal the divorce case and prevent further information about her family circumstances from becoming public. She has requested that 'all proceedings be closed to the press' to protect her son's right to a fair trial should criminal charges be filed.
Meanwhile, Anna's grandmother Barbara expressed the family's shock at the allegations against the stepbrother. 'They were like brother and sister, he was a good student,' she said. 'He played soccer, and is a very quiet young man.'
The heartbroken grandmother revealed the teenager 'had demons in his past and was trying to deal with those' and described him as an 'emotional mess' during police interviews, apparently unable to remember what had occurred.
A Life Cut Short
Anna Kepner was described as a 'bright, kind-hearted young woman whose presence brought warmth and energy into the classroom' by Temple Christian School in Titusville, where she was a varsity cheerleader and gymnast. Her Kia Forte remained parked at the school this week, covered in flowers and tributes from devastated friends.
The promising young woman, who was due to graduate in May, had planned to join the military with an ultimate career goal of serving in the local police department to protect her friends and family.
Autopsy and toxicology reports are still pending as the FBI continues its investigation into this tragic case that has torn apart a blended family and left a community in mourning.
