Chilling text messages between the parents of a teenage suspect in a cruise ship homicide have been exposed in court documents, revealing a family's intense focus on shielding the boy from scrutiny following the death of his 18-year-old stepsister.
A Tragic Discovery at Sea
Anna Kepner, an 18-year-old from Titusville, Florida, was found dead in her cabin aboard the Carnival Horizon on November 7. Staff discovered her body wrapped in a blanket and covered with life jackets, concealed under a bunk. Her death, which occurred during a six-day Caribbean cruise, has been officially ruled a homicide. Court documents state the cause was mechanical asphyxiation, and the FBI is leading an ongoing investigation.
While no charges have been filed, court papers identify Anna's 16-year-old stepbrother as a potential suspect. The newly released text messages, spanning over 100 pages, show his biological parents—stepmother Shauntel Kepner and her ex-husband Timothy Hudson—communicating in the aftermath, seemingly more concerned with protecting their son and younger daughter than addressing the tragedy.
Texts Show a Focus on Damage Control
The exchange began at 7:34 pm on November 7, moments after Anna's body was found in a cabin across the hall from where Shauntel and Anna's father, Chris Kepner, were staying. "I need you to call me asap it's an emergency," Shauntel wrote to Hudson.
As media attention grew, Hudson offered to take their 10-year-old daughter, but Shauntel refused, stating the girl was already traumatised and "did not need to be moved." She insisted the child knew nothing about her brother's potential involvement, telling her only that he "was having a hard time coping with losing Anna so he's getting checked out by the hospital."
In subsequent texts, Shauntel reported speaking with their son, who was held for a mental health evaluation. "He just keeps repeating over and over he can't remember anything," she claimed. Hudson pleaded for contact, saying, "Regardless of everything at the moment, he needs his parents."
The pair also discussed rampant social media speculation, with Hudson writing, "I just want to make sure until things are certain that he doesn't get any unnecessary comments." Shauntel reassured him, "He is a minor and has been completely out of it. We have not said anything to anybody."
Custody Battle and Unanswered Questions
The messages emerged as part of a bitter custody battle, with Hudson seeking emergency custody of their 10-year-old daughter. He argued his son's status as a suspect jeopardised the teen's future due to his mother's choices and claimed the younger child was at risk in Shauntel's care. Hudson also revealed he had not given permission for his 16-year-old son to go on the cruise.
Shauntel denied the allegations. In a December 5 hearing, she testified that her son had not taken his prescribed insomnia medication for two nights on the cruise, including the night before Anna's death. She also stated that Anna, the suspect, and her own 14-year-old son had chosen to share a cabin together, calling themselves the "Three Amigos."
Despite Hudson's pleas, a judge denied his emergency custody request on December 17, ruling there was no immediate danger to the younger child as long as the teenage suspect remained out of the home. The teen is now in the custody of a family member on Florida's west coast.
Meanwhile, others close to Anna have painted a troubling picture of her home life. Her aunt, Krystal Wright, said Anna was reluctant to go on the cruise because her stepbrother was attending and had felt "increasingly uncomfortable" living with him. Anna's ex-boyfriend, Josh Tew, claimed he once witnessed the stepbrother climb on top of her during a FaceTime call and that Anna was "too scared to tell anybody."
As the FBI investigation continues, these disturbing texts and testimonies raise profound questions about the dynamics within the family in the lead-up to Anna Kepner's tragic death.
