Category: Anna kepner stepbrother
16-year-old boy charged as an adult in connection with murder, sexual assault of stepsister during family cruise: Feds
A Florida teen is being prosecuted as an adult in connection with the murder and sexual assault of his stepsister, Anna Kepner, aboard a Carnival cruise ship last year, authorities announced.
In a statement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida said a federal grand jury leveled the indictment against the 16-year-old suspect identified as “T.H., 16, of Titusville.”
‘I couldn’t fathom why anyone would hurt my baby.’
T.H. has been charged with first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse, the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated.
The suspect faces a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted, according to the statement.
The press release revealed that the defendant was charged as a juvenile on February 2.
U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom ordered the suspect to face adult prosecution, according to the news release.
As Blaze News previously reported, 18-year-old Anna Kepner took a family vacation aboard a Carnival Horizon cruise ship that departed from Miami for a six-day Caribbean trip last November.
Kepner was traveling on the ship with her father, grandparents, stepmother, and her stepmother’s two children, including Anna’s 16-year-old stepbrother accused of killing her.
A cruise ship crew member on November 7 discovered Kepner’s body under a bed in the cabin the siblings shared on the cruise ship.
At the time of her death, the cruise ship was in international waters and on its way back to port in Miami.
Kepner’s death was ruled a homicide.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office stated, “T.H. allegedly sexually assaulted and intentionally killed Kepner.”
The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office determined Kepner’s cause of death was mechanical asphyxiation.
In November, a source informed ABC News that Kepner’s death may have been caused by asphyxiation from a bar hold — a chokehold maneuver in which the arm is pressed across the neck. The source also noted that there were two bruises on the side of Kepner’s neck.
The FBI is investigating the case because the alleged crimes occurred on the “high seas,” or international waters, and involve the purported victim as a U.S. national.
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida said in a statement:
Our hearts go out to the victim’s family during this unimaginable loss. A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging serious offenses that allegedly occurred aboard a vessel in international waters. We will present the evidence in court and pursue this case with professionalism and care.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alejandra L. López is prosecuting the case against the teen defendant.
On February 6, the suspect made his first appearance in federal court in Miami and was then released into the custody of a family member, a law enforcement official informed People magazine.
Christopher Kepner, Anna’s biological father, on Monday told WTVJ-TV, “He needs to be arrested at this time. He is now an adult, and he needs to be arrested. That is where the family stands. Justice needs to be served.”
The grieving father previously told NBC News, “Our daughter’s life matters, and we will continue to speak out to honor her, to seek accountability, and to ensure that her case is not forgotten.”
As Blaze News reported in February, court documents show that “social media from the Kepner family has indicated that they want the ‘nails in the coffin’ of [the minor], and that both the Kepner family and the respondent ‘want him buried.'”
Anna’s grandmother, Barbara Kepner, told ABC News in November, “I couldn’t fathom why anyone would hurt my baby.”
“We were looking forward to see her grow,” said Anna’s grandfather Jeffrey Kepner. “The cruise itself wasn’t what made me excited. It was the fact that I was gonna get to spend another week with my youngest son and his family and all the grandkids.”
Kepner was described as a “bubbly, funny, outgoing” high school cheerleader who “loved her siblings deeply,” according to her obituary.
Kepner’s obituary describes her as a Christian whose “faith blossomed as beautifully as her smile.”
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