The 16-year-old stepbrother of Anna Kepner will be charged as an adult in relation to her death.
Kepner, 18, was found dead, stuffed under a bed, aboard a Carnival cruise ship in November 2025.
Kepner's stepbrother, who will be referred to as T.H. due to his age, was named a suspect in late November.
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that T.H. had been indicted as an adult by a federal grand jury on charges of murder and aggravated sexual abuse in the killing of his stepsister.
According to court records, T.H. was traveling with Kepner on the cruise ship en route to Miami when he allegedly sexually assaulted and intentionally killed Kepner. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner's Office determined Kepner's cause of death to be mechanical asphyxiation.
T.H. was initially charged as a juvenile in February, but U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom ordered the case transferred for adult prosecution.
“Our hearts go out to the victim’s family during this unimaginable loss,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “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. As in every case, the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”
T.H. is charged with first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse, court documents show.
FBI Miami is investigating the case.
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