Timothy Hudson was seen arriving at a federal courthouse in Miami on Wednesday, as prosecutors and his public defenders argue over the conditions of his pretrial release
Credit: AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
NEED TO KNOW
- Timothy Hudson was seen entering a federal courthouse in Miami on Wednesday ahead of his upcoming murder trial
- The teen is charged with murder and aggravated sexual abuse in the death of Anna Kepner in their stateroom aboard the Carnival Cruise Line’s Horizon
- The hearing on Wednesday was to determine if there would be modifications to the conditions of his pretrial release
The teenager accused of killing his 18-year-old stepsister was seen for the first time on Wednesday outside a federal courthouse in Miami.
Timothy Hudson made his way into the courthouse with his public defenders as the judge prepared to hear arguments regarding the conditions of his pretrial release.
The teenager has been in the custody of a maternal family member since his initial arraignment in February.
Hudson was charged as a minor at that time, and has since been indicted and arraigned on adult charges of murder and aggravated sexual abuse.
Credit: AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
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The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida argued that Hudson should be kept in custody when he was first charged as a minor in February, but Judge Edwin Torres found that the prosecution failed to meet the burden of proof required by the Juvenile Detention Act.
That federal statute emphasizes rehabilitation over punishment for juvenile defendants, and as such strongly discourages pretrial detention for minors or conditioning their release on the posting of bail.
Prosecutors then refiled their motion arguing for pretrial detention after Hudson was indicted as an adult by a federal grand jury.
Related: Anna Kepner's Dad Recalls Finding Daughter's Lifeless Body On Cruise, Says Accused Killer 'Hasn't Shown Any Remorse'
Related: Anna Kepner’s Dad Accepts Her Diploma Through Tears, Then Has Message for His Accused Stepson
Credit: Anna Kepner/Instagram
In his opposition motion, public defender Hector Dopico pointed out that "[Hudson] has complied with the release order since it was issued by Judge Torres more than two months ago" and "agreed to remain bound by the release order until the issue of his pretrial release can be analyzed," now that he is being tried as an adult.
He also wrote that prosecutors are not seeking to detain Hudson because he is a flight risk, and that the "only asserted basis for detention is dangerousness" in the motion, a copy of which was obtained by PEOPLE.
Hudson is accused of sexually assaulting and then killing 18-year-old Anna aboard the Carnival Cruise Line's Horizon as it traveled through international waters.
The two were on their first blended family cruise following the marriage of Hudson's mother Shauntel Hudson to Anna's father Christopher Kepner.
Anna was last seen returning to the stateroom she was sharing with Hudson and her 14-year-old half-brother on the night of Nov. 6, 2025, according to court filings.
She was found dead under her bed just before noon the next day, and the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner's Office later determined her cause of death to be mechanical asphyxiation and her manner of death to be homicide. Hudson's own mother has made it clear that she believes her son should be in custody.
"At this time, it is deeply painful and disturbing to our family that the person responsible is able to walk freely. This reality adds to our grief and outrage," Shauntel Hudson said in a statement with Christopher Kepner following her son's first court appearance in February.
"It is devastating to know that while we live every day with the loss of our child, the individual responsible has not yet been fully held accountable," the statement continued.
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