Stepbrother of Florida teen found dead on cruise named main suspect, facing 2 charges
By Madilyn Destefano
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TITUSVILLE, Florida (WESH) — A new document was released in the case involving the death of a Titusville teen aboard a cruise ship last November.
Anna Kepner, 18, was found dead under a bed on the boat on Nov. 7.
Her stepbrother – who is not being named because of his age – is 16 and was named a suspect in late November.
The two shared a room on the family vacation aboard the cruise ship.
In a new document obtained by WESH 2, filed in a separate case, it says her stepbrother is the main suspect, and he is facing two charges.
The emergency motion was filed last Friday by the biological father of the stepbrother.
In the motion, he asks for sole custody of Anna’s stepsibling, who has been living with Anna’s father, Chris Kepner, and her stepmother, Shauntel Hudson, since the incident.
The new filing states that Anna’s stepbrother has been charged with her homicide.
The court document alludes to the two charges, saying, “According to social media from the Kepner family, on Feb. 3, 2026, the petitioner/father’s son was charged by the United States Attorney in the Southern District of Florida for … and homicide of Anna Kepner.”
The gap in the filing is where the document has been redacted.
The document goes on to say, “Immediately after the cruise, the respondent/mother and Chris Kepner expelled [the minor] from their household, and neither has seen [the minor] since then.”
“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,'” the document went on to say.
Back on Feb. 6, cameras were there as the stepbrother of Anna Kepner walked out of federal court in Miami.
The media was not allowed in the courtroom and was not told exactly why he was there.
The criminal docket for the magistrate judge had a sealed case on the agenda, and the case number was also sealed.
Anna Kepner was found dead on a cruise ship during a family vacation back in November.
A court filing in that separate custody case mentioned earlier says she was found asphyxiated under a bed in a room she was sharing with her stepbrother.
Anna’s stepbrother has not been publicly named a suspect, and her manner of death has not been publicly shared by the FBI, which leads the investigation into the teen’s death.
WESH 2 has reached out to the attorney for the Southern District of Florida to confirm the charges.
We have also reached out to Anna’s father and her stepmother for comment.
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