Trial Over Carnival Horizon Death Delayed to January 2027
Anna Kepner was found dead in November 2025 as Carnival Horizon returned to Miami; prosecutors allege she was sexually assaulted before being asphyxiated.
The federal trial of a Titusville teenager accused of sexually assaulting and killing his stepsister aboard Carnival Horizon has been postponed to January 25, 2027. Timothy Hudson, 16, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse in the death of Anna Kepner, 18.
U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom granted the defense’s request to move the trial from November, setting it for a two-week window. Hudson faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.
Assistant Federal Public Defender Eric M. Cohen requested the delay because an unresolved issue must be addressed before Hudson can decide whether to enter a plea or proceed to trial. The defense sought additional time to complete its investigation and advise him on his options.
“That issue cannot be resolved prior to the present trial setting,” Cohen wrote in the motion. Prosecutors did not oppose the postponement, according to Cohen.
Kepner was found dead in November 2025 while the ship was returning to Miami from a Caribbean cruise. Prosecutors allege she had been sexually assaulted before being asphyxiated.
Bloom set January 15, 2027, as the deadline for Hudson to tender a guilty plea.
