Anna Kepner: Stepbrother Charged with Homicide, Emergency Court Filing Lays Out Family Details

New court records tied to an emergency divorce petition state that the teenage stepbrother of 18-year-old Anna Kepner was charged with homicide by the U. S. Attorney in the Southern District of Florida. The filing, submitted as part of a custody dispute, references criminal charges and family social media but does not identify the stepbrother by name. This development is entwined with an ongoing family court matter and limited public information about the criminal case.

What the court filing says about Anna Kepner's stepbrother

An emergency divorce petition filed by Thomas Hudson on Feb. 20 seeks full custody of his nine-year-old daughter and cites "social media from the Kepner family" while stating that the family's teenage stepbrother was charged with homicide on Feb. 3 by the U. S. Attorney in the Southern District of Florida. The petition names the petitioner, the petitioner's former spouse Shauntel Hudson, and the current custodial arrangement that places primary custody of the child with Shauntel and her husband, Christopher Kepner.

The petition explicitly does not name the stepbrother. Beyond the statement that a homicide charge was filed in federal court, the filing offers no further details about the nature of the charge, the alleged conduct, or any pending criminal proceedings. The combination of a family custody legal action and mention of a federal homicide charge creates overlapping civil and criminal threads in this matter.

Timeline from the limited public record

• Nov. 2: Anna Kepner was seen on board a Carnival Cruise Horizon ship, where she was observed dancing with fellow vacationers.
• Nov. 7: Anna Kepner, 18, was found dead in her cabin while on a family vacation aboard a cruise ship.
• Feb. 3: The court filing states the U. S. Attorney in the Southern District of Florida charged a teenage stepbrother of the family with homicide.
• Feb. 20: An emergency divorce petition by Thomas Hudson requests full custody of his nine-year-old daughter and references the homicide charge and family social media.

These entries reflect the dates and items named in the court petition and related family filings; they do not expand on investigative steps, court arraignments, or other procedural developments that may exist but are not stated in the filing.

Custody dispute and the intersection with criminal charges

The emergency petition frames the custody request around recent developments the petitioner attributes to social media and the referenced homicide charge. Shauntel Hudson and her husband, Christopher Kepner, currently have primary custody of the couple's nine-year-old daughter, and the filing seeks to alter that arrangement. Because the petition ties the criminal charge to family dynamics, the custody battle may hinge on perceptions of safety, stability, and public information about the alleged criminal matter.

At the same time, the petition’s omission of the stepbrother’s name and the limited factual record in the filing mean family court judges and criminal courts will be working from distinct procedural rules and standards. Any future custody determinations will proceed under family law principles, while criminal charges will proceed under federal criminal procedures.

What’s next and what remains unclear

Key facts remain limited in the public filing: the petition does not identify the stepbrother, offers no details about evidence or investigation, and does not describe the status of any criminal proceedings beyond the date of the charge. The petition’s mention of social media signals that family communications and public posts are a factor in the dispute, but the content and relevance of those posts are not detailed.

This story is developing. Further court records or official filings could clarify the criminal case status, whether any arrests or court appearances have occurred, and how the custody dispute evolves. For now, the record in the emergency petition is the primary source of publicly stated connections between the homicide charge and family custody issues.