Grieving Father Refuses to Attend Trial After Finding Daughter’s Body on Cruise Ship

Clear Facts

• Christopher Kepner, 41, will not attend the June murder trial of his 16-year-old stepson Timothy Hudson, who is charged with killing Kepner’s 18-year-old daughter Anna aboard a Carnival cruise ship on November 7.
• Hudson faces federal charges of first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse after Anna was found dead in their shared cabin, wrapped in a blanket under the bed and covered with life jackets.
• The medical examiner ruled Anna’s death a homicide caused by mechanical asphyxiation, and Hudson faces a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted.

The father of an 18-year-old girl allegedly murdered by her stepbrother during a family cruise says he cannot bear to relive the horror of finding his daughter’s body when the case goes to trial in June. Christopher Kepner, 41, made clear he will not be attending the proceedings in Miami federal court unless specifically requested by prosecutors.

“Unless they ask for me to be there, neither my wife or I will be attending,” Kepner told the Daily Mail. “I’ve heard all the evidence. I saw it for myself. They have everything they need. It’s going to be too painful to relive it all again.”

Kepner’s 16-year-old stepson, Timothy Hudson, is scheduled for trial on June 1 in Miami federal court on first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse charges stemming from the November 7 slaying. Hudson has entered a not guilty plea.

In a harrowing account, Kepner described the moment his family vacation became an unimaginable nightmare.

“I checked her pulse. I pulled her out from under the bed,” Kepner said. “I knew my daughter was dead long before the medical examiner got there. I don’t want to be back in that room.”

Authorities ruled her death a homicide caused by mechanical asphyxiation, according to documents previously reviewed by Fox News Digital. According to investigators, Anna Kepner was found under the bed in her cabin, wrapped in a blanket and covered with life jackets. The cabin was shared with her stepbrother.

Now, the family is working to remember the 18-year-old cheerleader from Central Florida affectionately called “Anna Banana.”

“We are celebrating Anna by keeping it all about her and doing the things she liked,” Kepner said. “We want to remember Anna how she lived — and not how she died.”

If convicted, the teen faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.

“I want to see him in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs. He does not need to be free. He does not need to be in the general public, around any kids or women in general,” Kepner previously said.

U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida released a statement addressing the case.

“Our hearts go out to the victim’s family during this unimaginable loss. 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.”

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