Federal Grand Jury Indicts Teen in Cruise Ship Killing

In November 2025, Anna Kepner – a Florida high school cheerleader from Titusville – boarded the Carnival Horizon with her family for what should have been a vacation. Her body was found in her stateroom before the ship returned to port. On April 13, a federal grand jury indicted her 16-year-old stepbrother on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse in connection with her death, and he has been ordered to be tried as an adult. He has not been convicted.

A Case Sealed for Months

The stepbrother – identified only as T.H. in court documents – was initially charged as a juvenile on February 2, with the case placed under seal, and a federal judge ordered the case transferred to adult prosecution at the request of prosecutors. It was unsealed on April 10, and the U.S. Department of Justice formally announced the indictment Monday.

“Our hearts go out to the victim’s family during this unimaginable loss,” said U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quinones in a written statement. “A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging serious offenses that allegedly occurred aboard a vessel in international waters.” The case is in federal rather than state court because Kepner died in international waters, according to legal experts cited by NBC News.

What Investigators Found

Anna Kepner’s cause of death was determined to be mechanical asphyxiation – meaning a physical force or object restricted her ability to breathe – according to the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office, as reported by NBC News. Kepner and the defendant had been sharing a stateroom during the cruise, and surveillance footage showed no one else entered or exited the room the night she was killed, according to CBS News.

The DOJ stated in its press release that the defendant “sexually assaulted and intentionally killed” Kepner while the ship was traveling in international waters.

A Father Waiting for Justice

Anna Kepner had been described by her family and school community as outgoing, warm, and full of plans – a senior at Temple Christian School in Titusville who was preparing to graduate and had dreamed of joining the U.S. Navy, according to her obituary. Her father, Chris Kepner, told NBC News on Monday that he has one position on what should happen next.

“He needs to be arrested at this time,” Kepner said, according to NBC News. “Justice needs to be served.”

The Case Moves Forward

The defendant has been released into the custody of a guardian – not his parents – according to court documents cited by NBC News, and the government has requested that he be detained until trial. If convicted, the defendant could face a maximum penalty of life in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The FBI Miami field office is continuing to investigate the case. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

References: Anna Kepner’s stepbrother charged months after the cheerleader was found dead on a cruise ship | Stepbrother charged with murder, sex abuse in teen girl’s cruise ship death