BREAKING NEWSCarnival Cruise Bombshell: Anna Kepner's Stepbrother Indicted on Murder and Sexual Abuse Charges After Teenager's Tragic Death
Anna Kepner died at age 18 after allegedly being sexually assaulted and killed by her stepbrother aboard a Carnival cruise ship.
April 13 2026, Published 2:41 p.m. ET
Anna Kepner's stepbrother has been indicted by a federal grand jury on murder and sexual assault charges five months after the 18-year-old's tragic death at sea.
The late teenager's 16-year-old stepbrother was charged with murder in the first degree and aggravated sexual abuse in connection to Kepner allegedly being killed aboard a Carnival cruise in November 2025.
The minor male, identified in court documents only as T.H., will be tried as an adult in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida despite initially being charged as a juvenile by information on February 2.
Anna Kepner's lifeless body was discovered by a housekeeper aboard the cruise ship.
"The case remained sealed until U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom ordered it transferred for adult prosecution," the news release explained. He faces a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted.
Kepner and her stepbrother were both passengers on Carnival Cruise Line's Horizon as it traveled back to port in Miami "on or about Nov. 6-7, 2025."
Anna Kepner's Stepbrother 'Allegedly Sexually Assaulted and Intentionally Killed' Her
Anna Kepner's cause of death was determined to be mechanical asphyxiation.
The accused murderer "allegedly sexually assaulted and intentionally killed Kepner" while "the ship was in international waters en route to Miami," the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida revealed in a Monday, April 13, press release.
Kepner's cause of death was determined to be mechanical asphyxiation by the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office.
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'Our Hearts Go Out to the Victim's Family'
Anna Kepner's family was traveling back to Florida on a cruise ship when her stepbrother allegedly killed her.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida expressed, "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," the message continued.
As OK! previously reported, the Florida cheerleader’s stepbrother was named as the prime suspet in her death after Kepner’s lifeless body was found by a housekeeper stuffed beneath a bed in the cabin the stepsiblings were sharing aboard a Carnival Cruise ship.
Anna Kepner's Stepbrother Was 'Attracted to Her Like Crazy'
Anna Kepner's stepbrother was charged with her murder and accused of sexually assaulting her.
The 16-year-old accused killer was ultimately arrested by U.S. Marshals Service and appeared in a Miami, Fla., federal court for a closed-door hearing on February 6.
In a chilling interview after Kepner’s death, the father of Kepner’s ex-boyfriend shockingly revealed that her stepbrother was supposedly obsessed with her.
"He’s like infatuated, attracted to her like crazy. He always wanted to date her," Steven Westin told Inside Edition shortly after Kepner’s passing. "She was scared of him because he always carried around a big knife."
