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Published 15:07 02 May 2026 GMT
The father of murdered cheerleader Anna Kepner has recalled the horrific moment he discovered his 18-year-old daughter's body on board a Carnival cruise ship, describing it as a memory he can't bring himself to relive.
Christopher Kepner, 41, has spoken out as the federal murder trial of Anna's 16-year-old stepbrother approaches.
The teenager, Timothy Hudson - identified in court documents by his initials TH - was charged with murder and aggravated sexual abuse in February 2026 in connection with Anna's death on board the Carnival Horizon.
He has pleaded not guilty.
Speaking to Fox News Digital, Christopher gave a harrowing account of the moment his family vacation became, in his words, a living nightmare.
"I checked her pulse. I pulled her out from under the bed," he said. "I knew my daughter was dead long before the medical examiner got there."
"I don't want to be back in that room."
He has confirmed he will not be attending the federal murder trial in June, saying he simply cannot put himself back through what happened.
Anna, a high school senior and cheerleader from Titusville in central Florida, was found dead on November 7, 2025, while on a six-day Caribbean cruise with her family.
She was found by a housekeeper, hidden under the bed in a stateroom she had been sharing with her stepsiblings, including her 16-year-old stepbrother. According to court documents, her body had been wrapped in a blanket and covered with life vests.
The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner's Office ruled her death a homicide, with the cause confirmed as 'mechanical asphyxiation.'
Bruising was reportedly found on Anna's neck consistent with an arm being held across her throat in what investigators have described as a 'bar hold.'
The night before she was killed, Anna had told family members that she wasn't feeling well and gone back to her cabin. When she didn't appear for breakfast the next morning, a frantic search began.
By 11:17am, the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner's Office had recorded her time of death.
Because the death occurred in international waters as the ship was returning to Miami, jurisdiction fell to the FBI.
In the immediate aftermath, Christopher said he was being kept in the dark about the investigation's progress, telling reporters he had "no idea what is going on right now."
The picture became clearer in the weeks that followed.
A separate custody case between Anna's stepmother, Shauntel Hudson Kepner, and her ex-husband Thomas Hudson revealed in November 2025 that the FBI was investigating their 16-year-old son in connection with Anna's death. The teenager had been hospitalised for psychiatric observation as soon as the ship docked in Miami and was later released into the care of a relative.
In a previous interview with PEOPLE, Christopher Kepner made his stance on his stepson clear. "I do not stand behind what my stepson has done," he said.
According to the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, while the ship was in international waters en route to Miami, the stepbrother "allegedly sexually assaulted and intentionally killed Kepner."
He was indicted on April 13, 2026 on federal charges of murder and aggravated sexual abuse, and will be tried as an adult. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Court records also revealed details that have made the case all the more disturbing. Anna's grandmother Barbara previously said the stepbrother had been in a state of emotional distress when the ship docked, and had repeatedly claimed he could not remember what had happened.
Anna's ex-boyfriend Joshua Tew also told outlets that Anna had felt uncomfortable around her stepbrother in the lead-up to the cruise, alleging that he had thrown chairs at her, screamed at her, and once tried to climb on top of her during a FaceTime call.
The teenager pleaded not guilty to all charges on April 22.
Through the legal proceedings, Christopher and the wider Kepner family have repeatedly stressed that they want their daughter remembered for who she was, not how she died.
"We are celebrating Anna by keeping it all about her and doing the things she liked," Christopher told Fox News.
"We want to remember Anna how she lived, and not how she died."
Anna, affectionately known to her family as 'Anna Banana,' was described in her obituary as a bubbly, outgoing and reliable teenager who 'loved her siblings deeply.' She had dreamed of going on to cheer for the University of Georgia.
Her funeral was held in November, with family members asking attendees to wear bright colours rather than black "in honour of Anna's bright and beautiful soul."
Her stepbrother's federal murder trial is scheduled for June.
