Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Jun 11
Step-Grandmother Urges Neglect Charges in 18-Year-Old Anna Kepner Death as Court Files Detail 3.5 Hours Alone
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Jun 11

Step-Grandmother Urges Neglect Charges in 18-Year-Old Anna Kepner Death as Court Files Detail 3.5 Hours Alone

3 articles · Updated · CBS New York · Jun 11

Summary

  • Sonya Ziske, step-grandmother of the 16-year-old charged in Anna Kepner’s death, called for neglect charges against Anna’s father and stepmother over supervision on the Carnival cruise.
  • New court documents say Hudson allegedly threw Anna’s phone into a ship trash can, where it was later recovered from lost and found, and that the two were alone in their cabin from 7:51 p.m. to 11:21 p.m.
  • Prosecutors say Anna’s Apple Watch stopped recording during that window, which they believe is when the killing and sexual assault occurred.
  • Ziske said Hudson remembers nothing and suspects alcohol was involved, while the parents’ attorney had previously said ship video showed absolutely no drinking.
  • Hudson, charged as an adult in federal court with first-degree murder and sexual assault, is not detained because he is a minor and is now in the custody of a maternal uncle in Florida.

Insights

A teen claims a blackout after his stepsister's murder. Can DNA evidence alone prove intent for a first-degree murder conviction?
When a teen kills on a cruise, where does parental responsibility end and the cruise line's duty of care begin?
As sexual assault becomes the top reported crime on cruises, are these family vacations hiding a much darker reality?