Federal Grand Jury Indicts 16‑Year‑Old Stepbrother as Adult in Carnival Horizon Killing of Anna Kepner, Father Criticizes Release Conditions
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Federal prosecutors say a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging a 16‑year‑old from Titusville, Fla., identified in court records only by his initials T.H., with murder and sexual abuse in the November 2025 death of his stepsister, Anna Kepner, aboard the Carnival Horizon while the ship was in international waters en route to Miami. Investigators and the Miami‑Dade medical examiner concluded Kepner died of mechanical asphyxiation and allege she was sexually assaulted and intentionally killed; the U.S. attorney has said the defendant faces charges that carry a potential life sentence while emphasizing the presumption of innocence. The case was initially handled under federal juvenile procedures in February before U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom ordered it transferred for adult prosecution.