Timothy Hudson's legal team are making a bid to delay his murder trial over the 'unique and very unfortunate' family dynamic in the violent death of his stepsister aboard a Carnival cruise.
Attorneys for Hudson, 16, requested the delay on Monday for 'sufficient time' to comb through evidence in the death of Anna Kepner, 18, who was raped and killed on a cruise in November.
Assistant Federal Public Defender Hector Dopico filed for a continuance, pushing Hudson's trial to November, due to the 'unique and very unfortunate family dynamic that has resulted from the allegations here,' court documents obtained by the Daily Mail showed.
'Although defense counsel have spent a significant amount of time reviewing the discovery provided by the government and researching various issues of potential relevance, their preparations are not yet complete,' the filing said.
Dopico said that 'unfortunately' Hudson's legal team 'do not have the type of access to certain family members that would facilitate their investigation,' documents showed.
The defense attorney wrote in the filing to Judge Beth Bloom that he was 'purposefully being vague due to the intense media scrutiny' over the case.
Dopico additionally cited 'several issues' that delayed Hudson's defense team's preparation, including the 'seriousness of the offenses alleged' and Hudson's 'status as a juvenile.'
'So, although substantial progress has been made, more still needs to be done,' the documents said.
Attorneys for Timothy Hudson, 16, requested to delay his murder trial on Monday for 'sufficient time' to comb through evidence in the death of Anna Kepner, pictured
Hudson, pictured, was charged with sexually assaulting and killing his 18-year-old stepsister on a Carnival Cruise last November
Assistant Federal Public Defender Hector Dopico filed for a continuance due to the 'unique and very unfortunate family dynamic that has resulted from the allegations here'
Assistant US Attorney Alejandra Lopez did not oppose the delay, the filing said.
Hudson's trial, which was set to begin on September 8, was approved by Judge Bloom to now begin on November 2.
The teenager was charged as an adult as he faces life in prison if convicted of the murder and aggravated sexual abuse of his stepsister.
Kepner and Hudson had been sharing a cruise cabin while their family was on a six-day Caribbean getaway before the cheerleader was found dead between Mexico and Florida on November 7, 2025.
Investigators revealed that the Florida teen had been found wrapped in a blanket and stuffed under the bed on the Carnival Horizon ship.
She was sharing the cabin with her 14-year-old brother, and 16-year-old stepbrother –with the two boys sleeping in bunk beds and Anna in her own bed, according to a well-placed source.
On the evening of November 6,the two boys headed back to the room but the younger brother changed his clothes and went out again to take snapshots of the $800 million ship to post on social media.
When he got back he noticed Anna wasn't in bed but presumed she was staying up late with the grown-ups and went to sleep, according to the source.
It wasn't until the next day when the brother and stepbrother got up and headed to breakfast that the family realized the bubbly teen from Titusville, Florida, was missing.
As Christopher Kepner, 41, began searching the Horizon for his daughter, it's believed that a medical emergency was announced over the public address system.
Sources say that prompted the dad to race to his daughter's cabin where he walked inside to find that a cleaning crew had just discovered her dead body crammed under her bed.
Kepner and Hudson had been sharing a cruise cabin while their family were on a six-day Caribbean getaway before the cheerleader was found dead between Mexico and Florida on November 7, 2025
Anna Kepner went on the cruise with her 16-year-old stepbrother and other family members. Court filings obtained by the Daily Mail confirm the stepbrother is now a 'suspect' in her death
Hudson's trial, which was set to begin on September 8, will now begin on November 2. He faces life in prison if convicted of the murder and aggravated sexual abuse of his stepsister
Kepner was found to have died from mechanical asphyxiation, the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner's Office determined.
Hudson was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse in February but released without bond under the Juvenile Delinquency Act to live with his uncle.
The secretive federal case was finally unsealed in March when Hudson agreed to be tried in US District Court as an adult defendant.
Prosecutors immediately asked Judge Edwin Torres to review his earlier release order because the youngster’s custody arrangements now fall under the much tougher Bail Reform Act.
They argued that Hudson, who is accused of the ‘most serious, egregious, and violative crimes one person can inflict upon another,’ should not be around other kids.
Judge Torres agreed to take the boy into custody but not immediately.
The Kepner family released a statement to ABC News thanking 'the FBI, the United States Attorney's Office, and the US Marshals Service for their assistance in helping place the accused murderer of Anna Marie Kepner behind bars until trial.'
'It was painful for our family to know that he had been free for as long as he was. We are now at peace knowing that he will not be able to harm anyone else while awaiting trial.'
Investigators revealed that the Florida teen had been found wrapped in a blanket and stuffed under the bed on the Carnival Horizon ship
Hudson remains in custody at the Miami-Dade County Metro-West Detention Center as he awaits trial
The statement, which was signed by Anna's father, Christopher Kepner, and his wife Shauntel Kepner, who is also Hudson's mother, noted Anna's birthday had passed the weekend prior.
'While birthdays are never the same without her, we continue to honor her memory and cherish the love and joy she brought to our lives,' the family said.
'As we move closer to the start of the trial in the coming months, we remain hopeful for a swift conclusion to this process and for justice to be served.'
Kepner had been a senior at Temple Christian School in Titusville, and was described as a 'bright, kind-hearted young woman whose presence brought warmth and energy into the classroom,' the school said on Facebook.
Her birth mother, Heather Wright, said Kepner 'always wanted to make people laugh.'
'She loved the water; we were constantly going to the lake here where I live so she could go swimming,' Wright said.
Hudson remains in custody at the Miami-Dade County Metro-West Detention Center as he awaits trial.
The Daily Mail reached out to the Southern District of Florida US Attorney's Office, Assistant US Attorney Alejandra Lopez and Assistant Federal Public Defender Hector Dopico for comment.
