The 16-year-old defendant had been living with a relative under strict release conditions.
MIAMI, Fla. — Anna Kepner’s 16-year-old stepbrother surrendered to U.S. Marshals on Monday after a federal judge ordered him detained before trial in the killing of the Florida teenager aboard a Carnival cruise ship.
The order marks a sharp turn in a case that began after Kepner, 18, was found dead in November on the Carnival Horizon while the ship was returning to Miami. The defendant, identified in federal court records by the initials T.H., has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse. He had been allowed to live with a relative under electronic monitoring while the case moved from juvenile court into adult prosecution.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres had first allowed the teen to remain out of custody after he was charged as a juvenile. Prosecutors later asked the court to revoke that release after a federal grand jury indicted him as an adult. Torres delayed a final decision in late May while he reviewed detention issues, including where the teen could be held. On Monday, the court ordered him to report to the federal courthouse in Tampa, where he was taken into U.S. Marshals custody. U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said after the adult indictment that prosecutors would present the evidence in court “with professionalism and care.”
Federal prosecutors allege the teen sexually assaulted and intentionally killed Kepner while the ship was in international waters on or about Nov. 6 and Nov. 7, 2025. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Kepner died of mechanical asphyxiation. Investigators have said the case belongs in federal court because the alleged crimes happened aboard a vessel outside state jurisdiction. Court filings and hearing accounts have described video evidence, phone data and ship records as part of the investigation. The defense has entered not guilty pleas, and the charges remain allegations unless proven in court.
Kepner was from Titusville and was traveling with family members when she died. Reports from earlier court proceedings said her body was found in a ship cabin after the Carnival Horizon returned to Miami. The cabin had been shared by young relatives during the family vacation. The case drew wide attention in Brevard County and beyond because of Kepner’s age, the cruise ship setting and the rare move to prosecute a minor as an adult in federal court. Family members have described Kepner as bright, active and close to graduation, and mourners at her memorial were asked to wear bright colors in her memory.
The adult indictment, announced in April, charges the teen with first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. The Justice Department said the case was first charged by juvenile information on Feb. 2 and remained sealed until U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom ordered it transferred for adult prosecution. The FBI’s Miami Field Office is investigating. The defendant’s federal public defenders have not publicly disputed the detention order in detail, and the next major steps are expected to focus on pretrial motions, evidence issues and trial scheduling.
Kepner’s family welcomed the detention decision after months of concern that the accused teen had been living outside jail. In a family statement reported after the order, relatives thanked the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Marshals Service for placing the accused defendant in custody until trial. They said it had been painful to know he had been free while awaiting court proceedings. The statement reflected a family still grieving while the case moves forward in a federal system that must balance juvenile status, adult charges and public safety findings.
The teen is expected to remain detained while the federal case continues. Court proceedings have pointed to a September trial setting, though schedules can change as attorneys file motions and judges rule on evidence, detention and trial logistics.
Author note: Last updated Tuesday, June 16, 2026.