Florida teen charged as adult in stepsister’s cruise ship death

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMJf3e2L2GQ

A Florida teen has been indicted as an adult in the killing of his stepsister, Anna Kepner, aboard a Carnival cruise ship. Federal prosecutors say the 16-year-old was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse after the death, which the medical examiner ruled a homicide.

What prosecutors allege

According to the Justice Department, the teen, identified in court records as T.H., was traveling with Kepner and family members on the Carnival Horizon in November 2025 when the alleged crime occurred in international waters. Prosecutors say he sexually assaulted and intentionally killed her, and the case was moved from juvenile to adult court.

Case details

The medical examiner determined Kepner died from mechanical asphyxiation, with reporting also describing the cause as strangulation or suffocation. If convicted, the defendant could face life in prison.