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Anna Kepner Murder: Cell Phone Found in Trash
8 Jun
Summary
- Victim's cell phone was found damaged in a ship's trash can.
- Surveillance footage tracked phone movement and suspect's presence.
- Victim's Apple Watch stopped reporting vitals before her death.
In the investigation of 18-year-old Anna Kepner's murder aboard a Carnival Cruise in November 2025, crucial evidence has come to light. An FBI agent testified that the victim's cell phone, initially thought to be destroyed by her 16-year-old stepbrother, Timothy Hudson, was recovered from a trash can on the ship. Despite significant damage, the FBI successfully extracted data from the phone.
Surveillance footage from the ship played a key role, showing Anna's phone connecting to multiple routers and confirming Timothy's presence in those locations. He was observed near the trash can where the phone was eventually found. Meanwhile, Anna's Apple Watch, which also went missing, stopped reporting her vital signs between 7:50 p.m. and 10 p.m. on November 6, 2025.
Timothy Hudson, who is accused of murder and aggravated sexual abuse, was initially taken into custody as a minor but is now being charged as an adult. The grand jury's indictment states the killing was willful, deliberate, malicious, and premeditated, occurring during the perpetration of aggravated sexual abuse. A judge rejected a motion to remand him into custody, allowing him to remain with a maternal uncle.
