Home / Crime and Justice / Teen Pleads Not Guilty in Stepsister's Death
Teen Pleads Not Guilty in Stepsister's Death
21 Apr
Summary
- A 16-year-old pleaded not guilty to murder and sexual abuse charges.
- The charges stem from his stepsister's death during a family cruise.
- The victim died from mechanical asphyxiation, officials confirmed.

A 16-year-old boy, now charged as an adult, has entered a plea of not guilty to first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse. These serious charges are connected to the death of his stepsister, Anna Kepner, 18, which occurred in November during a family cruise. The young suspect waived his appearance at his arraignment in Miami.
Prosecutors from the Department of Justice alleged that the stepbrother "sexually assaulted and intentionally killed" Kepner. Authorities confirmed that the Florida high school senior's cause of death was mechanical asphyxiation. The victim's parents, Chris and Shauntel Kepner, described the loss as an unimaginable tragedy and a deeply painful, complex situation for their family.