A federal judge has finally revoked the highly controversial pretrial release of 16-year-old Timothy Hudson, ordering him into immediate federal custody by the U.S. Marshals Service in Tampa, Florida. Hudson stands accused of the chilling first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse of his 18-year-old stepsister, Anna Kepner, aboard a Carnival cruise ship in international waters.
A sealed supplemental order obtained via ABC News confirms the end of Hudson’s electronic monitoring home confinement, following explosive evidence unveiled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alejandra L. Lopez. Forensic timelines reveal that Kepner’s naked body was discovered stuffed under a cabin bed, wrapped in a blanket, and buried beneath life jackets.
Forensic pathology from the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the cause of death as mechanical asphyxia so severe it ruptured the victim’s eardrum. Surveillance telemetry and onboard Wi-Fi routers tracked Hudson disposing of the victim’s phone in a trash can on a separate deck, while DNA ballistics confirmed a “high probability” match connecting Hudson’s semen to a non-consensual sexual assault site on the victim.
How was a suspect facing severe capital homicide and sexual assault charges allowed around children for months? Read the full unsealed federal dockets—click below for the facts.
