{"id":897,"date":"2026-05-27T13:36:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T13:36:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=897"},"modified":"2026-05-27T13:36:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T13:36:20","slug":"teen-charged-with-killing-stepsister-on-carnival-cruise-could-be-jailed-until-trial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=897","title":{"rendered":"Teen charged with killing stepsister on Carnival Cruise could be jailed until trial"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

A federal judge is expected to decide whether a teenager charged with sexually assaulting and killing\u00a0his 18-year-old stepsister\u00a0on a Carnival Cruise ship will remain free as he awaits trial following a hearing scheduled for Wednesday morning in Miami.<\/p>\n

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U.S. Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres ruled in February, after the teen was initially arrested and charged as a juvenile, that the 16-year-old could live with an uncle and be electronically monitored. But after the case was transferred to adult court, prosecutors requested that he be held in custody until the case\u2019s conclusion.<\/p>\n

He has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse. Minors are rarely prosecuted in federal court. The teen’s federal public defenders have declined to comment on the charges.<\/p>\n

The victim, Anna Kepner,\u00a0had been traveling\u00a0on the Carnival Horizon ship in November with her family, including her stepbrother. Before the ship was scheduled to return to Florida, her body was found concealed under a bed in a room she was sharing with him and another teen, a criminal complaint said.<\/p>\n

The cause of Kepner\u2019s Nov. 6 death was determined to be mechanical asphyxia, which is when an object or physical force stops someone from breathing.<\/p>\n

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Kepner\u2019s father, Christopher Kepner, previously released a statement, saying the family was placing \u201ctrust in the justice system to pursue the truth with care and integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe situation is deeply painful and complex for the entire family,\u201d Kepner said.<\/p>\n

Anna Kepner was a high school cheerleader at Temple Christian School in Titusville, Florida, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of Orlando. At her memorial service in November, family members encouraged people to wear bright colors instead of the traditional black \u201cin honor of Anna\u2019s bright and beautiful soul.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more First Haitian American elected in Miami Gardens says her heritage informs her passion for service<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A federal judge is expected to decide whether a teenager charged with sexually assaulting and killing\u00a0his 18-year-old stepsister\u00a0on a Carnival Cruise ship\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":896,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-miami"],"yoast_head":"\nTeen charged with killing stepsister on Carnival Cruise could be jailed until trial - Jacksonville Moving News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=897\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Teen charged with killing stepsister on Carnival Cruise could be jailed until trial - 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