Anna Kepner’s accused murderer has officially entered his plea.
We’ve been following the horrific case for months now — Anna, 18, boarded a Carnival Horizon in November cruise with her blended family, including father Christopher Kepner, stepmother Shauntel Hudson, grandparents, and two younger step siblings. However, she tragically never made it off the ship alive as she was discovered dead in the room she shared with her two younger step siblings.
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Her 16-year-old step brother quickly became a suspect in Anna’s death which was ruled a homicide by mechanical asphyxiation by another person, according to her death certificate. In February, the boy, identified only as T.H. in court documents, was charged as a juvenile in the case. However, news broke last week that he had been indicted as an adult by a federal grand jury and hit with TWO charges: first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse. The Department of Justice claimed T.H. “sexually assaulted and intentionally killed” Anna aboard the Carnival cruise.
So, so awful.
If convicted, T.H. faces a maximum of life in prison… but he’s not being thrown behind bars without a fight. On Tuesday, the teen waived his appearance at an arraignment and revealed he has pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to court docs.
Prior to being charged adult, T.H. was sent to live away from his other siblings with an uncle under tight conditions such as GPS monitoring, a restriction on being alone with minors, and constant adult supervision. However, since he’s been charged as an adult, prosecutors have requested he be arrested. According to multiple outlets, his next court appearance will center on whether or not he should be taken into custody.
What are your reactions to his plea, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments down below.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about resources, consider checking out https://www.rainn.org/resources
[Images via Anna Kepner/Instagram]
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