Information extracted from Anna Kepner's cellphone was instrumental in leading investigators to arrest her stepbrother for her murder, according to testimony provided by an FBI agent in court.
Discovery of the Phone
Timothy Hudson, aged 16, stands accused of killing and sexually assaulting his stepsister during a family cruise trip in Miami, Florida, last November. The body of the 18-year-old victim was discovered concealed beneath a bed in the cabin she shared with Hudson and another teenager.
Family members informed investigators that the teen was never without her phone, which prompted a search of the Carnival Horizon. The device was eventually located in the ship's lost and found, as testified by FBI Agent Andrew del Valle. According to del Valle, a crew member had retrieved the phone from a trash can, noting it was "seriously damaged, as if it had been smashed, and the screen was broken."
Digital Trail
Despite the damage, FBI agents were able to download the phone's contents and trace its movement from Kepner's cabin to the trash can on the opposite side of the ship. Del Valle testified that Kepner's phone connected to four different routers within a 20-minute period, and surveillance footage confirmed Hudson was present at all four locations.
One crucial piece of footage showed Hudson spending 22 seconds near the trash can where the phone was eventually found. He was then observed returning to his cabin, at which point his own cellphone connected to a router, but Kepner's phone ceased to connect. The FBI agent also noted that investigators examined data from Kepner's Apple Watch, which was never recovered. The watch stopped reporting her vital signs between 7:50 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on the night of November 6.
Charges and Legal Proceedings
Hudson was initially charged as a juvenile with murder and aggravated sexual abuse. However, a federal grand jury indicted him on the same charges as an adult in March. If convicted on both counts, he faces the possibility of two life sentences. Currently, he is in the custody of a family member after a judge rejected a prosecution motion to remand him into custody during a detention hearing in late May.
