The federal murder case against a teenager accused of sexually assaulting and strangling his stepsister aboard a Carnival cruise ship has been pushed back, with the defense now given until January to decide whether to pursue a plea deal.
Timothy Hudson, who was 16 at the time, is charged in the Nov. 7, 2025 death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner aboard the Carnival Horizon. He is being prosecuted as an adult in federal court in Florida on charges of sexual assault and murder on the high seas.
The original deadline for a plea decision had been set for Friday, Oct. 23. A judge granted an extension earlier this month, moving that deadline into January to give Hudson’s defense team more time.
A federal grand jury indicted Hudson in April, and he initially pleaded not guilty. He has been held in a federal pretrial detention center since June, when a judge ordered him remanded to federal custody. Before that, he had been in the custody of his family and wearing an ankle monitor.
The extended deadline has fueled speculation that Hudson’s attorneys may be working toward a negotiated plea rather than heading to trial.
Anthony Strazza, a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor who is not involved in the case, said the stakes come down to whether Hudson ultimately faces life in prison.
“For a case like this, you’re talking about whether or not the defendant gets life or not,” Strazza said.
Strazza said any plea negotiations would likely center on Hudson admitting guilt in exchange for prosecutors agreeing not to seek a sentence of life without parole.
“There’s not going to be any sweet plea deal, regardless of whether or not they take a plea. The numbers [years in prison] are going to be large,” Strazza said.
Because of Hudson’s age, Strazza noted that even a lengthy prison term could leave him free again relatively young.
“You’re talking about a defendant who’s 16 years old, so there’s a huge difference between life and, let’s say, a 30-year sentence,” Strazza said.
Strazza added that Hudson would likely be required to serve “at least 85 percent” of any federal prison sentence handed down.
“Even if he does get big numbers, 20, 30 years, he is still going to be relatively young when he completes that time,” Strazza said.
Hudson’s defense attorney, Eric Cohen, declined to comment on the case.
