'We were all having a great time': Stepbrother charged in shocking cruise ship killing of teen Anna Kepner. Who was she? Know all about her family
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'We were all having a great time': Stepbrother charged in shocking cruise ship killing of teen Anna Kepner. Who was she? Know all about her family")
Anna Kepner Photograph: (Instagram)
16-year-old indicted as an adult for allegedly assaulting and killing stepsister Anna Kepner aboard Carnival Horizon cruise in international waters
A 16-year-old boy has been charged with abusing and murdering his stepsister during a family vacation on a Carnival cruise ship in November, prosecutors said. The US Department of Justice alleges the boy ‘sexually assaulted and intentionally killed’ 18-year-old Anna Kepner while the Carnival Horizon was in international waters.
The stepbrother, whom authorities did not identify, was initially charged as a juvenile, but has since been indicted as an adult on first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse charges, prosecutors said. Kepner was a cheerleader who was expected to graduate from secondary school in Florida in May and wanted to join the military, her family said. Her body was found under a bed, wrapped in a blanket and covered by life vests, ABC News reported.
The Miami-Dade medical examiner's office determined she had died of "mechanical asphyxia". She and her stepbrother were travelling with several members of their family, including her father and stepmother. Kepner's grandparents also were on board. "We were all having a great time," her grandmother, Barbara Kepner, told ABC News late last year. "I couldn't fathom why anyone would wanna hurt my baby."
The grandparents had said that the relationship between Anna Kepner and her step-siblings was a happy one, adding there was "no such thing as steps". "It's all family. It's a blended family, yes, but that's not how our family is," grandfather Jeffrey Kepner said. “Our dynamic is we're all just family.” If convicted, the stepbrother could face life in prison, the justice department said.
Who was Anna Kepner?
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Anna Kepner was an 18-year-old from Titusville, Florida, and a high school senior expected to graduate in 2026. A fan of the Georgia Bulldogs, she hoped to become a cheerleader at the University of Georgia. Anna also planned to join the US Navy and later work as a K9 police officer, according to her obituary.
"She had just finished taking the test to join the military," her family told ABC News. “She was already talking to recruiters and had chosen her career path. She wanted to do something that would help her community.” Her obituary described her as “pure energy,” “bubbly, funny, outgoing, and completely herself.”
"She never had a filter, and that was part of her charm," the description continued. “Whether she was practicing new makeup looks (even if she had nowhere to go), making TikToks in front of the mirror, or blasting a perfectly curated playlist on the boat. Anna lived every day with her whole heart. She loved the sun, the water, boat days, island days, and beach days, anything that let her soak in the light she so easily radiated to others.” Anna Kepner's family said she deeply loved her siblings and was known for being nurturing and thoughtful.
