Anna Kepner's stepbrother charged months after the cheerleader was found dead on a cruise ship

BREAKING NEWSApr. 13, 2026, 5:52 PM UTCU.S. newsU.S. newsAnna Kepner's stepbrother charged months after the cheerleader was found dead on a cruise shipThe 16-year-old will be tried as an adult and faces federal charges of murder and aggravated sexual abuse in connection with Kepner’s death in November. Anna Kepner.anna.kepner16 via InstagramShareAdd NBC News to GoogleBy Doha Madani and Rebecca CohenAnna Kepner’s stepbrother has been indicted on federal charges months after the 18-year-old cheerleader was found dead during a family vacation on a Carnival cruise ship. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The 16-year-old stepbrother is facing federal charges of murder and aggravated sexual abuse, according to a statement Monday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. Court documents show the motion in the case was initially filed Feb. 2 under seal, but the case was transferred to adult prosecution and unsealed Friday. The press release refers to him only as T.H., and that is also how he is referred to in the court documents. He has been released into the custody of a guardian, but not his parents, according to court documents. Lawyers for T.H. did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment.Anna Kepner was found dead Nov. 7 while vacationing with her family on a Carnival Horizon cruise ship. The cruise ship returned to the Port of Miami the next day, as planned, Carnival said in a statement at the time. The press release says that while in international waters en route to Miami, “T.H. allegedly sexually assaulted and intentionally killed Kepner.” The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office determined Kepner’s cause of death was “mechanical asphyxiation.”“Our hearts go out to the victim’s family during this unimaginable loss,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones, who represents the Southern District of Florida. “A federal grand jury has returned an indictmen...