The teenage stepbrother accused of murdering and sexually abusing Anna Kepner in their shared cruise ship cabin will stand trial in June – but her grieving father has vowed not to attend.
Christopher Kepner was one of the first on the scene when high schooler Anna, 18, was found stuffed under her bed aboard the Carnival Horizon.
'I checked her pulse. I pulled her out from under the bed. I knew my daughter was dead long before the medical examiner got there,' the heartbroken 41-year-old told the Daily Mail.
'I don't want to be back in that room.'
The father of three was alerted to the cheerleader's plight when a medical emergency was announced over the ship's public address system.
He entered her Deck 8 cabin moments after a cleaning crew had discovered the body and raised the alarm on November 7 last year.
Timothy Hudson, the 16-year-old son of Christopher's wife, Shauntel Hudson, 36, will be tried on adult charges of aggravated sexual abuse and first-degree murder.
But neither parent will be there for the June 1 proceedings in Miami federal court unless they have to be.
Christopher Kepner has recalled the moment he pulled his daughter Anna's lifeless body from under a cruise ship bed. The 18-year-old was found dead while on vacation with family including her father, stepmother and stepbrother, all pictured, last year
The high school senior, from Titusville, Florida, was on a six-day Carnival cruise to the Caribbean when she died on board between Mexico and Florida on November 7
Timothy Hudson, Anna's 16-year-old stepbrother, has been charged with murder and aggravated sex abuse and will be tried as an adult. He has denied the charges
'Unless they ask for me to be there, neither my wife or I will be attending,' revealed Christopher of Titusville, Florida.
'I've heard all the evidence. I saw it for myself. They have everything they need. It's going to be too painful to relive it all again.'
Anna's family will instead gather on June 13 to privately mark what would have been her 19th birthday.
Christopher told the Daily Mail they plan on building a butterfly garden and enjoying some of the bubbly teenager's favorite activities.
'We are celebrating Anna by keeping it all about her and doing the things she liked,' he added.
'We want to remember Anna how she lived – and not how she died.'
United States District Judge Beth Bloom announced Tuesday that Timothy's trial will start June 1 at 9am.
The baby-faced teenager was indicted by a grand jury in February but the charges remained under seal because he was a juvenile.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Anna's father (above together) revealed that neither he nor his wife will be attending his stepson's murder trial
Christopher was in court supporting the boy's mother - Anna's stepmom – Shauntel, at a hearing in Florida on December 5
The case was finally made public when Timothy – or TH as he is referred to in court documents – consented to be treated as an adult defendant.
If found guilty, he faces decades in prison, although mandatory life-without-parole sentences for juveniles were ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2012.
Similarly, he cannot face the death penalty because he was a minor at the time of the alleged slaying.
Timothy is living in Central Florida with his paternal uncle and is wearing a GPS ankle monitor to track his location.
Prosecutors, however, want the kid-gloves treatment to end and have filed a motion asking the court to revoke his pretrial release.
'The defendant currently lives in a home where minor children reside,' wrote Assistant US Attorney Alejandra Lopez.
'Consequently, there is no assurance any court could ever have that any conditions, or combination of conditions, would be sufficient to prevent the Defendant from being a danger to others.
'Thus, the defendant should be detained.'
Anna was killed aboard the Carnival Horizon, which has the capacity for almost 5,000 passengers
Anna was pronounced dead at 11.17am on November 7 while the Horizon was en route from Mexico to Florida.
The Daily Mail was the first outlet to report that her body was found stuffed under a bed in the cabin she was sharing with the two boys.
She had been wrapped in a blanket and covered with life preservers, according to sources.
Anna had gone to bed early the night before, telling her family during dinner that her braces were hurting.
While her half-brother wandered the ship taking photos, she was left alone with her stepbrother, who takes medication for ADHD and insomnia.
When the younger boy returned, he did not see Anna but assumed she was staying up late with Christopher, Shauntel, or her grandparents, Jeffrey and Barbara Kepner.
He climbed into his bunk and went to sleep - unaware, sources say, that his sister's body was hidden just feet away beneath her unoccupied bed.
It was not until the next morning, when the two boys headed to breakfast, that the family realized Anna was missing.
Anna had chronicled her love of travel on TikTok and been on several cruises
The charges were announced earlier this month, with prosecutors alleging Timothy Hudson 'sexually assaulted and intentionally killed' his stepsister
A law enforcement source later told ABC that Anna died from asphyxiation caused by a bar hold, suggesting an arm was pressed across her neck.
FBI agents swarmed the ship, interviewed the family and scoured CCTV cameras when the Horizon returned to Miami on November 8.
Timothy insisted he could not remember what took place in the cabin and has invoked his right to remain silent.
Anna planned on entering the US Navy or becoming a K9 handler in the Titusville Police Department after graduating high school.
She had chronicled her love of travel on TikTok and been on several cruises.
'Anna was pure energy: bubbly, funny, outgoing, and completely herself,' family members wrote in her obituary.
Mourners attending her November memorial service were encouraged to wear bright colors instead of black 'in honor of Anna's bright and beautiful soul.'