A federal magistrate rescinded an order on Monday, June 15, which had allowed the 16-year-old charged with the death and sexual assault of his stepsister, to remain in the custody of family members while awaiting trial. U.S. Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres issued a 14-page order in response to the prosecutor’s request to detain Timothy Hudson, who is charged with the rape and murder of his stepsister, Anna Kepner. Torres agreed that detention was the correct call — not based on Hudson being a flight risk, but rather his “dangerousness.” “The strength of the evidence here points strongly in favor of detention,” Torres said in the court documents from June 10. “Focusing just on the sexual assault charge, the Government’s case for a forcible rape is beyond clear and convincing.”  “Indeed it suggests a level of psychopathy and lack of remorse that by itself raises a serious concern that Defendant can snap at any time, despite the well-meaning and serious efforts of his caretakers to make sure that does not happen,” Torres said.  Hudson was reportedly  “obsessed” with Kepner despite the two being part of the same blended family. “She was scared of him because he always carried around a big knife,” Kepner’s ex-boyfriend’s father, Steven Westin, said. His son, Joshua, dated Kepner for about two years.  “He’s like infatuated, attracted to her like crazy. He always wanted to date her,” Westin said. On November 7, 2025 Kepner’s body was found wrapped in a blanket and stuffed under the bed when a cleaning attendant entered a Carnival cruise ship room that she shared with Hudson and her half-brother. Her stepmother and biological father were staying in the room across the hall.  Torres obtained a transcript from a February hearing, which revealed the medical examiner discovered bleeding under Kepner’s skin around the side and back of her neck. This is evidence of strangulation, and her cause of death was ruled as mechanical asphyxiation. The transcript also said DNA was found inside her body which was a match to Hudson. The deadline for entering any plea agreement is August 28, according to the court records. If found guilty, Hudson could be sentenced to life in prison. “The situation is deeply painful and complex for the entire family,” Christopher Kepner, the victim’s father, said in a previous statement. He said the family has “trust in the justice system to pursue the truth with care and integrity.” Kepner was a Titusville high school senior who had aspirations to join the U.S. Navy and to eventually become a K-9 police officer, according to her online obituary. Her family described her as joyful and compassionate with a “radiant smile and endless energy.”