Teen suspect in stepsister’s cruise ship death in federal court in Miami

A 16-year-old being investigated in the death of his stepsister on a Carnival cruise ship last year appeared before a federal judge in Miami on Friday.

The 16-year-old stepbrother of Anna Kepner appeared before a federal magistrate in a locked courtroom with his public defenders, prosecutors and U.S. Marshals.

The criminal docket for the magistrate judge revealed a sealed case was on his agenda and that case number remained sealed Friday afternoon, so any charges he may face have not been publicly released.

The teen later walked to another courthouse, where he went into a probation office where defendants are processed for pretrial release.

One of his federal public defenders said they would have no comment.

Kepner, 18, died on the Carnival Horizon cruise ship on Nov. 7 while on vacation with her family.

The cruise ship returned to PortMiami the next day, as was planned, and Kepner’s death was ruled a homicide.

A high school cheerleader from Florida’s Space Coast who was set to graduate this year, Kepner had been traveling on the Carnival Horizon ship with her father, grandparents, stepmother and her stepmother’s two children, including the 16-year-old boy.

A legal filing said Kepner was found asphyxiated under a bed on the cruise ship inside a room she was sharing with the 16-year-old stepbrother.

Kepner Family Photos

Kepner Family Photos

Another court document related to the past marriage of Kepner’s stepmother said the 16-year-old stepbrother was a suspect in Kepner’s death.