Why Anna Kepner’s Stepmom Went to Court Over the Cruise Ship Murder

Tony Brueski (0:00)

This is HiddenKillers With Tony Brueski.

Tony Brueski (0:10)

Tell you what, the optics around the family of Anna Kempner are just utter shit. I don't know any other way to put it. And I don't know if it's because it's indicative of what took place. It's a reflection of the chaos that was going on in this girl's life and around her. And it just, it all was kind of part of an encompassing whirlwind that ended in tragedy the way it did. Or, you know, if this is just, you know, a microscope, a magnifying glass that is on this family right now because of the tragedy that took place here. So then the every single speck of dirt and dust and whatever, I'm just going to use a word there that probably, you know, I don't think, I'm just not going to give that.

The liquid you may need to clean up, or maybe not even look. Anyway, all of those things that exist when a family is in turmoil, and they are, I mean, there's a custody dispute going on between Shauntel, the step-mom and her husband, the mother and the father here of the alleged killer, the son, with multiple children. Those are not always the cleanest thing. They can be down and dirty, and people making this accusation, and that accusation demanding money, and us on the outside going, what?

But in the context of this. In the context of this. No, no, anyway, you, uh... Anyway, you spin it. Any lens you look through at this.

It's a lot of broken people, in my opinion. Doing very broken things. No matter how broken the snow globe is. Around them.

Timothy Hudson is sitting in a federal detention facility right now. He's charged as an adult with first-degree murder and a second serious federal charge in the death of his step-sister, Anna Kepner, on a Carnival cruise ship. His trial has already been delayed twice. First, from June to September, then from September now to November 2nd, after his defense team cited what they called a very unfortunate family situation. His plea deadline is October 23rd. If he doesn't take a plea by then, he goes to trial facing life. And rightfully so, he killed his step-sister, allegedly. I mean, it's pretty freaking obvious. This isn't a case where there's a lot of reasonable doubt or questioning what happened.

And that being said, his mother, Shauntel Hudson, just filed a petition in court. But it has nothing to do with his defense or the murder trial. That's eight weeks away. She filed to fight her ex-husband, Thomas Hudson, over child support payments. I mean, life goes on outside of the killer son, you know, but according to a court document, she alleged Thomas didn't pay for several months. And she wants the amounts re-evaluated because she believes he earns significantly more than she does.

Her son is staring down a federal murder trial that could put him away for life. In the paper, she chose to push us about dollar dollar bills per child per month.

What does the paper trail from this custody war tell you about the woman who raised him? This is conjecture. This is opinion. She may be a lovely woman. And this just may be a very negative light that we're looking at her in. And it just doesn't present her how she is. But she keeps popping up, popping up. Like Whack-a-Mole. Maybe you should just stay down there right now. Let this kind of blow over. Maybe we shouldn't be getting national attention over a couple extra hundred bucks or something in a child support payment. Where the first question everyone is going to have is, are you asking him to pay child support for the child that's in federal custody right now too? Is that part of the deal? Are you not getting enough for the kid that you were in charge of who killed the daughter of the guy you just married, allegedly? We need some more money for him.

Clearly, maybe a little extra would have helped with therapy bills or something.

But is this that or is this just like I am completely tone deaf to everything going on around me, and I just don't really care? So, pony up the dolla dolla bills, y'all!

At what point does behavior like this start to explain how a 16-year-old ends up where Timothy Hudson is?

You know, it's chaotic, it's weird, it's disjointed, it doesn't seem to match the moments of what's going on in this life. Huh, that's the adult in the room acting that way.

And her son acted odd, extreme, didn't match the motion of what's going on in this life and somehow found it appropriate to, allegedly, essay his stepsister and then hide her under a bed on a Carnival cruise ship and cover her in life jackets, also doesn't seem to really flow with what reality is around him at that moment in time for how to act appropriately. I know, they're a bit different in scope, certainly.