A teenager at the center of a probe into his stepsister’s tragic demise aboard a Carnival cruise ship required brief hospitalization following the voyage for reasons yet to be disclosed.
This revelation surfaced during a custody hearing on Thursday concerning the 16-year-old’s mother, Shauntel Kepner, and her former husband, Thomas Hudson. The pair are contesting custody of their two children, as reported by WKMG.
Both parents have implied that their son is under suspicion in the case of 18-year-old Anna Kepner, who was discovered concealed beneath a bed in her cabin on the Carnival Horizon earlier this month. However, the FBI, which spearheads the investigation, has yet to formally acknowledge these claims, according to CrimeOnline.
Shauntel Kepner had previously sought a postponement of the custody proceedings due to the ongoing investigation into her stepdaughter’s death.
The cruise liner made its return to the Port of Miami on November 8, a day after Anna Kepner was found deceased while the ship was off the Cuban coast.
Onboard the cruise were Anna Kepner, her father, Shauntel Kepner, and at least two of her children. According to Shauntel Kepner’s lawyer, during Thursday’s hearing, Anna and the 16-year-old boy shared the same stateroom, as reported by WKMG.
The attorney, Millicent Athanason, denied allegations from Hudson’s attorney that the boy was allowed to drink alcohol because the ship had been in international waters, claiming videos showed that didn’t happen.
“The issue that counsel raised about drinking, there are videotapes on the ship that confirmed that there was absolutely no drinking,” said Athanason. “DCF investigated and saw there was no alcohol in mom’s house whatsoever. So I’m not sure where that’s coming from.”
Athanason said the boy was hospitalized “immediately after the incident” and was now living with relatives of his mother.
Shauntel Kepner said that her son “has a psychiatrist appointment” next month, but the judge stopped her from continuing, advising her not to speak without seeking advise from her attorney.
There was no ruling on Thursday, and Brevard County Circuit Court Judge Michelle Pruitt Studstill set a 4-hour hearing on December 5 to discuss custody arrangements.
Hudson’s attorney indicated that the 16-year-old might be called to testify, but the judge said that they would have to file a motion indicating they planned to call him and that she anticipated he would “choose not to testify and invoke his Fifth Amendment right.”
The attorneys also indicated Christopher Kepner, Anna Kepner’s father, might be called to testify at that hearing.
