Anna Kepner’s family plans private tribute as murder trial approaches in June

The father of 18-year-old Anna Kepner has revealed he does not plan to attend her upcoming murder trial, saying the proceedings would be too painful to relive following her death aboard a cruise ship last year.

Anna was found dead in November 2025 aboard the Carnival Cruise Line ship Horizon while it was traveling through international waters.

Her 16-year-old stepbrother, identified in court documents as T.H., has been charged in connection with her death.

In a recent interview with the Daily Mail, Anna’s father, Christopher Kepner, said he and his wife, Anna’s stepmother, Shauntel Kepner, do not intend to attend the trial scheduled for June unless formally required.

“Unless they ask for me to be there, neither my wife or I will be attending,” said the Titusville, Florida father. “It’s going to be too painful to relive it all again.”

Christopher, 41, also said he had already reviewed the evidence and believes he cannot emotionally endure revisiting the details in court.

“I’ve heard all the evidence. I saw it for myself. They have everything they need,” he said.

He further described being one of the first people to respond after Anna was discovered unresponsive in her cabin.

“I checked her pulse. I pulled her out from under the bed,” he recalled. “I knew my daughter was dead long before the medical examiner got there.”

“I don’t want to be back in that room,” he added.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, the stepbrother is accused of sexually assaulting and killing Anna “on or about Nov. 6–7, 2025” while they were sharing a cabin during the cruise’s return voyage.

Authorities say her cause of death was mechanical asphyxiation and the case has been classified as a homicide.

T.H. has been charged with murder and aggravated sexual abuse. He has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to be tried as an adult in federal court in Miami. If convicted, he faces life imprisonment.

Despite their absence from the trial, Anna’s family says they plan to honor her memory on what would have been her 19th birthday on June 13. Christopher said loved ones will gather to remember her life and create a butterfly garden in her honor.

“We are celebrating Anna by keeping it all about her and doing the things she liked,” he said. “We want to remember Anna how she lived — and not how she died.”