The federal murder case against Timothy Hudson, the Florida teenager accused of sexually assaulting and strangling his stepsister aboard a Carnival cruise ship, has been given more time before a plea decision must be made.
Hudson, who was 16 when Anna Kepner, 18, was killed aboard the Carnival Horizon on Nov. 7, 2025, is being prosecuted as an adult in federal court in Florida. A plea deadline originally set for Friday, Oct. 23, has been pushed back to January after a judge granted the defense team’s request for an extension earlier this month.
A federal grand jury indicted Hudson in April, and he initially pleaded not guilty. He has been held in a federal pretrial detention center since June, when a judge ordered him remanded into federal custody. Before that order, he had remained with his family under an ankle monitor.
The extended timeline has fueled speculation that Hudson’s legal team may be working toward a negotiated plea rather than preparing for trial.
What a Deal Might Look Like
Anthony Strazza, a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor not involved in the case, said the stakes come down to whether Hudson faces life in prison.
“For a case like this, you’re talking about whether or not the defendant gets life or not,” Strazza said.
Strazza said Hudson’s attorneys could be seeking an agreement in which prosecutors would not recommend life without parole in exchange for a guilty plea. But he cautioned against expecting leniency.
“There’s not going to be any sweet plea deal, regardless of whether or not they take a plea. The numbers [years in prison] are going to be large,” Strazza said.
Because of Hudson’s age, Strazza said a long sentence would not necessarily mean dying in prison.
“You’re talking about a defendant who’s 16 years old, so there’s a huge difference between life and, let’s say, a 30-year sentence,” Strazza said.
Strazza added that Hudson would likely be required to serve at least 85 percent of any federal prison sentence, but even a sentence of 20 or 30 years would leave him “relatively young when he completes that time.”
Hudson’s defense attorney, Eric Cohen, declined to comment when contacted by Fox News Digital.
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