Anna Kepner’s 16-year-old stepbrother sexually assaulted her before he murdered her on their family cruise vacation, the feds alleged for the first time Monday while charging him as an adult.
The boy, only identified as T.H., allegedly strangled his 18-year-old stepsister on the Carnival Cruise ship Horizon in November and stuffed her body underneath the bed in a room they shared.
The teen suspect, who was initially charged with killing Kepner as a juvenile in February, has now been indicted on first-degree murder and aggravated sexual assault as an adult by a federal grand jury, the Department of Justice announced.
The 16-year-old “sexually assaulted and intentionally killed” Kepner, the DOJ said.
The Florida cheerleader died from mechanical asphyxiation, officials previously ruled.
Kepner’s body was found by a maid who was cleaning the cabin.
If convicted, T.H. faces life in prison.
