Parents Clash Over Child Support Weeks Before Teen’s Federal Murder Trial in Anna Kepner Case

Parents of teenager charged in Anna Kepner’s death are embroiled in a family court battle over child support just weeks before their 16-year-old son faces a federal murder trial.

Shauntel Hudson has asked a family court judge to reassess child-support obligations, saying her ex-husband, Thomas Hudson, failed to make all court-ordered payments. Thomas disputes key elements of her filing, including her depiction of his relationship with their children and her claim that he earns substantially more than she does, according to court documents reviewed by TMZ.

Child-Support Dispute

Shauntel’s papers say Thomas originally agreed to pay $2,129 per month for support of their three children. That amount dropped to $1,732 after support for one child ended and later to $1,092 when only one child remained on the order. Shauntel alleges there were several months when Thomas made no payments and asks the court to recalculate support based on current incomes and circumstances.

Thomas denies the characterization of a "strained relationship" with the children and contests Shauntel’s claims about his earnings. In April, he separately asked the family court to reduce or redirect support tied to their son, Timothy, arguing that Timothy was then living with an uncle and that support for Timothy should go to the relative providing day-to-day care. That request preceded Timothy’s federal detention in June.

Federal Criminal Case

The child-support matter is separate from the criminal prosecution, but family tensions have surfaced in the federal case. Their son, Timothy Hudson, 16, is being prosecuted as an adult in federal court on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse in connection with the November 2025 death of his 18-year-old stepsister, Anna Kepner, aboard the cruise ship Carnival Horizon. Prosecutors allege the alleged assault and killing occurred in international waters on Nov. 6-7, 2025; the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be mechanical asphyxiation. Timothy has pleaded not guilty.

Timothy’s trial had been set to begin Sept. 8, but his attorneys successfully sought more time to prepare, citing the seriousness of the charges, his juvenile age at the time of the alleged events, and difficulty obtaining access to certain family members important to the defense investigation. U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom granted the continuance, moving the two-week trial to begin Nov. 2 in Miami; the deadline to reach any plea agreement is now Oct. 23. Prosecutors did not oppose the delay.

Timothy has been in federal custody since June 15, when his pretrial release was revoked and he surrendered to the U.S. Marshals Service. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida says the case was initially handled in juvenile court before being transferred for adult prosecution. The Justice Department emphasizes the indictment is an allegation and that Timothy remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison.

Potential Mitigation and Miller v. Alabama

The defense has said contact with relatives and investigation of Timothy’s upbringing could matter not only for preparing witnesses but also as mitigation at sentencing. Because Timothy was a juvenile at the time of the alleged offenses, his attorneys are gathering background and family-history materials that could be relevant under Miller v. Alabama, the Supreme Court precedent requiring individualized consideration of youth and its attendant circumstances before imposing a life-without-parole sentence on a juvenile offender.

What’s Next: The family court will consider Shauntel’s request to recalculate or enforce support payments, while the federal trial is scheduled to begin Nov. 2, with a plea deadline of Oct. 23.