Ex-Boyfriend Says FaceTime Call Captured Anna Kepner's Stepbrother Sneaking Into Her Room Before Her Murder on a Cruise Ship

Anna Kepner's ex-boyfriend allegedly told investigators about a "strange moment" he witnessed between Kepner and her brother, before her body was found under a bed in a room on the Carnival cruise ship.

Kepner's body was found beneath a mattress by a housekeeper aboard a Carnival cruise ship on November 7, 2025. Her stepbrother, Timothy Hudson, was subsequently charged as a juvenile with first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse in connection with her death.

According to People, during a February 2026 court hearing, FBI Agent Andrew del Valle testified that in one of his many conversations with investigators, Anna's ex-boyfriend, identified as Joshua Tew, claimed that while they were dating, he and Kepner would often fall asleep together on FaceTime.

During one of those FaceTime conversations, Kepner's ex-boyfriend recalled that Anna had fallen asleep, "and he was doing some work in his garage or something," when "he noticed or he heard a noise coming from [Anna's] phone."

As he looked, he saw Hudson trying to get into bed with Anna, which left her ex-boyfriend "surprised and shocked."

He yelled at Timothy through the phone, after which Timothy apparently ran out of the room, according to the testimony.

Although the victim was unaware of what had happened because she was asleep, Tew told her about the incident the next day. That's when she told him she "had been hesitant about saying anything to the father."

Del Valle also testified that Anna had told Tew she "felt that [Timothy] was a little weird and that he had quite a few knives, so she was a little bit afraid of him"

Following Kepner's death, Tew spoke to WPLG Local 10 and called her his "first love."

"She was the best that ever happened to me, and I'd even walked her to work to see her, you know, for like 5-10 minutes," he told reporters.

Speaking about Anna's relationship with Hudson, Tew alleged that she "complained about him being uncomfortable or her being uncomfortable around him."

Kepner was killed by mechanical asphyxiation. During a court hearing, prosecutors alleged that Hudson "continued to hold [Anna Kepner's] neck in that manner so that she would die from lack of oxygen," while she "struggled to breathe for minutes," during the attack.

"That is a barbaric, intentional, thoughtful act... Not an accident, not some sort of brief, weird moment where it sort of happens like an accidental shooting. He made the decision to do that... and he continues to do that until she had breath no more," Assistant U.S. Attorney Alejandra Lopez added.

After Hudson's arrest, a detention hearing was held on February 6, 2026, and a judge allowed him to live with an uncle while being electronically monitored.

At a May 27, 2026 hearing, a judge ruled that Hudson would remain free while awaiting trial, which is scheduled to begin September 8, 2026.