Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Charges for Anna Kepner's Stepbrother 'T.H.' Revealed | Crime Alert 04.14.26

Episode Date: April 14, 2026

Federal charges unsealed against the stepbrother of Anna Kepner, the 18-year-old cheerleader found dead aboard a Carnival cruise ship. Bahamian authorities release Brian Hooker, who claims his wife fell overboard from their dinghy on a trip across Elbow Cay back to their yacht. Sydney Silvagni reports. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Crime alert, hourly update. Breaking Crime News now. I'm Sidney. Federal charges have been unsealed against the 16-year-old stepbrother of Anna Kepner. The 18-year-old cheerleader found dead last November during a family vacation aboard a carnival cruise ship. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida announced Monday that the teenager identified in court documents only by

his initials, T.H. is facing counts of murder and aggravated sexual abuse. While the motion was initially filed under seal in February, the case was unsealed Friday, following its transfer to adult prosecution. The tragedy unfolded on November 7th, while the Carnival Horizon was in international waters returning to the port of Miami. Anna excused herself from dinner early, surveillance footage showing Anna entering the room she shared with her brothers. After eating, the teen boys came to the room before the youngest sibling ventured out again to explore, leaving Anna and their stepbrother alone. When he returned, he noted Anna wasn't in bed, but assumed she got a second wind and was spending more time with the adults. The next morning, panic ensued when Anna didn't

meet her family for breakfast, as housekeepers made a horrifying discovery. The teen's body wrapped in sheets and stuffed under her bed. According to the indictment, T.H. allegedly sexually assaulted and intentionally killed Anna. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner's Office has since ruled the cause of death as mechanical asphyxiation. Anna's youngest sibling reportedly heard fighting in the cabin the night of her death telling her boyfriend the details. He heard him yelling at her like in a harmful way of like shut the hell up and stuff like that. Like something was like banging around and stuff and like the chairs were getting thrown around in the room. Joshua too says Anna was afraid of her stepbrother, but dad Chris Kepner ignored his warnings.

He said, Dad, I tried to tell the parents that this was happening, and they didn't want to believe me. He's like infatuated, attracted her like crazy. He's always wanted to date her. Kepner spoke out yesterday, stating simply that justice needs to be served. He expressed frustration that TH has been released into the custody of a guardian rather than being held in a detention facility. Anna was a high school senior with dreams of cheerleading for the University of Georgia. Her family remembers her as a bubbly and reliable sister who loved her siblings deeply. As for the legal proceedings, the FBI is leading the ongoing investigation. Lawyers for TH and his biological father have not yet responded to requests for comment,

while an attorney for his mother declined to comment. More crime and justice news after this. In another boating-related death investigation, Bahamian authorities have released Brian Hooker, who claims his wife fell overboard from their dinghy on a trip across Elbow Kay back to their yacht. The move came after a 7.20 p.m. legal deadline passed without formal charges being filed. The Royal Bahamas Police Force says the decision followed a consultation with the Department of Public Prosecutions, which recommended Hooker be released while the investigation continues. Hooker had been held since his arrest last Wednesday, April 8th, as investigators scrutinized the timeline of his wife's disappearance.

Lennett was last seen on the night of April 4th, leaving the Abaco Inn in a dinghy bound for their anchored yacht. According to Brian Hooker's account, the situation turned tragic when worsening weather and strong winds caused Lynette to fall overboard. In a phone call to friends, they describe as matter-of-fact and emotionless. Hooker described the incident as a series of mistakes, noting the couple was not wearing life jackets in that the dinghy's ignition key was lost to the water, leaving him powerless to maneuver the boat. She basically just bounced off the dinghy in the middle of a little blow, like 20-some-knott winds that popped up. On a pretty cool half-mile maybe trip back to the dingy and single thing, every single thing, we weren't wearing life jackets. Uh, Bipsey, uh, it was sundown and the sunset like basically 10 minutes after she fell over.

Um, Dini K over with her because it wasn't clipped to anything or anybody. And she had the spare Deng Kee in her dry bag, which was with her. Yeah, it was inflated. Um, I mean, inflated because it was folded, but, uh, the wind blew us apart so fast that I think, I think she tried to swim back to the sailboat, back to our sailboat, which was probably, I don't know, thousand yards or something.

But the waves were three foot, and I was trying to ship the oars, and one of the pins on the oars broke, and that hurt dropped over the side. And I was yelling for her the whole time, and I yelled to her that I lost an oar, and I threw the anchor out, and anchored the dinghy,

and just, yeah, I yelled. I couldn't see her anymore. It was, the moon had not risen yet. He told authorities he eventually paddled for help after an exhaustive search in the dark. While Hooker walked out of the station last night, his legal situation remains in limbo. His attorney, Terrell Butler,

says it's currently unclear if Hooker still possesses his passport or if he is legally permitted to leave the Bahamas. Butler criticized the police for the delay in his release, release, calling the process unacceptable and says Hooker is heartbroken and drained by the ordeal. For now, Hooker has returned to his hotel to reconvene with counsel this morning. It is important to note that under Bahamian law, he could still face arrest in the future as the investigation remains open. For the latest crime and justice breaking news, be sure to follow the Crime Alert hourly update on your favorite podcast app. With this crime alert, I'm Cindy Solvani.