Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - 'Mystery Male' Eyed as Potential Suspect by Timothy Hudson Defense | Crime Alert 06.05.26

Episode Date: June 5, 2026

We're learning from court transcripts that investigators tested a second male cruise passenger as a potential match to DNA recovered from Anna Kepner's rape kit. Pennsylvania volunteer firefighter confesses he's behind three weekend fires. Promising college football player shot day after his graduation ceremony. 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. We are looking at a massive development in a federal murder case. Newly unsealed court transcripts have revealed a potential twist in the trial of Timothy Hudson, the 16-year-old accused of assaulting and murdering his 18-year-old step-sister, Anna Kepner,

aboard the Carnival Horizon back in November 2025. Anna's father, stepmother, and his father, stepmother. and other family members join her for a six-day carnival cruise to the Western Caribbean. After their last day at Port and Cosmell, Mexico, Anna heads back to her room early, telling family members she isn't feeling well during dinner. The next morning, Anna doesn't join her family for breakfast and isn't answering her door. Her family begins a frantic search for the teen on the 14-deck, 4,000 passenger ship. The kept her family frantically searching for Anna when a housekeeper makes a horrifying discovery.

The maid starts to gather linens for laundry, but notices the shit. sheet missing off the bed. Making the bed, she notices a pile of life jackets stuffed underneath. Removing the life jackets, she discovers the missing sheet wrapped around Anna's body. Now, if you thought this was just an open and shut tragedy, a 145-page detention hearing transcript just threw a wrench into the narrative. Investigators revealed they found DNA from a second mystery male on the victim, an out-of-state juvenile traveler labeled Minor Witness 2, whom Kepner allegedly had consensual sex with earlier during the cruise. The defense is jumping all over this,

arguing that prosecutors are just making assumptions about the timeline. But before you think this mystery male is a viable suspect, the FBI already tracked him down and ran the tests. Here's how the evidence stacks up against stepbrother Timothy Hudson. Minor witness, too, was completely excluded from the specific DNA profile linked to the assault. Prosecutor state one vaginal swab was 120 sextillion times. more likely to match Hudson than a stranger. A second swab was 1.2 septillion times more likely to match him. Additionally, CCTV and phone data show Kepner entering their shared cabin and never leaving. Even worse, her phone's location data mirrored Hudson's movements right before it was found

smashed in a trash bin. Despite the astronomical DNA numbers, the federal judge called the government's case a much closer call than it looks, noting the defense has room to argue. Hudson's trial is locked in for this September. We will see if the jury buys the defense's timeline defense or if those septillion to one odds seal his fate. Moving to eastern Pennsylvania, a volunteer firefighter has been arrested for allegedly setting a string of dangerous fires, just so he could turn around, put on his gear, and play the hero. Justin Sholley, a 29-year-old member of the Perseverance Volunteer Fire Company in Soderton, was arrested Sunday on multiple arson charges. Over the course of just a couple

of days, officials say Shali went on a one-man wrecking spree. Friday morning, a detached garage and barn went up in flames, just 50 feet away from a home with 10 people sleeping inside. Later that afternoon, the perseverance team also responded to a trash fire. The next morning, they were called to a massive blaze consuming a barn, a shed, an outhouse, three cars, and a gazebo. This one was right next to a house with eight people inside. So how did this hero get caught? Investigators use license plate readers to spot his vehicle at the seams. When confronted, Shali didn't just admit to setting all three fires. He confessed that after lighting them, he drove straight to the fire station so he could respond to the emergency calls with his unsuspecting crew. The motive? Shali claimed

one of the properties belonged to an employer who fired him. Here's the kicker. He was fired back in 2015. Holding an 11-year grudge against a former boss is one thing, but endangering 18 lives just to show off your firefighting skills is unhinged. The Perseverance Volunteer Fire Company has suspended Shalee with the intent to remove him, stating his action standing complete opposition to their core values. Shully has not yet entered a plea. More crime and justice news after this. Pride is like love. You feel it in your heart. IR. Radio, Canada's number one streaming app for radio and podcasts, including IHart Pride Canada, your favorite hits and must have party bangers. Plus, personal and curated playlists, like back in the day pride.

Come together, celebrate love. Take pride with you anytime, anywhere. Just ask your smart speaker to play IHart Pride Canada. Stream us on your phone or listen now at iHartRadio.com. Finally, a promising young athlete's life has been cut tragically short by gun violence. An incoming freshman college football player from Georgia has died just days after being shot the morning after his high school graduation ceremony. 18-year-old Gavin Yates Lyons was a rising star.

Yates Lyons had already enrolled at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, after graduating early from high school this past January. He was fully expected to be a major force on the field for Ball State this upcoming football season. Tragedy struck after Yates Lions traveled back home to Georgia to walk across the stage with his peers at Lundas County High School. The very next morning, on May 24th, Yates Lions was in Tallahassee, Florida. Just before 5 a.m., gunfire erupted inside an off-campus parking garage of an apartment complex that caters heavily to Florida State University students. According to local police reports, the shooting took place during an off-campus party. Yates Lyons and two other individuals were struck by bullets.

Family members note that the young athlete was completely innocent, caught directly in the violent crossfire of an argument he had nothing to do with. Medical professionals fought for a week to save him, but Ball State University officially announced his passing on Sunday, May 31st. In a statement, university officials express deep mourning, extending sincere condolences to his family, teammates, and coaches. A GoFundMe campaign organized to assist the family with funeral expenses describes Gavin as a respectful, kind-hearted young man with a deep love for his family. His grieving family shared a poignant message, stating that while their hearts are entirely broken by this tremendous loss, they find comfort knowing Gavin is resting in heaven. At this hour, Tallahassee police can

confirm that the suspect or suspects responsible for pulling the trigger remain entirely at large. For the latest crime and justice breaking news, be sure to tune in tomorrow on your favorite podcast app. With this crime alert, I'm Sidney-Silvani. This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human.