Federal prosecutors are trying to put accused teen killer T.H., 16, behind bars as his case in the cruise ship death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner.
In a filing last week reviewed by Fox News Digital, prosecutors asked a judge to revisit the teenager’s release and either jail him before trial or tighten the rules of his release, arguing the case has changed now that he is being prosecuted as an adult.
The 16-year-old, whom authorities have only identified by his initials, is charged with first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse in Kepner’s November death aboard a Carnival cruise ship. On Tuesday, T.H.’s attorney, Eric Cohen, filed papers waiving the teen’s appearance at his arraignment in court on Wednesday and entering a plea of not guilty on his behalf.
Prosecutors allege he sexually assaulted and killed his stepsister during the family vacation. The government alleges that he was originally released when the case was being handled under juvenile law, but now that he has been transferred to adult prosecution, the judge should take a fresh look at whether he should still be free. Meanwhile, the defense says he should remain free while the judge decides.
The move comes as Christopher Kepner, Anna’s father, told the Daily Mail that he is outraged that the accused murderer is still allowed to live with a relative despite being federally charged as an adult.
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“We’re upset that he’s still out. We’re six months in, and he should already have been arrested, and yet he’s free to do whatever he wants right now,” Christopher Kepner told the outlet. “That’s our problem. He’s been able to do whatever he wants and go where he wants, but the family’s been sitting here unable to do anything.”
The filing also spells out the timeline of the case, previously unknown, saying T.H. was first charged in February, later indicted by a federal grand jury on March 10, and formally transferred to adult prosecution on April 10.
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If convicted, the teen faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
“I want to see him in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs. He does not need to be free. He does not need to be in the general public, around any kids or women in general,” Christopher Kepner said.
“He’s a danger to himself and a danger to others.”
The unfolding legal battle come months after Anna, affectionately called “Anna banana,” was found dead onboard the cruise ship during a family vacation with her father, stepmother, grandparents and several siblings.
Authorities later ruled her death a homicide caused by “mechanical asphyxiation,” according to documents previously reviewed by Fox News Digital.
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According to investigators, she was found under the bed in her cabin, wrapped in a blanket and covered with life jackets. The cabin was shared with her stepbrother.
Fox News Digital has reached out to T.H.’s attorneys for comment.
“Our hearts go out to the victim’s family during this unimaginable loss,” U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida said. “A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging serious offenses that allegedly occurred aboard a vessel in international waters. We will present the evidence in court and pursue this case with professionalism and care. As in every case, the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”
