A federal judge in Miami has not yet decided if a 16-year-old boy from Titusville Florida, will be jailed while awaiting trial for the death of his 18-year-old stepsister, Anne Kepner.
The teenager remains free for now following a court hearing on Wednesday.
The teen is accused of sexually assaulting and killing Kepner last November aboard a Carnival cruise ship in international waters.
Although he was initially charged as a juvenile and allowed to live with an uncle under electronic monitoring, prosecutors are now seeking to have him detained because he is prosecuted as an adult and faces a potential life sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alejandra L. Lopez argued for detention, stating, “I believe there is clear and convincing evidence that this defendant is a danger to the community.”
She further noted that “(the) defendant’s exposure to punishment has changed substantially.
Meanwhile, the victim’s father, Christopher Kepner, has previously expressed the family’s “trust in the justice system to pursue the truth with care and integrity.”
The judge postponed his final ruling opting to first coordinate with U.S. Marshals regarding the logistics of where the teen might be held if he is taken into custody.
