Anna Kepner’s younger brother reportedly heard “yelling” and “chairs being thrown” inside her cruise stateroom the night before the 18-year-old Florida cheerleader was found dead, her devastated ex-boyfriend said.
The apparent commotion went down as Kepner was in the locked cabin alone with her 16-year-old stepbrother – a “suspect” in her killing, Joshua Westin told “Inside Edition” outside her Orlando, Florida, funeral Thursday night.
Westin said he learned of the apparent disturbance from speaking with Kepner’s 14-year-old brother, who was on the Carnival Horizon voyage with their family.
“He heard [the stepbrother] yelling at her in a harmful way of like ‘shut the hell up’ and stuff like that and that’s when [the brother] knew there was something going on,” Westin said, who affectionately called Kepner his “first love.”
Kepner “didn’t feel safe around” her stepbrother, her former beau also told the outlet.
Westin also claimed that in the past his ex had been sexually harassed by her stepsibling, but she kept quiet over fears for her safety.
“She was scared to tell anybody because she was scared that he would do something to her,” said Westin.
Kepner was allegedly strangled to death in a bar hold and died from asphyxiation from the vicious move – an arm across her neck – and had two bruises on the side of her throat, a source close to the investigation told ABC News Friday.
There were no apparent signs of sexual assault, nor were there drugs or alcohol in her system, the insider said.
The teen – lovingly nicknamed “Anna Banana” by her family – was found dead aboard the Carnival vessel on Nov. 8, her lifeless body stashed under her cabin bed, wrapped in a blanket and covered in a pile of life vests, ABC reported.
Here is the latest on Anna Kepner, cheerleader found dead on Carnival Cruise
While there is still no word on who carried out the grisly act, the FBI is allegedly zeroing in on Kepner’s stepbrother as a possible suspect in the slaying, according to court papers filed by her stepmother, Shauntel Hudson.
Kepner’s blended family had been on a six-day Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Horizon when a maid made the horrifying discovery.
The teen had reportedly been sharing a stateroom with her 14-year-old brother and 16-year-old stepbrother – the latter a “suspect” – when the tragedy unfolded.
Although federal investigators have remained tight-lipped, the girl’s ex-boyfriend’s father claimed the suspected stepbrother had a disturbing fixation on her – allegedly hounding her for a relationship and even once caught climbing on top of her while she slept.
“She was scared of him because he always carried around a big knife,” Joshua’s father told “Inside Edition” Thursday.
“He’s like infatuated, attracted to her like crazy. He always wanted to date her.”
Kepner’s ex tried to warn the girl’s parents, but they apparently didn’t believe the concerned teen.
The devout Christian, who was baptized in May, was set to graduate in the spring from Temple Christian School in Titusville, Florida. She had plans to join the US Navy after graduation and eventually become a K9 police officer.
An obituary written by her loved ones described the teen as a girl who “loved the sun, the water, boat days, island days, and beach days, anything that let her soak in the light she so easily radiated to others.”
“She never had a filter, and that was part of her charm,” they heartbreakingly recalled.
“She had a big, beautiful heart, often sending random ‘I love you’ messages or little gestures that made someone’s day,” the missive read.
Kepner’s funeral was held Thursday – but family drama took center stage, with her mother reportedly barred from attending due to long-standing family tensions, but sported a wig and snuck in anyway.
Read the full article here
