THE father of Anna Kepner who was murdered on a cruise ship has revealed his pain of finding her body hidden underneath a bed.

He has spoken out just weeks before the cheerleader’s teenage stepbrother is due to go to trial as he faces sexual assault and first-degree murder charges.

Anna Kepner’s father Christopher has revealed the pain of finding her body and has vowed not to attend her stepbrother’s murder trial unless he is requested to appearCredit: Facebook
 
Anna Kepner’s 16-year-old stepbrother is accused of sexually assaulting the cheerleader and strangling her to death onboard a Carnival cruise shipCredit: Instagram/shauntel.kepner
Timothy Hudson, 16, has pleaded not guilty and will be tried as an adult on June 1 in Miami.

He is accused of sexually abusing his 18-year-old stepsister and killing her during a family trip on the Carnival Horizon ship on November 6.

Now, Christopher Kepner has revealed the horror of finding his daughter’s body hidden underneath a bed and covered in blankets and life vests.

“I checked her pulse. I pulled her out from under the bed. I knew my daughter was dead long before the medical examiner got there,” he told the Daily Mail.

“I don’t want to be back in that room.”

The grieving father who said he will never heal from the horrific murder, has also made a vow about the upcoming trial.

“Unless they ask for me to be there, neither my wife or I will be attending,” he said.

“I’ve heard all the evidence. I saw it for myself. They have everything they need.

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Timeline of Anna Kepner’s death

Anna Kepner was a high school senior and cheerleader when she found dead on board a Carnival Cruise ship on November 7.

Timeline:

Nov. 2: Carnival Cruise Line’s Horizon disembarks the Port of Miami to begin its six-day journey through the the Caribbean, with stops in Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel, Mexico, before sailing back to Florida.
Nov. 6: Anna Kepner’s family said the 18-year-old teen was with them during the evening, but returned to her room early after telling them she was not feeling well.
Nov. 7: Kepner’s relatives grew concerned after the teenager failed to show up when the family gathered for breakfast that morning.
Nov. 7, 11:17 am: A housekeeper reportedly located Kepner’s body under a bed in her cabin as the family searched the enormous vessel.
Nov. 8: The Carnival Cruise’s Horizon returned to the Port of Miami after Kepner’s body was discovered. The ship was enroute to Mexico but rerouted to Miami.
Officials with the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office board the vessel after it docked in Miami and removed Kepner’s body.
The FBI takes over the investigation as Kepner died on international waters.
Nov. 9: Kepner’s family breaks silence in a statement to ABC News, mourning the teen as someone who would light up any room she walked into.
Nov. 17: Kepner’s stepmom filed an emergency motion in an unrelated custody hearing with her ex-husband indicating the FBI is considering a “criminal case” against a young relative.
The ex-husband of Kepner’s stepmom filed a separate emergency motion revealing that a 16-year-old stepsibling is considered “a suspect” in the “death of the step child during the cruise.”
The 16-year-old “suspect” was briefly placed into custody before being released.
The young relative is currently staying with a third party at an unknown location.
Nov. 21: Kepner was suffocated to death from a chokehold, according to ABC News.
Nov. 24: The teenager’s death was reportedly ruled a homicide.

“It’s going to be too painful to relive it all again.”

Anna’s cause of death was ruled as mechanical asphyxiation and her stepbrother now faces life in prison if convicted.

The 41-year-old is married to Timothy’s mother Shauntel Hudson-Kepner who will also not be at the trial and was incredibly vocal about keeping him in police custody.

She previously told the court that her son took medication for ADHD and insomnia but had not taken the latter for two nights while on the cruise, including the night before Anna’s body was found.

“The situation is deeply painful and complex for the entire family,” Christopher said in an earlier statement.

He added that the family has put its “trust in the justice system to pursue the truth with care and integrity.”

According to the grief-stricken dad, Anna’s stepbrother has shown no remorse about her death and has issued no apology.

Anna’s relatives will be honoring her life on what would have been her 19th birthday on June 13 when the trial is underway.