Florida
Anna Kepner’s mom says stepbrother being charged with first-degree murder
The stepbrother of Anna Kepner, the Florida teen found dead on a cruise ship, is being charged with first-degree murder, according to Kepner’s mom.
Kepner, an 18-year-old cheerleader from Titusville, was found dead under a bed Nov. 7 by a person cleaning the cabin she shared with her stepbrother and another sibling aboard the Carnival Horizon. Her death was ruled a homicide and she reportedly died by strangulation.
FBI officials confirmed they are investigating the case, however, they have not released any information about potential suspects. The FBI did not return a call seeking comment.
Court documents related to a custody case involving the stepbrother’s parents had earlier revealed the 16-year-old was being mentioned as a suspect. And the 16-year-old stepbrother reportedly appeared before a federal magistrate in a locked Miami courtroom Feb. 6.
“They are going to charge … her 16-year-old stepbrother with first-degree murder and there are going to be some other charges brought, but I’m not sure what they are yet. Until they tell me I don’t know more,” Kepner’s biological mom, Heather Wright, posted on her TikTok account.
The roughly 30-second video does not mention where she is getting her information. Kepner’s biological mother lives Oklahoma and has said she only found out about her daughter’s death days after it happened.
Anna Kepner’s stepbrother appears in Miami court
The 16-year-old stepbrother appeared before a federal magistrate on Feb. 6 with public defenders, prosecutors and U.S. Marshals, according to NBC 6 in Miami.
The docket for the judge was sealed and any charges the teen may face have not been officially released. After the teen appeared before a federal judge, he was seen walking to another courthouse and into a probation office where defendants are processed for pretrial release, according to NBC 6 in Miami.
The Miami Dade Medical Examiner’s Office has not released Kepner’s cause of death, but various media reports state she was strangled.
Documents also show the stepbrother was taken to a facility following the cruise where he stayed for an undetermined amount of time. He then went to live with a relative in another part of Florida where his mother said in a court hearing he was undergoing therapy.
Who was Anna Kepner?
Kepner, an “A” student at Temple Christian School in Titusville, Florida, was described by family and friends as “pure energy: bubbly, funny, outgoing.”
She received her boaters license before she could drive and had plans to join the U.S. Navy after her high school graduation next year with long-term plans to become a K9 officer. A lifelong gymnast, Kepner was active on her school’s cheerleading team.
Hundreds of people showed up for her celebration of life Nov. 20. In the days after her death, loved ones turned her car into a makeshift memorial with flowers, balloons and messages.
Michelle Spitzeris a journalist for The USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA. As the network’s Rapid Response reporter, she covers Florida’s breaking news. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
Austin Smotherman will carry a three-stroke lead into the weekend at the Cognizant Classic at The Palm Beaches.
Smotherman followed his opening 62 with a 2-under-par 69 on Friday at PGA National’s Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. That brought him to 11 under, comfortably clear of Taylor Moore, who is in second after his second straight 4-under 67.
Cognizant Classic scoreboard
“Yeah, leading a PGA Tour event, come on, pretty awesome,” Smotherman said.
Smotherman, 31, is in fine position for his first win on the PGA Tour since turning pro a decade ago. He has won three times on the Korn Ferry Tour, including last June.
Afterwards, he credited himself with playing “Austin Smotherman golf.” When asked what that meant, he responded, “as boring and simple as it can be.
“That’s what I want to do out there. I feel like I ball strike it good enough to have that kind of boring golf, a bunch of fairways ideally,” he said.
He suffered three bogeys Friday after a bogey-free opening round, but the key stretch for him after starting on the back nine was between Nos. 17 and 3. He birdied four holes in that stretch, starting with a 54-foot bomb at the par-3 17th hole.
“Anything under par I thought would have been (good) following up a round like yesterday, which was a special one,” he said, “and try not to get too far ahead of myself thinking I’m going to make every long putt I’m looking at, like kind of was the feeling yesterday, and then today I still make a 55-footer on 17.”
Moore overcame a bogey in each half of his round with three birdies on either nine, more than counterbalancing the rough patches to earn his second straight solid score.
“I think very different 67s,” Moore said when comparing his rounds. “I didn’t hit many fairways yesterday, kind of grinded a lot, had a couple chip-ins, which obviously helps. I thought I struck the ball much better today. Drove it in the fairways on the par-5s, I felt like. Yeah, still had a few up-and- downs, obviously, with the tough windy conditions this afternoon, but overall I thought it was solid.”
Canadian A.J. Ewart had the round of the day, a 64 that powered him to 7 under for the week. He’s tied with Colombia’s Nico Echavarria (72), and Joel Dahmen is in fifth at 6 under after a second consecutive 68.
Ewart, who played for nearby Barry University in college, came in with some familiarity.
“We used to come and watch this tournament when I was at school. I think I came up here twice, maybe three times and watched,” Ewart said. “I had never actually played the golf course, but I felt like I knew it just from watching it.”
Irishman Shane Lowry, one of the most recognizable players in the field, is in a large knot for sixth at 5 under after posting a 67. Defending champion Joe Highsmith made the cut on the number at even par.
Notable players who missed the cut included Webb Simpson (1 over), Gary Woodland (2 over), Matt Kuchar (2 over) and Canada’s Adam Hadwin (3 over).
Kim maintains narrow lead in Singapore
Auston Kim maintained a narrow lead over three seasoned competitors with a 3-under-par 69 on Friday at the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore.
Kim carded five birdies and a double-bogey at the par-5 16th hole at Sentosa Golf Club to move to 9-under par, one shot ahead of major champions Minjee Lee of Australia (64 on Friday) and Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn (67) and three- time LPGA Tour winner Haeran Ryu of South Korea (68).
Lurking two shots back at 7-under in the no-cut event are Australia’s Hannah Green (66), Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen (68), Sweden’s Linn Grant (69) and England’s Mimi Rhodes (69).
Kim, an LPGA Tour member since 2024, has been knocking on the door of her first tour win. The American has eight finishes in the top 10 and was the runner-up at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship last season.
“I think just sticking to my process. I’m trying to earn each shot and win each shot and win each day,” Kim, 25, said of her strategy heading into the weekend. “I can put a hundred percent of my focus into every single shot and try my best to execute each time, I’ll do well.”
Lee soared into contention with an eagle at the par-4 second hole and six birdies in a bogey-free round.
“I think just I holed a few more putts out there,” Lee said of the difference between Friday’s play and her opening-round of 72. “I holed a few long ones and I also holed out for eagle on the second. That always helps the score.”
Jutanugarn had six birdies, including three straight from holes Nos. 5-7, and one bogey.
Ryu collected four birdies in a round free of bogeys, but not free from pain.
“Today, my neck was so bad and I cannot turn it around, it’s so hard, my neck,” Ryu said. “But yeah, golf is not perfect. I just think about it, just hit the fairway and the green. Yeah, that’s good for me. There’s a lot of birdies, and yeah, I’m so happy.”
Angel Yin matched Lee for the low round of the day with a 64 to move into a tie for ninth at 6-under.
Defending champion Lydia Ko of New Zealand (72) remained a 2-under posting four birdies and four bogeys.
World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand is tied for 33rd at 1-under after a round of 70.
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