In short
This episode discusses the ongoing investigation into the death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner on a cruise departing Miami in November, where she was found under her mattress wrapped in a sheet with life jackets beneath. The alleged cause is homicidal mechanical asphyxiation (strangulation). A 16-year-old stepbrother is described as a suspect, with claims that only Anna and the stepbrother were in the room during the relevant time, based on alleged CCTV.
Guests/backgrounds
The transcript is a documentary-style narration with no clearly identified podcast guests. It references multiple people involved in the case, including Anna’s grandparents, her biological mother Heather, her ex-boyfriend Josh, and custody litigants Thomas Hudson (stepbrother’s biological father) and Chantel Hudson (stepbrother’s mother/Anna’s stepmother).
Key claims
A 100+ page custody filing includes text messages Thomas submitted, including an alleged line about “can’t jeopardize your marriage for helping your son.” The stepbrother was reportedly placed on a psych hold and moved to a third party after being released from a hospital. The episode also recounts an April 22, 2024 incident where Andrew (17 at the time) testified he was forcibly restrained/choked by Chris and Chantel.
Notable examples
Andrew’s testimony about his phone being taken and “Life360” being disabled; Chantel’s court testimony that she learned of Anna’s death Friday morning; and a dismissed 2024 civil case about alleged gun return/ownership involving Andrew and the stepbrother.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOThe Mysterious Death of Anna Kepner
0:33 to 1:20
Exploring the circumstances surrounding Anna Kepner's death on a cruise.
“Watch Maternal Instinct now, only on Netflix.”
Suspicion Towards the Stepbrother
1:20 to 2:08
Delving into the stepbrother's suspicious behavior and the family dynamics.
“This is the cruise where 18-year-old Anna Kepner is found dead underneath her mattress, hidden by, she's like wrapped in a sheet.”
Legal Disclaimers and Background
2:08 to 3:20
Providing disclaimers and context about the ongoing investigation and parties involved.
“In fact, the grandparents seem to indicate that the CCTV footage would show that only Anna and her stepbrother were the sole occupants of the room during the suspected murder time.”
Cruise Family Dynamics and Sleeping Arrangements
3:20 to 4:28
Description of the family structure and sleeping arrangements during the cruise.
“Should there be any updates, you can visit the Rotten Mango channel on YouTube where there will likely be a pinned comment or a follow-up.”
Text Messages Revealing Family Tensions
4:28 to 5:24
Reviewing strange text messages that indicate family tensions following the incident.
“We also covered statements made by Anna's ex-boyfriend and aunt that allege that the stepbrother had a history of creepy and obsessive behavior towards Anna and even that her father knew about it.”
Custody Hearing and Allegations
5:24 to 6:57
Details of the custody hearing and the allegations against the stepbrother.
“without someone being indicted, without a trial happening.”
Claims of Child Neglect and Abuse
6:57 to 8:23
Discussion of claims regarding the safety and care of the children involved.
“the 16-year-old child is now a suspect in the death of the stepchild during the cruise.”
Investigating Activities on the Cruise
8:23 to 10:05
Examining allegations of inappropriate behavior and activities during the cruise.
“Chris's daughter Anna had maybe potentially been murdered by Chantel's 16-year-old son.”
Andrew's Testimony and Family Conflict
10:05 to 12:18
Exploring Andrew's testimony during the custody hearing and family conflicts.
“And not only did that happen, but mom contacted dad and dad signed an agreement to say that the child would be placed with a third party, thereby removing any risk of danger to any of the other children in the house.”
Andrew's Day of the Incident
14:00 to 16:40
Learn about Andrew's unusual day leading up to the incident.
“and this is why she didn't want me staying over there.”
Show all 28 chapters
Confrontation in the Car
16:40 to 19:40
Explore the details of the confrontation Andrew faced during the car ride.
“He put his arm around my neck and pushed me up against the front seat So was your head pinned against the front seat?”
Chantel's Version of Events
19:40 to 22:22
Investigate Chantel's perspective on the incident and family dynamics.
“And then he responds again, just for showing up for my kid and told I wasn't supposed to be there.”
Documentary Promotion: Maternal Instinct
22:22 to 24:09
Learn about the upcoming documentary 'Maternal Instinct' on Netflix.
“Unknown Number, The Crash, And now, the new must-see documentary, Maternal Instinct, tells the story of Taylor Parker.”
Documentary Promotion: Maternal Instinct
24:15 to 24:26
Learn about the upcoming documentary 'Maternal Instinct' on Netflix.
“Cut your wireless bill to$15 a month at mintmobile.com slash rotten.”
Thomas's Ongoing Communication
24:26 to 28:00
Follow Thomas's attempts to communicate with Chantel and the children.
“Speed slower above 40 gigabytes on unlimited plan.”
Handling the Immediate Aftermath
28:00 to 28:50
Learn about the family's immediate response and concerns following the incident.
“Just to get her away from the situation, I promise you I'm not going to keep her from you or anything.”
Speculations and Reactions
28:50 to 30:10
Explore the conversations surrounding the accusations and the family's reactions to unfolding events.
“You will be the only one that I will be calling I get that but I mean have you talked to him while he's at the facility?”
Protecting the Minor's Identity
30:10 to 31:40
Discussion about protecting the minor's name and navigating public speculation.
“He is a minor, so his name shouldn't be anywhere.”
Communication with Authorities
31:40 to 32:40
Insights into the family's communication with the FBI and medical professionals.
“Can I please talk to our daughter when you get a chance just for a little while?”
Custody Arrangements Unfold
32:40 to 34:10
Review the tensions in custody arrangements and the emotional struggles involved.
“And this is the first time we will be home without our son and Anna.”
Courtroom Dynamics
34:10 to 36:40
An overview of the custody hearing and Chantel's testimony regarding emotional stability.
“Per our parenting time, I want it known that you did not allow our daughter to go on my weekend.”
Civil Case Against Chantel
36:40 to 38:10
Details about a civil lawsuit against Chantel and the implications for family dynamics.
“she has the emotional affect of drywall at some point did you discover that one of the children had passed away?”
Reactions from Family and Community
38:10 to 40:10
Community reactions to the situation and the emotional disconnect seen in the family.
“It is absolutely a very sad and heartbreaking ordeal.”
Media Influence and Personal Grief
40:10 to 42:01
Discussion about media portrayals and personal grief experiences in the wake of tragedy.
“I mean, a lot of people think that both Chantal and Thomas suck.”
The Complex Family Dynamics Post-Tragedy
42:01 to 45:27
Explore the intricate relationships and reactions following Anna's tragic death.
“It's become, again, another contentious divorce thing.”
Investigating the Circumstances of Anna's Death
47:08 to 55:42
Delve into the speculations and investigations surrounding Anna's tragic passing.
“Then you have Chantal Kepner, who's sitting here, like doesn't care, has the emotional depth of drywall that has not even been painted with a pretty color.”
Unresolved Questions and Community Reactions
55:42 to 56:00
Consider the lingering questions and community responses in the aftermath of the case.
“So there is a speculation that maybe the FBI is also using this court hearing to see how things play out because maybe they're looking into more people than just the stepson or the stepbrother.”
Exploring Reactions to the Case
56:00 to 58:10
Listeners will learn about various public reactions and comments surrounding the case.
“This is why to which people are commenting question mark question mark.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Netflix has done it again. Unknown number, the crash, and now the new must-see documentary maternal instinct tells the story of taylor parker while claiming to come from a wealthy family she fell for wade griffin a hog trapper in a small texas town their relationship appeared perfect complete with a pregnancy that she shared all over her social media but doubts around her pregnancy grew and when the truth finally surfaced it brought horrifying consequences meet taylor parker the youngest woman on death row and the town that knew she was lying but did nothing to stop her. Watch Maternal Instinct now, only on Netflix.
1:02The video is rated R. 8-Peters, June 19th. Get tickets now. Bada bing, bada boo. There is no such thing as step-siblings. This is a statement made by Anna Kepner's paternal grandparents who were with her on a recent cruise in November departing from Miami. This is the cruise where 18-year-old Anna Kepner is found dead underneath her mattress, hidden by, she's like wrapped in a sheet. She's covered with life jackets under the mattress. Anna Kepner's cause of death was found to be homicidal mechanical asphyxiation, meaning that she was strangled to death by someone on that cruise while they're out in the deep ocean, and it was very likely that it was someone in the very exact same room as Anna Kepner.
1:48Which is why this comment from her grandparents is just particularly odd to a lot of netizens. because Anna's 16-year-old stepbrother, the stepbrother that she's only known for about two years, the stepbrother that her dad wanted her to share a room with on this cruise with no other adult in there, he is currently a suspect in her murder. In fact, the grandparents seem to indicate that the CCTV footage would show that only Anna and her stepbrother were the sole occupants of the room during the suspected murder time. But what's weird is that her grandparents are not the only suspicious adults in this entire story.
2:25Anna's own dad and Anna's stepmom, the mother of the 16-year-old brother who's suspected in her murder, they were just recently seen walking into court, gripping each other's hands. Their faces are blank, but it's clear they are a united front. This is part two of the Anna Kepner cruise ship murder.
3:03If you haven't watched our previous episode, I recommend listening to that first, as this episode probably won't make a lot of sense, even with the summary that I'm about to share. But I'm just going to give you a quick few disclaimers. There are potentially inter-familial crimes, as well as speculated essay. This case is ongoing, so everything covered will extend to the publishing date. Should there be any updates, you can visit the Rotten Mango channel on YouTube where there will likely be a pinned comment or a follow-up. Most statements have been shortened or condensed for brevity and all the names of the minors included, including the alleged suspect, will not be disclosed for legal reasons.
3:35There have been no formal charges either, so as of right now, everything is public speculation and it's available online for you to see. In part one, we introduced you to this massive blended family as well as the sleeping arrangements in the cruise. So on the cruise, you have three rooms for nine family members. In one room, you have Anna's grandpa and grandma from her dad's side. In another room is Anna's biological dad, Chris Kepner, and his wife, Anna's stepmom, Chantel. And in that room, they had two youngest minor daughters. So they had Chris's 10-year-old daughter from a previous marriage.
4:09They had Chantel's 9-year-old daughter from a previous marriage. And then in the third room, you have 18-year-old Anna Kepner. You have her 14-year-old half-brother from a previous stepmom. and then you have her 16-year-old teenage step-sibling. This is Chantel's son. This is from a previous marriage with Chantel. This is the suspect. We also covered statements made by Anna's ex-boyfriend and aunt that allege that the stepbrother had a history of creepy and obsessive behavior towards Anna and even that her father knew about it. They said that he was warned multiple times and he did nothing to stop any of this.
4:42And the only reason that we know that this stepbrother is a suspect with the federal investigation into Anna Kepner's murder is because Chantel, his mom, and a stepmother, was in court with her previous husband named Thomas. Thomas is the biological dad of the stepson. And they are in an emergency court custody hearing initiated by Thomas. This is where it brings us to part two, where we just have a 100-plus page document. Half of it are text message evidence entered in by Thomas, Chantel's ex-husband, where they go through. I mean, we have text messages from when Chantel is texting her ex-husband 36 hours after Anna Kepner is found dead on this cruise.
5:23We've never really had information come out this quickly in this sort of court document without someone being indicted, without a trial happening. I mean, this is in real time. We're getting their initial thoughts through their text messages, all provided by Thomas Hudson. And as of right now, no one has been arrested, but these text messages are just very weird. So with that being said, let's get into part two. The reason that we know so much about this investigation so far, because it probably would have been just radio silence up until this point, is because of the custody hearing. The 100 plus page court filing that was done by Thomas Hudson against Chantel Hudson and the fight for the nine-year-old girl that is right now in Chantel and Chris's care.
6:07And there's this very revealing text message inside of this entire document where Thomas Hudson last year had texted Chantel. I kept my mouth shut when you told me that you can't jeopardize your marriage for helping your son. And it seems like they're referring to the 16 year old boy, the 16 year old son. What could that mean? I don't know. Huh, jeopardize. What does he mean that nobody knows? I mean, they have these very splotchy text message exchanges where they're talking about something very serious and then they won't talk to each other for a month and then they'll be messaging each other about something completely unrelated.
6:44Whether they have phone conversations to fill in the caps, I don't know. Thomas Hudson alleges that he has not been allowed to have input in any of the minor children's lives, which has negatively impacted their kids. He states now the stepbrother is, quote, the 16-year-old child is now a suspect in the death of the stepchild during the cruise. Then it continues on a later page, the 16-year-old's future has been put in jeopardy because of the choices made by the respondent, Chantel. Thomas Hudson believes and states that now the youngest child, their daughter, is, quote, at immediate risk of abuse, abandonment, or neglect.
7:15However, Chantel is arguing the opposite, that Thomas Hudson is a very bad person to place minor children in the care of, stating that the children themselves have been terrified of him since even beginning of 2024. Her attorneys argue at a recent hearing that at one point Thomas had trackers on the kids. He came to the minor children once yelling and screaming at them to get their ass out and come see him. Quote, he's very vulgar and very rude. There was a natural fear that these children had about going with their father. Chantel and her attorney allege that if anyone is alienating any of the children from their parents It's thomas that he has not allowed chantel to have any access to their eldest son andrew Who is now 18 years old by the way, but he was 17 for the longest time She claims that they were not allowing her to see him Chantel's attorney argues thomas is in violation of the very agreement that he's accusing mom of being in violation of You cannot ask to hold somebody in contempt of an order that they're not themselves in compliance with But more than that, both of them have agreed to place the 16-year-old son in the care of a third party.
8:15So Chantel argues, how can their daughter be in danger from her 16-year-old brother if he's not even in the house anymore? About a month after Anna's murder, Chris and Chantel walk into the courthouse for this custody hearing holding hands. Chris's daughter Anna had maybe potentially been murdered by Chantel's 16-year-old son. That's crazy. The attorney for Thomas Hudson, the stepbrother's biological father. So this is Thomas. Yeah, Thomas. The attorney states in short, Your Honor, in this case, obviously, it is our position that the youngest child is at risk for a number of reasons. As the court is aware through the pleadings, there's a young lady who's passed away.
8:54That matter is still under investigation. That was not my client's child, but the stepchild of the mother in this case. And the remaining 16-year-old is now a suspect in that case. So this is how we figure out that the 16-year-old is a suspect. The FBI doesn't tell us. The court hearings tell us. The mother took the children both on a cruise against my client's wishers. The attorney accuses or rather insinuates that Chantel let the children drink on the cruise, stating there's indications that they may have because they were all in international waters, may have been engaging in activities that they normally couldn't engage in while they were on the U.S.
9:28properly being supervised. To which Chantel and her attorney argue, there is no emergency that exists. there was an accident on the cruise ship. Like, what does this have to do with anything? Which is kind of like the understatement that everybody has a distaste for. But they continue, the Federal Bureau of Investigations is investigating that. There have been no arrests made yet, but since my client, Chantel, were advised that the stepbrother was the suspect in this after he was released from the hospital. So this is when we're finding out that after they disembark, he immediately is put on a psych hold or some sort of psychiatric evaluation in a hospital.
10:03and then he's placed in the care of a third party. And not only did that happen, but mom contacted dad and dad signed an agreement to say that the child would be placed with a third party, thereby removing any risk of danger to any of the other children in the house. So that has been resolved. At this point, we're not sure what the FBI is going to do, whether he's going to be charged federally or whether they're going to turn it over to the state. So this seems like there's likely going to be an arrest made, the way that they're phrasing it. I feel like if they were more confident that he was potentially not guilty, the word usage would have been much stronger.
10:38Like, everyone's a suspect. Doesn't mean anything, okay? But instead, it's like, we don't know if he's going to get charged federally or in state. It's kind of like, okay, we're getting a little bit of information of how this case is being handled behind the scenes, and it seems like you know something might happen soon. Chantal also disputes the idea that the children were drinking alcohol, stating, no, they didn't. They're not old enough. she's asked about Anna who's 18. What about Anna? I don't know. Which I think okay I don't know if I'm reading too much into it I just think it's weird because Anna's family have already come out to say that there was no alcohol in her system so why don't you just say no or why don't you just say no there was no alcohol in her system or not that I know of but just like I don't know it just gave me I don't know Anna's crazy and my boy is not.
11:19I know he was not drinking. I see. Because then she's asked again were you aware that the children were gambling at some point? Well Anna's 18 so I know she was in there at one point in time but the other kids were not. You're sure that the other kids were not gambling? I'm sure the other kids were not gambling. Which again, I am, if anything, a nitpicker at the end of the day. Okay, some people pick and choose their battles. I like to nitpick and when it comes to these things, this is not an insinuation of guilt or innocence but the way she talks about Anna feels very, well that's not my child, she's 18.
11:49It's just weird. She just overly emphasizes that Anna is 18 and she was in the casino. It just gave me a very unsettling feeling. Her attorney asks her, Anna was 18, correct? Correct. She was an adult? Correct. And was she given the option of staying in another room? All three of the kids were. And that room would have been with grandma and grandpa. Correct. And they didn't want to do that. No, they wanted to stay together. Which again, I don't know how that would be feasible because if Anna leaves the room, then you don't have an adult in the room. And that could have posed a problem. Thomas Hudson gets on the stand.
12:21So this is the boy's father. And he states that he never prohibited their eldest son from calling Chantel. He just, the eldest son did not want to talk to Chantel. Quote, he has his own phone and I've always left that up to him if he wants to call her, talk to her or anything. Now, Andrew, the eldest son, becomes very pivotal in all of this for a few reasons. The attorney asks Thomas Hudson to describe an incident where Chantel and Chris allegedly kidnap Andrew and choke him. What? The attorney states, he, Andrew, will testify about the restraint that happened by Mr. Chris Kepner and by Chantel.
12:57Basically, they held him in the back of the seat. Christopher Kepner had reached back and had his head pinned against the back of the headrest. And there's photographs to show neck damage. Wait, Andrew testified? What is happening? Andrew does testify. He gets up on the stand and he is 17 when Chantel and Chris get married and they move in together. Chantel is trying to take all three kids with her. But Andrew's 17 and he bargains with his mom. He's like, I want to stay back because not only are you just moving in with this like man and all of his kids, I want to stay in the high school that I've been going to with the friends that I'm about to graduate.
13:32I'm a senior. Like, this is crazy for me to move to a different county right when I'm about to graduate. So he convinces Chantel that he's going to stay with Thomas. and then eventually, I think at one point, he explains to Chantel that even after graduating high school, he might want to stay with his dad and that is when, according to Andrew and Thomas, shit hits the fan. He's asked, how did your mother respond to that? This revelation that you want to stay with your dad even after graduating high school. She said this is what she was afraid of and this is why she didn't want me staying over there.
14:02Fast forward to the incident on April 22nd, 2024. Do you roughly remember that day? Andrew says, yes. What happened on that day? I was called up to the front office and I originally didn't know what was going on, so I came up without my stuff. I realized my mom was there to pick me up, so I had to go back to my classroom, grab my stuff, and then I walked out to the car. They asked me to give them my phone and they powered off my phone and then they told me, let me stop you right there. Did you have any knowledge or idea that your mother was going to school to get you on that particular day? No, sir.
14:34Were you surprised that you saw your mother? Yes, sir. Was Christopher Kepner there as well? I don't remember if he was in the office at the time, but he was in the car He says once he gets into the car, they take his phone They power it off because he has life 360, which means his dad can see his location in real time But if the phone is off, you cannot see the location Andrew says I was going to try and text my dad But I couldn't because they had my phone and I couldn't communicate with anybody He's asked, did you want to go with your mother and Christopher Kepner on that day? No, sir. Was that against your will?
15:02Yes, sir Which again, I have a lot of reason to trust Andrew not just because Andrew is stating it, which I do think that I should trust that to a great degree, but also because there are emails from Thomas Hudson to Chantel that read, I don't think you understand what you put him through, referring to Andrew. I was hoping we were making steps in the right direction. Of course he's comfortable to go with me, but not with people that forcibly took him against his will. Chantel does not immediately refute this over the messages. And Thomas continues to say that it's very hard for Andrew to spend time with his siblings.
15:33it's already hard enough for Andrew to see you who he feels very uncomfortable with because you, his mom, basically tried to kidnap him but he definitely doesn't want to see Chris who also tried to kidnap him and like what the hell does Chris have anything to do with it? Chris has nothing to do with Andrew. Thomas writes to Chantel I meant Chris being there in general is what Andrew doesn't want it's rough enough on him with you there. So they're arranging for the three siblings to hang out but you know Thomas is saying Andrew doesn't really like seeing you He definitely doesn't like seeing Chris So it's just rough Why does Andrew dislike Chris so much?
16:08The attorney asks Andrew in court So what happened once you were in that vehicle and they took your phone? I gave them my phone, they powered it off They told me where I was going, that I was going to start school over there Which was against everything we've talked about I told them, no I wasn't And when we tried to come to a stop, I had tried getting out What was your intention of trying to get out of the vehicle once it came to a stop? Trying to get out of the vehicle so they couldn't take me away from everything and then what did chris keppner do at that point they had held me against the seat and he put his arm around the back of my neck holding me up against the front seat basically in a choke hold she held me there as well how was he held again he's like head he's in the back seat and they yeah put his like head up against the front seat headrest they were also in the back seat they had gotten out oh wow was your mother still in the front seat or did she go to the back seat At that time, she had crawled to the back seat and started holding me down And then Christopher Kepner, what exactly did he do with his arm?
17:04He put his arm around my neck and pushed me up against the front seat So was your head pinned against the front seat? Yes, sir And did you remain conscious the whole time or did you black out? I believe I blacked out once or twice on the way over there This is, I mean, eventually he does make it back to his dad's But Chantel says that's not at all what happened Chantel's version of the story is I mean, Andrew was just being dramatic He jumped out of the car because he wanted to be with his girlfriend that, you know, goes to that high school. And this is like a boy in love. It's not an abusive, violent situation.
17:36That's fucking crazy. Come on. Who jumps out of the car for no reason? In an email from Chantel to Thomas, she's trying to invite Andrew, their eldest child, you know, to SeaWorld with the other kids. So he's like the younger minor kids want to go to SeaWorld and they want their older brother there. And I don't know why this irks me so much, but it does. Chantel responds, we have church tomorrow. If Andrew truly wants to see redacted and redacted, we will be at Aquatic next Saturday and we'll gladly give him a ticket in. I don't know why. It's like, that's your son. Like gladly give him a ticket in.
18:07It's just weird. Her energy is just weird. And Thomas is so much more focused on the fact that Chris is going to be there, understandably so. So he writes, okay, Andrew doesn't want Chris there. Will that be a problem? I just don't want any stressful situation for any of the kids. This is going to be a lot for them as it is. Chantel responds. So it's okay for Andrew to go to SeaWorld with his girlfriend last weekend, but not spend time with his brother and sister doing the same thing. Something that both of them have repeatedly asked and invited Andrew to go to either Aquatica or SeaWorld. It gives them something to do that is longer than an hour.
18:37You keep bringing up Chris. Never once did I say he was trying to hang out with Andrew. Yes, he will be there and he will be going with from here on out per Redacted and Redacted's request. But that doesn't mean that he will be interacting with Andrew. We are not trying to corner Andrew, which that doesn't mean anything. Him being there is the problem that Thomas brought up. And she's just saying like, what do you mean? He's not trying to hang out with him, but that's not the concern. Thomas Hudson has just dumped all of this along with other messages. And there does seem to be evidence pointing to perhaps Chantel alienating the two minor kids.
19:10At least that's what Thomas is indicating in this court filing. He keeps messaging her. I haven't seen my kids since April. I haven't talked much with everything that's happened. When can we get things back on track to how they're supposed to be? We will still not be able to have holidays together, in my opinion, after all you've said I've done to you and to the kids. He writes, why would you ever be okay with me being in your house when I was trespassing? So it seems like he's saying your lie doesn't make sense or your alleged lie doesn't make sense. And then the way that you're finally okay with it again doesn't make sense.
19:41And then he responds again, just for showing up for my kid and told I wasn't supposed to be there. Help me understand that. In one text message to Chantel, Thomas writes again, you know what's going on. It's going to come to light. Redacted and redacted are just scared to upset you. Not them afraid of me. That's straight from the source. I love my kids and will not give up on them. It's been a long time coming. Seems like there's so much going on. Yeah. Right. Thomas responds. Okay. So Chantel, I don't know if there was a phone conversation or what, but she just ignores that message. And And she responds, please let me know if you will not be paying child support this week.
20:16Redacted nine-year-old daughter wants to go get her Halloween costume. Just trying to figure out if I can swing it this weekend or need to wait till next. Thomas responds, I'm going to hold back on child support and go through the courts or until things get back in session, I'll be holding my payments. So I just want to clarify that you are withholding child support. You have made it clear that our set in place parenting plan is no longer valid to you. So I'm going to be going through the proper channels to get things done properly moving forward. So he's saying, I'm not going to pay your child support if I can't even see my kids, which is what we agreed upon.
20:46And this is, you know, from October to December, 2024, it seems like Chantel is mainly ignoring Thomas and all of his pleas to see the minor kids. He's asking to drop off their birthday presents, at least talk to the youngest daughter for her birthday. And then finally, you see December of 2024, Thomas text Chantel, you should really think about what you're doing and understand what I know, especially for someone who wants to marry a guy that might not want to find more out about things with people i just want to see my kids and you can live your lie i don't care wait say that one more time with the marrying a guy who wants to find out things yeah i will say a lot of their messages don't make sense and their grammar is um not spectacular at all but that's what he writes especially implying i have no clue a lot of these are without context especially for someone who wants to marry a guy that might not want to find more out about things with people oh like she has more secrets that okay but i think the main takeaway from these messages at least from thomas's perspective and from what a lot of people see online it seems like chantelle is maybe the type of woman who puts relationships ahead of her kids and might not pay as much attention to her children and their well-being clearly, because look what happened on the cruise ship, but also it might prioritize her romantic relationships with men that she just meets over her own children.
22:14I'm also not sure if he intended to write lie, like you can live your lie, I don't care, or if he meant to write life, but I guess both are applicable.
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24:38Later, when Chantel still doesn't respond, Thomas writes to her, Did you figure out what you want? Or did you come clean to Chris about your tough times and who you miss? I'm tired of keeping things to myself when you lie about me. So this makes it seem like maybe she reached out to someone saying that she misses them. Maybe it's Thomas. Maybe it's somebody else. I don't know. because it's who you miss. And then it seems that for most of 2025, they move on to a different communication platform where I believe Chantel learns how to run her messages through probably ChatGPT. The grammar is suddenly very formal.
Read the full transcript
25:07And while I have always been a fan of MDashes before it became, I guess, a tell signal for AI writing, she suddenly starts incorporating quite a bit of MDashes that I had never seen in her messages prior. Is that a crime? No, I'm just saying it's like reading two separate people's messages. Really? Her text messages, it's like she doesn't know the difference between there, there and there. But then all of a sudden it's just chat GPT on this parenting app. That's so interesting. But some notable messages include Chantel stating that the two children, the two younger children do not want to see Thomas.
25:39Thomas writes things such as, hopefully we go to court soon for everything to come to light in the best interest of the kids. So in the messages, Chantel keeps saying the kids are scared of you. The kids are very terrified of you. They don't want to see you. And you are doing this and this and this. And Thomas just keeps saying, I can't wait to go to court so that everyone will know the truth. So I don't know what's the truth. And at one point, judging from what we can infer from the messages that are in the court filing, it appears that the stepbrother, the nine-year-old girl, were sharing a phone.
26:07Thomas is concerned that the boy is not relaying messages from him to their daughter. There are just a lot of messages in between the two talking about their children that we just don't get a lot of context on. And so I'm just going to try to fill in as many blanks as possible. And there's no definitive, oh, this person is right based off of these text messages. At one point, judging from what we can infer in one short conversation, it appears that Thomas is talking to Chantel about how the two minor kids are sharing a phone. And he keeps trying to reach out to the daughter, but he feels that his son is not giving the message to the daughter.
26:45And he says, if possible, I would like to talk to our daughter because I'm sure he, the 16-year-old son, has not been telling her or showing her the messages I've sent, especially since I seen how he and you acted at the recital with the flowers, taking them and breaking them apart while you were walking out. I'd like a way to directly contact her. We can infer that Thomas had brought flowers for the nine-year-old daughter at some sort of recital and he is claiming through this message that he saw Chantel and their son walking away and breaking the flowers and not giving it to her. This is in July of 2025.
27:18Chantal responds in short about the flowers specifically Also, I'm not sure what you're referring to about her flowers being broken They were placed in a vase as soon as we got home I don't appreciate the implication that we damaged them Because that's simply not true Thomas responds I watched it happen I watched it happen with the flowers And it will be shown But that's besides the point Can you at least relay the message to her that I sent? Hopefully all of this is settled and done soon It's not for a really long time after that Chantal finally texts Thomas back And this time, it's after Anna's murder, and she texts him, I need you to call me ASAP, it's an emergency.
27:52And there seems to be a lot of phone conversations taking place, so we only just have messages. But in one message, Thomas responds, I know it's probably a no, but can I come get our daughter tonight? Just to get her away from the situation, I promise you I'm not going to keep her from you or anything. As soon as you guys are able to head home, I can bring her to you. Or is there anything else I can do? To which Chantal responds, I really do appreciate, and I'm not trying to be any which way, but I just think it will be more traumatizing for her to be removed as of right now. She doesn't know anything about the stepbrother being, I guess, suspected.
28:24The only thing I told her is that he was having a hard time coping with losing Anna, so he's getting checked out at the hospital. Okay, well, I'm not trying to push it, but the offer is there if you, you know, when you find more out and we have to handle things. When we have to cross that bridge, we, you and I, will come up with a way to tell her and Andrew. Okay, I will call you tomorrow as soon as I hear anything. Okay, were you able to talk to our son? I'm waiting on the FBI and also the doctor to call me as soon as I know something I promise that I will tell you as soon as I know anything You will be the only one that I will be calling I get that but I mean have you talked to him while he's at the facility?
28:56I was able to talk to him last night for under two minutes briefly He just keeps repeating over and over he doesn't remember anything I don't even know if they you know were allowed to let me talk to him or not But the nurse was very nice and let me talk to him just to tell him that you and I love him Okay, I just want him to know that he isn't just dead to everyone Regardless of everything At the moment he needs his parents I know you know that I just would like to have a chance to talk to him as soon as possible We, Chris, me and Chris's parents Told him that yesterday before they took him We told him no matter what You and us are with him He isn't alone Why would Chris and his parents say that?
29:33Yeah Because Chris's daughter and their granddaughter just were murdered Yeah And he's the prime suspect right now That's so like I don't know if I would sit there and like start immediately filing for divorce. I mean, I don't think that I would blame anyone if they did either, but that's that's besides the point. But I think it's weird to behave in such a way without getting information unless unless and I don't know if I'm being way too hopeful because from what I've seen so far online, I think that I am being way too giving them the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps Chris and his parents are playing the good guys to get more information out of Chantel to help the authorities.
30:12But I don't think that's the case But that would be the best case scenario Because it's just a little weird That right off the bat They're so like We're with you No matter what I want you to know we're standing But it's weird But again, maybe Chantel's lying Maybe none of this conversation even took place Okay, I know everything is supposed to be hush-hush for now But I've seen that it's still getting out with posts and comments Between Facebook, TikTok and stuff I just want to make sure until things are certain That he doesn't get any unnecessary comments towards him Chantel responds Nobody knows anything about him.
30:43He is a minor, so his name shouldn't be anywhere. And when we talk to the FBI again, we will reiterate that we do not want his name out there. And everything that's been posted on TikTok and social media, nobody knows anything. And everybody's just speculating. We know what I told you last night. And we'll know exactly more when the autopsy is done. Once we get the autopsy today, depending on what it says, depends on whether he's booked on these charges. And you will start seeing Anna's name. I understand. And no, his name wasn't mentioned in it. Just want you to be aware if you weren't aware.
31:09What exactly did you tell Andrew? I don't want to say something to him if you haven't told him. I've told him what I know, so he doesn't hear or see all the theories that are on social media that I've seen. I mean, there's a lot going on. He is okay, just kind of still hard for him to believe. Okay, he was asking me, I just didn't want to mention our son if you hadn't. So he's like, did you mention to Andrew that his little brother is a suspect? Chantel is like, okay, because he was asking me. I just didn't want to say anything if you hadn't said anything. I did. I didn't want anything else to be said online.
31:37I feel like he needs to be told the truth by us just so nothing is twisted. He knows not to tell anyone. Can I please talk to our daughter when you get a chance just for a little while? I won't say anything about her brother. I just want to tell her that I love her. I will call you back in a few. We are on the phone with the FBI victim specialist. Okay. November 10th, 2025. So this is like two days after Anna's death. Thomas asks Chantel, anything new? The FBI is on the way here now to talk to us and we should be hearing from the doctor at around 11am. She later explains that the FBI came to talk to them, but while they're talking, Chantel gets a call from the son's doctor.
32:10She goes to talk to the doctor. End quote. I also talked to the doctor in the middle of the FBI, so I don't know what was all said with the FBI. I left to talk with the doctor. As of right now, it's a good possibility that he will be released on Wednesday from the hospital. November 10th, 2 p.m., Thomas informs Chantel. They're calling me already from the news. If they got my number, that means they will find my mom's. I'm gonna have to tell her around what's going on and tell her not to talk to anyone, just a heads up. Chantel sends him the contact for an attorney. And later that day, Thomas asks Chantel if she's busy.
32:40I'm with my pastor. Can it wait till tomorrow? We are about to be in the home. And this is the first time we will be home without our son and Anna. We don't know how it's going to be. Okay. Then a few days later, Thomas asks Chantel again if he can talk to their daughter. And she says, I spoke with her at this time. She doesn't want to talk. I let her know that you care about her and that you love her. So they just won't let Thomas talk to the young daughter. Yeah. I mean, it could be as simple as the daughter has bad experiences with Thomas and does not like her biological father. It could be more on the conspiratorial side of things that people have been stating that it is kind of odd that Chantel who really, I mean, this is like really conspiratorial and just out of pocket, I will say.
33:29But some netizens are just saying it's odd that Chantel, who prioritizes her marriage over everything, just won't send her nine-year-old daughter to go back to be with her biological dad so that she can probably comfort Chris and like make things right with Chris. I don't know, right? So they're just saying like, it's just all around weird. No one knows what's true. Is Thomas bad? Is Chantel bad? Is every single one of them bad? I mean, I think across the board, it's pretty clear that Chantel is not good. Thomas responds, I want to hear it from her with everything going on. Chantal, I need to hear her.
33:59I understand where you're coming from, but I cannot force her to talk to you. Then November 21st, the daughter does not go on her scheduled weekend with Thomas. We don't know exactly what transpires, but we do have clues. Thomas emailed Chantal. Per our parenting time, I want it known that you did not allow our daughter to go on my weekend. Yes, I understand she's going through a lot, but it's my time. That being said, I deal with you, the parent, not your spouse. So I suppose Chris informed Thomas that he's not going to be getting his daughter for the weekend. Chantal responds. She refused to get out of the car.
34:28I did not withhold her from your parenting time. The decision was made based on her emotional state. Thomas responds, No, the decision was made by your spouse closing the door and saying to get away. Yes, she said she didn't want to, but she is going through a lot. I asked for your help to make it easier. Again, you're the mother. I deal with you, not your spouse. Your spouse has no rights. That being said, I will request that he not be present next meet since he is not capable of allowing the parents handling the exchange. Chantal responds, I'm sorry she didn't want to go with you. I know I had encouraged her to.
34:57I don't believe her reluctance has anything to do with Chris being there. She's simply been through so much lately with Anna's passing and her brother being gone. The funeral was last night and this is an incredibly difficult time for her. She will be doing counseling through DCF to help cope with her grief and I'm hopeful she'll reach a place where she feels ready to spend time with you. I will continue to encourage her to go. Thomas hits back. As I stated, I understand, but there is still a parenting plan in place. I am her father as you yourself said about the 16-year-old son. We are the parents and we need to help our kids I kept my mouth shut when you told me that you can't jeopardize your marriage for helping your son You look scared tonight and you need to know that my kids come before anyone Even though I haven't been able to see them for almost two years.
35:35I will never hesitate See you in two weeks for the next meet for our daughter I hope things are more civil and you the mother can speak for yourself and your attorney explains to you how things are Eventually gonna go hope I can speak and see our daughter soon Throughout this chantal has no problem still ranting to thomas throughout this like weird custody battle exchange about post online. November 17th, Chantel texts Thomas. Some asshole posted something. It seems like she's referring to Martin Donahue. And it appears, you know, that could be the case. Thomas responds, his family. Not Chris's family, the ex-wife's family.
36:06So she's like, it's not Chris's family. It's Tabitha's family. Well, part of his kids. So Thomas is like still his family because Tabitha is the mother of his other two kids. So this is like their uncle. The conversation stops there. And then they resume talking about something else. And during the custody hearing, Chantel does testify briefly I mean there's not really crazy explosive questions being asked by either party because ultimately this is a custody hearing this is not to do with the FBI investigation but Chantel has to get up there and she has to answer a few select questions about this cruise to see if that she is a fit parent for the nine-year-old daughter she has the emotional affect of drywall at some point did you discover that one of the children had passed away?
36:46yes and when was that you discovered that? Friday morning She does not appear like she cares much about what happened. And side note, because I just like to be in weird people's businesses. Is this recorded or is this just transcript? No, it's live streamed. Oh, it's a... Yeah. Wow. Yeah. And I just like to be in people's businesses. And we did a FOIA request. And it states that in 2024, there was a civil case opened against Chantel. From? From Thomas's mom. Thomas's mom. Okay, so the kid's paternal grandmother. Yeah. And Michelle is her name. accuses Chantel of taking one of her guns and not returning them.
37:22In a sworn statement, she also attaches an email that she had sent Chantel in 2024. And the email reads in short, Hello Chantel, I'm following up on our conversation from June 5th, 2024 at Hernando County Court's third floor, where at which time I gave you a formal letter requesting the return of my guns or you will be held responsible for the cost of replacing them. If it's stated the guns and serial numbers at which time you admitted to having guns, saying that you had the bills of sale, at which time your attorney took the letter as you said, I have the bill of sale and I replied that you may have the bill of sale in your possession, but if you and your attorney read it, you will not see anywhere on there that says the guns are to go to you.
37:57She's basically saying these are not your guns. In fact, it states that they are to go to Thomas, her son, and Andrew, her eldest grandson. Since they are still registered to myself, I need them back until I personally go with them to transfer ownership. And then in parentheses it has the 16 year old stepbrother's name and it reads and that redacted's gun is being held in a safe by todd hall the 16 year old's gun yeah is being held in a safe by todd hall i mean this is florida maybe they go hunting these are hunting i don't know but i do want to note it was just interesting to know that he has a gun has some probably experience firing a gun and allegedly Anna had reported to those close to her that she was scared of the stepbrother because he always carried around a big knife Right And he wanted to learn how to play or do jiu-jitsu But interestingly in another email screenshot that's included in the filing of the civil lawsuit Michelle goes on to include she messages Chantel Thank you, please give my grandson and my granddaughter all our love We have all loved and miss them dearly.
39:02It is absolutely a very sad and heartbreaking ordeal. They have been placed in they should in no way be hurt or manipulated in the ways that they have. I know, as well as you know, that they love their father very much and they are absolutely in no fear of him and were not in fear of him prior to you manipulating, controlling, and brainwashing them for the past month. It's devastating and upsetting. Please stop. Step back and look at what's best for these kids. They need their family. I don't understand why you feel displacing them from their family, their friends, school, everything they loved and knew is helpful to them when clearly it's done nothing but damage them.
39:33I pray everyone get help, including yourself. I never thought the day would come that you would become the person you've become. And that is simply the person you've despised growing up yourself. Please get help. You know firsthand how hurtful it is when your parent manipulates family members to keep them out of your life. You yourself said you blocked 10 years of your childhood abuse because of what your mother did. Please, God, do not do that to my grandchildren, your children. Thomas's children need the entire family. We all love them. Stop this craziness, please. The civil lawsuit has since been dismissed.
40:03However, just six months later, Chantal and Chris get married officially. And almost a year after that, Anna Kepner is murdered. I mean, a lot of people think that both Chantal and Thomas suck. You know, one comment reads, The parents don't even seem surprised or emotional that their son is being accused of something so horrific. And it seems like both of them know that something is coming. On Thanksgiving, Thomas finally gets to see his daughter in his care. and he asks Chantel if he can take the daughter to go see the stepbrother, the 16-year-old son, with Andrew, stating that it might be the last chance for a long time for, I guess, all three kids to be together.
40:44That is true, huh? Nobody has said much about the stepson or the son. No, I just think that every single person, all the adults in this story just suck. I think... That is one thing I feel like nobody's talking about so far, like even during all of this, like nobody is angry for Anna and nobody is shocked or surprised or confused about the sun. Like there's these emotions that we are all feeling. Nobody's showing that. Yeah. OK, let me run you through all of the emotions that are being showed. And it's just so bizarre. Clearly, everybody grieves differently. And I mean, it's just, we can't really dictate how someone is going to express those emotions, but he's just put out very formal statements saying basically nothing of he hopes for justice.
41:33If the stepson is guilty, he's going to want justice, things of that nature, but nothing particularly emotional, nothing that expresses any sort of anger or shock or disgust at the situation or even like deep loss for Anna. Any of the words that are being chosen to describe Anna, it feels very bland. Nothing about it feels like, okay, this is someone who deeply understands her as a person and understands the impact that she had. And now she's gone. It's very like, she was so bubbly. She was so this. And that's about it. So that's weird with Chris Kepner. Heather, Anna's biological mother, that Anna has posted many TikToks about saying that she has never really had her mother in her life, how her mother had abandoned her and turned to drugs and just left her, alienated her.
42:20Like all of these things. Heather has come back. She's doing news interviews. Oh, yeah. It's become, again, another contentious divorce thing. She says that she had to wear a wig to Anna's funeral because Chris Kepner wanted to get her arrested for back payments on child support. I don't know if that is a real threat Chris Kepner had, but then she comes out to tell the world that she had to wear a wig to her daughter's funeral. And people are like, I feel like the way this is what netizens are saying, the way that she's describing wearing a wig, it almost feels like, haha, Chris, I got you. Like you told me I couldn't come, but I went.
42:51it feels again not about Anna so people just hate both of them for that reason Tabitha and her family seem to be the only ones that are showing perhaps maybe misplaced anger in terms of maybe they shouldn't have been on X maybe they should have been with federal investigators maybe they should have been on X I don't know right but they seem to be the only ones that show very genuine feelings of anger towards the situation and Tabitha was in Anna Kepner's life from when she was three to 16 years old. Anna Kepner's ex-boyfriend Josh also has been one to come out to say that, no, the stepbrother is weird and he's creepy.
43:28It doesn't seem like there's any ulterior motive. It's not like he's getting paid for any interviews. So that seems to be a very genuine feeling that he has. Now, then you go on to Anna Kepner's meemaw and papa, the grandparents. I mean, these are people that she posted about on TikTok and she loves her grandparents and they are out here saying, well, he's a good kid. He plays soccer. And I believe that he doesn't remember what happened. And that is crazy to me. In fact, just don't make a statement. If that's what you believe, I just wouldn't make a statement. How old are they? I mean, they don't look that old.
43:59Not like 80s? Oh, no. They look maybe like 60s. Okay. They look young. Okay. So it's just very odd behavior. I don't understand it. Again, the only way I could justify it in my mind is like, maybe Mima is undercover. her. Maybe she's trying to get Chantel to trust her so that she can blow the lid and tell the feds everything, but I don't think so. That's not the vibe she's giving. Yeah.
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47:08Then you have Chantal Kepner, who's sitting here, like doesn't care, has the emotional depth of drywall that has not even been painted with a pretty color. It's just, it's flat. She doesn't care. Even the way that she, a lot of netizens are trying to figure out what kind of personality Chantal is. And it seems like she prioritizes her romantic relationships. She's clearly not a good mom. I don't think you could ever in any sense of the word call her a good parent. And that's an opinion. But she just seems like a shit person. And then you have Thomas Hudson, who seems like, okay, maybe his heart is in the right place.
47:45But again, we don't know because we don't know if Chantel is lying and alienating the minor kids or if they genuinely are scared of Thomas Hudson. So that's like a problem there. But on top of that, the bigger problem is in these court filings, I mean, all the minor kids names unredacted, the name, the full name of the person that this 16 year old steps on is staying with fully unredacted in the court filings, just like everyone knows everybody. So so much for saying that you're upset that people are talking about it on TikTok. You're the one that's putting out all of this unredacted. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
48:20Yeah, I see. So it's like, again, it just feels like everyone is doing their own thing and they all maybe Maybe they truly believe in their own hearts that they're doing it for the kids, but it seems like all they're doing is hurting the kids like every step of the way. Got it. Yeah. That just seems. And then from there to here, I don't know if really any of them have come out in a way that felt impactful towards Anna's life and who she was as a person. In fact, what's crazy in the obituary, they included the stepbrother's name because it's like she leaves behind a family who adored her endlessly.
48:54And then it lists a bunch of people, including Chantal Kepner, her mother, Heather Wright, her meemaw and papa, Barbara and Jeff Kepner, her siblings, Andrew, and then, you know, all of their names. And then they took out his name later. They also took out Martin's name because Martin's name was in there, too. The uncle that made that angry post. What is this? I think it's odd that they would even include Chantal in her side of the family. First of all, they've only been Anna's step-siblings for like two years. a year really legally speaking yeah and chris did this right wrote this we don't know if chris did it we don't know chantel did it but someone did it i mean i'm assuming it had to have been approved by chris at least exactly because he's an adult he was her father i think it's just very bizarre that they're even included i would have just it just feels wrong yeah it's really odd like i think that would be probably the last thing maybe anna would want but then they're doing it so in regards to Chris Kepner's quote about Anna, he says, I do not stand behind what my stepson has done.
49:57So again, does he remember? Or did he do it? Like what? What's going on? Because grandma was saying he said he doesn't remember. And I believe it. So maybe you're saying, okay, he doesn't remember, but we all know he did it. Or did he confess? There are internet speculations that he confessed to Chantel before Anna's body was found. And that's why they didn't search the stateroom. but that's clearly like an internet speculation that's not based on any sort of logical or evidential foundation, but it's just weird. I want him to face the consequences. I will be fighting to make sure that does happen.
50:31I cannot say that he is responsible, but I can't decline. He was the only one that was in the room and FBI has an ongoing investigation in which they will have to provide the evidence to say that he did do it or did not do it. He was a normal kid. I would have never thought that any of this would have happened. Right now, my best course of action is to let the FBI do what they're doing. They have the evidence that they need. When they make the arrest, then we'll start seeing the justice side of things. This is like the softest spoken statement from a father. It's crazy. He has so much understanding and so much.
51:06Even police have more emotion than this. It's so odd. And I mean, this is weird because if you compare it to cases where you have two parental figures, like biological parents, and not saying that biological ties to your children make it any stronger or less stronger, but they've raised them since birth. Okay. They have biological ties to their kids. And when one child murders the other child, and if one parent wants to support the perpetrator, that can cause just like the most tumultuous, rightfully, understandably emotional journey. Chris Kepner, it sounds like that's his son. And Anna Kepner is like a girl that he was housing yeah exactly it sounds like this is his son this is his child when it's like you've known this kid for two years anna is your daughter yeah so what's what's up with it like do people think something is up why why is he acting this way okay this is where things get really conspiratorial and i think i i would have to blame the fact that maybe i was with the rm team and so the best case scenario is he's a shit dad that he gives no fucks yeah right that's the best case scenario yes but there's lots of rumors that are going around that point to much darker scenarios there are obviously the kind of open-ended questions of why has there not been an arrest made yet some people are like okay well the feds take a long time however others are like but this is a pretty cut and dry case i don't think the feds need to take that much of a long time to cross their t's and dot their i's so that leads a lot of netizens to believe perhaps the child did alert maybe the mom and so maybe the feds are trying to see if they're looking into more if any of the parents knew what had happened before the body was discovered huh and then the conspiracies just kind of spin off from there but these are all again conspiracies and they're alleged and yeah and it's just a mess even anna's biological mom is telling the new york post why am i the bad guy he put them in the same room together because people are like you were not in anna's life why are you suddenly showing up all over the news?
53:09And then she says she was my daughter and I loved her with all my heart and soul. The song I am not okay by Jelly Roll is exactly how I feel. It's just one netizen comment reads, I'm so tired of people saying Anna's bio mom deserved to know what happened to her daughter and that she had to read it online. So Heather was complaining that she was traumatized because she found out that Anna was deceased from Google. No one told her. And so people are saying if she had been in Anna's life, she would have automatically been notified by the FBI. It's bad when you have to admit that Anna's bio dad was the better parent than the mom because he's an asshole.
53:42And some people are wondering about the room situation by stating, well, I've been on Carnival and technically a person 21 years old has to be in the room with anyone under the age of 21. So, you know, one parent's name had to be on the room with the three teenagers. The parents bear some responsibility for not following the rules. I work in the travel industry and this is a fact. So I don't know if it's 18. I don't know if it's 21. Another party comments, a stepbrother is not a sibling. It's a biologically unrelated male. It's a big difference. May as well be a boy down the street. Grossly inappropriate for them to be put in the same room.
54:17And then of course other people are arguing their experiences with step-siblings having perfectly healthy relationships. But then again people are also arguing, yes but a lot of that is due to the fact that you probably grew up with them too. So you might have a more sibling-like bond because you're both three and four years old when you start getting raised in the same house together. This is a bit different. Some people believe that it's only a matter of time before Chris and Chantel divorce, writing, you can almost guarantee that this is going to end this entire marriage. How can you get past the fact that your wife's son killed your daughter?
54:48I see a bitter divorce coming. The stress of the funeral and the upcoming trial will tear them apart. Prayers for the biological mother of this young lady and all the other family members. Others think that there maybe there will not be a divorce. Some people speculate that maybe the parents are more suspicious than the internet already thinks that they're suspicious. One of the kind of theoretical supporting factors of that is there is this conversation about if the FBI really wanted, they could have kept this entire custody hearing under wraps. They could have maybe sealed the entire hearing.
55:24They could have done something because, I mean, if they have an open federal investigation, they could have said, we don't want anything to get out. This is a homicide investigation. This is more important than this custody hearing being televised and live streamed on YouTube or the FOIA request going through. So there is a speculation that maybe the FBI is also using this court hearing to see how things play out because maybe they're looking into more people than just the stepson or the stepbrother. So weird. Yeah. So weird. Weird. Yeah. I have so many questions. One insane unhinged brain dead comment reads, this is on one of Anna's TikToks.
56:01This is why to which people are commenting question mark question mark. The commentator, a guy of course, responds doing all these sexy videos. He's probably going out of his mind. So he did what he did to her since he couldn't get to her sexually. That's fucking crazy. Another one just reads, I can see why he wanted some of that! This comment is weeks after her murder. There's a video where Anna is mouthing the lyrics to a country song, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and someone comments, but he did kill you. Clapping emoji. Another comment reads, he is maybe just an immature lad who found himself in a difficult situation.
56:33If Anna was friendly to him, as she probably was, that being her nature, he may have misinterpreted it and it went downhill from there. To which someone comments, It sounds like you're saying that if a girl is friendly to a boy, he being an immature lad can't control himself and just might take whatever he thinks he's entitled to, including the girl's life. It just all goes downhill sometimes. And now we just have a lot of open questions. Is this going to be a federal case? Are they going to pass it down to the state courts? Are they going to interview every single person on that cruise? Because, I mean, yeah, you might probably want to interview everyone on the hall.
57:05You probably want to interview the crew and the family and all of the witnesses that would normally come in a regular investigation. But could there be other people on that cruise that saw something on the deck or during a breakfast buffet one day? They noticed something. They saw something. Are they combing through all the hours of security footage? How long is all of that going to take? And until then, this is what we know so far. What are your thoughts on this case? What do you think is going to happen? do you think that there are other parties involved, such as any of the adults? If you're a parent, would you do the room configurations like this?
57:39Or is this just so out of the mind of a regular person? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments, and I will see you in the next one.
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From the publisher
“There’s no such thing as steps,” and “they were two peas in a pod.”
These are statements made by Anna Kepner’s grandparents who were with her on the cruise when she died. Her body was found under the mattress and her cause of death was mechanical asphyxiation.
Which is what makes this comment particularly odd to some netizens...because Anna’s grandparents are referring to her relationship with her 16 year old step brother.
The very step brother who was the only other person in the room around the estimated time of death. The very step brother who is now a suspect in Anna’s murder.
They are not the only suspicious adults in this case though. Anna’s biological father and her step mother, the mother of the 16 yo step brother, who were also on the cruise with the family were seen over a month after Anna’s murder, walking from court, their faces completely blank yet gripping each other’s hands.
Anna’s father has just lost his daughter yet he seemingly appears closer than ever to his wife and the mother of the murder suspect.
This is part two of the Anna Kepner cruise ship murder.
Full show notes available at RottenMangoPodcast.com
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