Lawyers for Anna Kepner's stepbrother, Timothy Hudson, say they can't advise him on pleading guilty or going to trial until one unresolved issue is out of the way. They described their own filing as "purposefully vague."

The judge has made January 15, 2027, a hard deadline for Hudson's plea. Without one, his trial begins January 25, and a conviction there carries a life sentence.

Anna died on the Carnival Horizon during her family's November 2025 trip. She was 18 and Hudson was 16. The medical examiner ruled the cause of death mechanical asphyxiation. In federal court, Hudson faces a first-degree murder charge as an adult, and he has pleaded not guilty.

Defense lawyer Bob Motta and Robin Dreeke, a retired special agent of the FBI, join me. We get into what kind of issue could stop a defense team from giving that advice, and how the run-up to January 15 could go.

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This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.

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