A 16-year-old teenager has been formally charged as an adult for the murder of his stepsister aboard a cruise ship. The case includes charges of first-degree murder and aggravated sexual assault, the U.S. Department of Justice reported Monday. According to the statement, a federal grand jury indicted the minor for the death of Anna Kepner, which occurred while they were traveling with family on the Carnival Horizon ship last November. The vessel was in international waters en route to Miami. Federal authorities allege that the defendant sexually assaulted and subsequently caused the death of the victim. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner's report determined that the cause of death was asphyxiation or strangulation. The case was initially filed as a juvenile case on February 2, but was subsequently transferred for prosecution as an adult by court order. 'A federal grand jury has returned an indictment for serious crimes that occurred aboard a vessel in international waters,' said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. The Department of Justice stated that the case remains under investigation and that the defendant faces life in prison if convicted.
