Podcast Summary: Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield
Episode Title: Cruise Ship Horror: New Bombshells Exposed in the Death of Anna Kepner
Date: December 9, 2025
Host: Ashleigh Banfield
Guest: Josh Boswell (Senior Reporter, DailyMail.com)
Episode Overview
Ashleigh Banfield explores explosive new developments in the tragic death of Anna Kepner, an 18-year-old found dead on a Carnival cruise ship. This episode dives into fresh revelations surfaced through a contentious Florida family court custody battle, offering a raw, irreverent look at unsettling family dynamics, the forensic unknowns, and the legal aftermath. Banfield and guest reporter Josh Boswell unravel the complex web of relationships, potential charges, and what chilling details could mean for the family and for justice.
Main Discussion Points & Insights
1. Case Background and Shocking Recent Revelations
[03:10]
- Anna Kepner, a high school senior, was found dead—hidden under a bed in a cruise ship stateroom she shared with her younger brother and 16-year-old stepbrother.
- Court documents (from a custody battle between Anna’s stepmother, Chantel Hudson, and her ex-husband Thomas Hudson) have revealed new bombshells:
- The 16-year-old stepbrother is “likely to face charges.”
- Prosecutors await his psychiatric evaluation and Anna’s toxicology before proceeding.
"We thought it might happen. But to hear it is likely to happen and to hear that from his own mother, that's a big deal."
— Ashleigh Banfield [03:38]
- The messy custody fight, involving three children, has illuminated alarming family dysfunction:
- Thomas Hudson (ex-husband) is seeking sole custody of their 9-year-old daughter, citing the fatal cruise event as proof of an unsafe environment.
2. Family Court Chaos and Dangerous Dynamics
[05:30]
- Family court filings are providing more updates than official investigations.
- Chantel admits her 16-year-old son (the suspect) will no longer live in the family home.
- The 16-year-old has not returned home since the cruise, instead staying with a relative.
- Chantel defended having Anna share a stateroom with her stepbrothers and claims she’d do it again.
"She said they never once checked on those three kids after everybody returned to their cabins on November 6th. And that's the last night that Anna was alive."
— Ashleigh Banfield [09:39]
-
Discussion about parenting: Banfield notes some listeners might judge the lack of check-ins, but she contextualizes that Anna, at 18, was an adult.
-
Chantel discloses her son skipped two doses of ADHD and insomnia medication before Anna's death, but Banfield warns against jumping to conclusions about its significance.
"Skipping two rounds of meds wouldn't make you murderous, might make you annoying..."
— Ashleigh Banfield [11:48]
3. Judicial Decisions & Imminent Danger
[12:18]
- Despite concerns, the judge rules there’s "no evidence" that the 9-year-old is in imminent danger, allowing her to stay in the household where Anna died.
"I'm like, well, there is some. I mean, there's a dead child in the other family where the nine year old's staying. Uh, you can't call that no evidence."
— Ashleigh Banfield [12:33]
4. Possible Motive & Family Relations
[13:09]
- Anna’s ex-boyfriend said the 16-year-old was obsessed with Anna, though Anna's mother argued Anna chose to stay in the same cabin as her stepbrother.
- The episode highlights the nuanced and fraught relationships in this blended family.
5. Violent Past: The Chokehold Incident
[17:14]
- Andrew, the 18-year-old son, testified in court he once jumped out of a moving vehicle to avoid returning to his mother’s (Chantel) and stepdad’s (Chris Kepner) home.
- Andrew claims he was forcibly restrained in a “chokehold” by Chantel and Chris to prevent his escape.
"I was put in a chokehold. And he goes on to say, I was held against the seat until I couldn't fight back anymore."
— Andrew, recounted by Ashleigh Banfield [18:46]
- This is a chilling echo of Anna’s death, believed to be due to asphyxiation (“a fucking chokehold,” as Banfield puts it), raising questions about learned behaviors and family violence.
6. Legal Complexities: Charges, Jurisdiction, and Thresholds
[20:46]
-
Interview with Josh Boswell (DailyMail.com):
- On the chokehold revelation:
- This family’s pattern of restraint could be pivotal if the case goes to trial.
"That was a really significant detail... the FBI... are going to be looking at details like that..."
— Josh Boswell [20:46]- On charges:
- It remains unclear if the 16-year-old will face state or federal prosecution, as the crime occurred in international waters.
- Juvenile prosecutions in federal court are rare; jurisdiction questions loom large.
"There is a law where the federal law enforcement can pass a case like this over to the state law enforcement bodies to prosecute..."
— Josh Boswell [22:26]- On pending evaluations:
- A psychiatric evaluation and Anna’s toxicology results are pending; these will be key for prosecutors to decide on the nature and severity of any charges (manslaughter, second-degree murder, or otherwise).
- On the chokehold revelation:
"If she had any kind of drugs or alcohol that could have contributed to her death...they might just say this is a kid who was roughhousing, did not realize...which takes you away from the, you know, premeditated murder charge."
— Ashleigh Banfield [24:26]
- **On the judge’s reluctance to change custody:**
- Courts require proof of “imminent danger” for removal; Chantel’s claim the 16-year-old son won’t be in the home satisfied the judge, despite the fatal incident.
> "It does put the mum in a very difficult position, right? She's having to kick out the 16 year old in order to keep the 9 year old. I mean, it's a real Sophie's choice for her and not a great situation."
> — Josh Boswell [25:38]
7. What Happens Next?
[26:40]
- Banfield underscores the case’s unresolved status:
- Will the suspect be charged as a juvenile or adult?
- Which investigative body will proceed?
- Is the suspect being held somewhere already?
- More details could drop any day.
"She knows something we don't know. We are certainly going to continue covering this case as every detail comes to light and as they finally decide what they're going to do about it."
— Ashleigh Banfield [26:40]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On the possible learned violence:
"Did that kind of rub off on the troubled younger brother and give him some ideas for what he might be able to do in a cruise ship stateroom?"
— Ashleigh Banfield [19:11] -
On the legal and emotional quagmire:
"I am just surprised that a judge would say to a dad who is clearly terrified that his nine year old is in a family where there is serious shit going down and death that the judge wouldn't grant him that kind of relief..."
— Ashleigh Banfield [16:11] -
On the specificity of the chokehold technique in both the family incident and Anna’s death:
"If the juror thinks that this family's normal restraint technique or discipline is a chokehold, and then they find out that the 16 year old allegedly put his sister in a chokehold and she died, it's a little easier to get there."
— Ashleigh Banfield [21:32]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- [03:10] – Episode overview & new details from court
- [08:51] – Custody battle revelations, 16-year-old’s living situation
- [09:39] – Parental oversight on the cruise, missed check-ins
- [11:48] – Effects of missed medication and family context
- [12:18] – Judge rules no “imminent danger” for 9-year-old
- [17:14] – Andrew’s testimony on jumping from car and being chokeheld
- [19:11] – Possible connection between chokehold habits and Anna’s murder
- [20:46] – Josh Boswell (DailyMail.com) joins the discussion
- [22:26] – Legal intricacies: charges and jurisdiction
- [24:26] – How evidence and evaluation could shape charges
- [25:38] – The legal standards for removing a child from home
- [26:40] – Episode wrap-up: What’s next in the investigation?
Episode Tone and Style
Ashleigh Banfield delivers a blend of sharp-witted, unfiltered commentary and serious journalistic inquiry. She balances irreverence (“shit went sideways…”, “batshit crazy…”, “chokehold—holy shit”) with a deep empathy for the family’s trauma and the complexities investigators and judges face. The episode is emotionally charged, probing, and sometimes confrontational with the facts—anchored by Banfield’s unmistakable style.
Final Summary
This episode exposes the deep, disturbing fissures in the Kepner-Hudson family, suggesting both systemic and behavioral problems that could have contributed to Anna’s tragic death. As key evidence and evaluations come in, legal authorities will determine whether the 16-year-old stepbrother is charged, and which court will handle the case. Through cutting analysis and deep reporting, Banfield and Boswell lay out not just what happened—but why it matters, in a story where family secrets, violence, and grief collide in international waters.