Carnival cruise ship death: Family dynamics may explain investigators’ silence, legal expert says

As the federal research into -year-old Anna Kepner's death nears one month with no updates a defense attorney says there may be a reason for the silence investigators are navigating a rare situation in which the victim s relatives and the expected perpetrator s relatives live under the same roof Criminal defense attorney and Fox News Contributor Donna Rotunno reported the lack of information may be a sign of extreme caution It is odd we haven t heard anything Rotunno narrated Fox News Digital But I think there s a reason for it When you re dealing with essentially one family government have to be careful about what they put out there You don t want to tip off what s going on when your victim s family and your perpetrator s family are in the same house At a m Friday Kepner's father and stepmother Christopher Kepner and Shauntel Hudson are expected at the Moore Justice Center in Brevard County Florida for a custody hearing along with Hudson's ex-husband Timothy Hudson FATHER OF TEEN WHO DIED ON CARNIVAL CRUISE EVADES SUBPOENA IN RELATED CUSTODY CASERotunno commented the dynamic is highly atypical and may be driving the tight-lipped posture of federal bureaucrats She added that investigators may also be grappling with the specifics of the cause of death ruled as mechanical asphyxia They may not know if they can prove what happened yet Rotunno explained Mechanical asphyxia could be argued as accidental or something that went too far Investigators may still be sorting out what the evidence supports Friday morning s family-court custody hearing may offer an update on the matter Rotunno stated it may seem rare that the masses is learning key details through family court but legally the access is straightforward Family courts just like criminal courts are open to the residents she announced So while it feels strange the courts are totally accessible And right now those filings are the only place we re seeing developments CRUISE SHIP DEATH MYSTERY CHEERLEADER'S FINAL POSTS HINT AT HEARTBREAK AND RESILIENCE AS DAD BREAKS SILENCECourt records from an ongoing custody battle between Shauntel Hudson and Thomas Hudson have surfaced as key documents in the development The filings identify Anna s -year-old stepbrother who shared a cabin with her aboard the Carnival Horizon as a suspect in her death Federal functionaries have not named or charged the teen The sixteen-year-old child is now a suspect in the death of the stepchild during the cruise the filing states Thomas Hudson further alleges that his ex-wife's choices have put the -year-old's future in jeopardy Anna's father Christopher was subpoenaed ahead of today's hearing However according to a process server s sworn report filed ahead of a hearing scheduled for Friday in a contentious custody battle Christopher was unreachable after he was ordered to testify Process server Leslie V Kinsey wrote that Kepner s SUV sat running in the driveway and the lights inside the Titusville home were on but no one responded to repeated knocks or the doorbell When petitioned whether Anna s -year-old stepbrother might be called to the stand Rotunno commented it s extremely unlikely Any lawyer would advise him to remain silent she commented If you're the subject of a criminal scrutiny you shouldn t be giving statements anywhere I think a judge would say no way to putting him on the stand A judge she declared would be obligated to warn the teen of his Fifth Amendment rights and may even appoint a society defender to advise him