The step-grandmother of a teenager charged with murder and sexual abuse aboard a Carnival cruise ship is publicly calling for criminal charges against the adults she says were responsible for watching the kids.
Anna Kepner was violently raped by her younger stepbrother on a cruise ship last fall before she was likely placed in a chokehold and squeezed so hard her eardrums burst, an assistant U.S. attorney told a Miami federal judge in May.
Kepner, 18, was found dead on the Carnival Horizon in November, one day before the cruise ship returned to Miami.
[WATCH: Interview with Sonya Ziske and CBS News]
Sonya Ziske, speaking exclusively to CBS News, is demanding charges against Chris and Shauntel Kepner — the family members she says were responsible for supervising the teens on board the ship.
Her step-grandson, Timothy Hudson, 16, faces federal charges of first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse in the death of his stepsister, Anna Kepner. A federal judge has allowed Hudson to remain free while the case continues.
Ziske questions supervision, alcohol and missed medication
Ziske questioned whether alcohol, missed medication, and a lack of supervision played a role in the case. She said the teens were placed in a high-risk situation without proper oversight — calling it, in her words, “a recipe for disaster.”
“Number one, why were those kids in a room together?” Ziske said. “It’s been said that he was raised to think of her as a sister. They were not raised together.”
Ziske also defended Hudson’s account of events, saying his version of the story has remained consistent throughout the investigation.
“He truly does not remember,” she said. “He did not change from all the interviews that he has had. He has not changed what he has said at all. If there was any type of memory there, he wouldn’t be able to say the same exact thing.”
Kepners deny alcohol claim; attorney silent
The Kepners have denied providing alcohol to the teens. Their attorney did not respond to CBS News’ requests for comment.
The case remains active in federal court. The judge has not yet ruled on whether Hudson will be detained as proceedings continue.