Latest / Crime Stories with Nancy Grace / Feds Fight to Put Anna Kepner's Stepbrother Behind Bars | Crime Alert 04.22.26

Transcript

Feds Fight to Put Anna Kepner's Stepbrother Behind Bars | Crime Alert 04.22.26 · Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

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  Speaker 1: Crime Alart hourly update, breaking crime news Now, I'm Sidney Silvani.
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  Speaker 2: In Florida, federal prosecutors are fighting to put a teenage
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  Speaker 2: suspect behind bars following the death of his stepsister on
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  Speaker 2: a carnival cruise ship. Sixteen year old is facing charges
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  Speaker 2: of first degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse in connection
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  Speaker 2: with the November death of eighteen year old Anna Kepner.
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  Speaker 2: According to court filings, the government is now urging a
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  Speaker 2: judge to revoke the teen's release or significantly tighten his
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  Speaker 2: restrictions because he is now being prosecuted as an adult.
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  Speaker 2: The details of the case are devastating. Anna, known affectionately
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  Speaker 2: as Anna Banana, was found dead in a cabin she
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  Speaker 2: shared with her stepbrother during a family vacation. Investigators discovered
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  Speaker 2: her body hidden under a bed, wrapped in a blanket,
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  Speaker 2: and covered with life jackets. A subsequent autopsy ruled her
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  Speaker 2: death a homicide caused by mechanical asphyxiation. Despite the gravity
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  Speaker 2: of these federal tries, arges thh has remained free living
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  Speaker 2: with a relative, a fact that has left Anna's father,
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  Speaker 2: Christopher Kepner, in a state of absolute outrage. In an
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  Speaker 2: interview with The Daily Mail, Christopher expressed his heartbreak and frustration,
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  Speaker 2: noting that while the family has been paralyzed by grief
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  Speaker 2: for six months, the accused killer has been allowed to
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  Speaker 2: go wherever he wants. He told the outlet he wants
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  Speaker 2: to see the teen in an orange jumpsuit in handcuffs,
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  Speaker 2: calling him a danger to himself and others. On Tuesday,
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  Speaker 2: thh's attorney entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf,
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  Speaker 2: while the defense continues to argue that he should remain
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  Speaker 2: free while the judge weighs the prosecution's request. Meanwhile, in Oklahoma,
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  Speaker 2: a community is in mourning after a routine welfare check
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  Speaker 2: turned into a deadly ambush. On Sunday morning, deputies from
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  Speaker 2: the Lafora County Sheriff's Office, along with local police in
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  Speaker 2: the US Forest Service, arrived at a home in Worcester.
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  Speaker 2: Authorities say they were immediately fired upon by thirty six
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  Speaker 2: year old Edgar Laura. The initial volley of gunfire struck
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  Speaker 2: two officers before Laura barricaded himself inside, sparking a tense,
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  Speaker 2: hours long standoff. Witnesses reported hearing more than a dozen
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  Speaker 2: gunshots in the initial exchange, followed by a second round
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  Speaker 2: of firing minutes later. Laura eventually surrendered and is currently
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  Speaker 2: being held in the laflor County jail, but the cost
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  Speaker 2: of the encounter was high. Laflora County Sheriff's Deputy Thomas
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  Speaker 2: Walker LeMay was killed in the line of duty. Wister
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  Speaker 2: Police Chief Andy Thompson was also wounded, but is reported
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  Speaker 2: to be in stable condition. Sheriff Rodney darry Berry released
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  Speaker 2: a statement expressing profound sorrow over the loss of a
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  Speaker 2: man he described as the very best of the profession.
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  Speaker 1: It is profound sorrow that the Laflora County Sheriff's Office
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  Speaker 1: announces the line of duty death of depty Thomas Walker LeMay,
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  Speaker 1: who was shot and killed on April nineteenth, twenty twenty six,
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  Speaker 1: while serving and protecting the citizens of Lafleur County. Deputy
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  Speaker 1: LeMay was a dedicated law enforcement officer, a proud father,
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  Speaker 1: a low deputy, and a trusted friend to many. He
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  Speaker 1: represented the very best of our profession.
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  Speaker 2: In a moving tribute, a patrol vehicle has been placed
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  Speaker 2: on the courthouse lawn in le Maay's honor, and the
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  Speaker 2: Poteau Police Department invited the public to line the streets
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  Speaker 2: as the fallen deputy was escorted home. Joe Gimaldi of
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  Speaker 2: the Fraternal Order of Police called the incident a horrific ambush.
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  Speaker 2: While the suspect is confirmed to be a US citizen,
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  Speaker 2: the investigation into what sparked the violence remains ongoing. More
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  Speaker 2: crime and justice news after this. In Virginia, a sentence
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  Speaker 2: has been handed down in a case that sparked a
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  Speaker 2: heated debate over school safety and immigration. Eighteen year old
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  Speaker 2: Israel Flores Ortiz, an illegal immigrant from l Salvador, was
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  Speaker 2: sentenced Tuesday to three hundred and sixty days in jail
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  Speaker 2: for groping several female classmates at Fairfax High School. With
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  Speaker 2: credit for time served, he is expected to spend another
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  Speaker 2: one hundred and thirty five days behind bars. The case
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  Speaker 2: involved allegations that Flores Ortiz targeted thirteen girls in crowded
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  Speaker 2: school hallways. During the proceedings, Judge Melinda Vanload described his
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  Speaker 2: actions as a deplorable pattern of behavior. The defense tried
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  Speaker 2: to downplay the assaults, characterizing them as immature pranks and
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  Speaker 2: butt grabbing, even going so far as to suggest that
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  Speaker 2: such actions didn't stop people from being elected president. However,
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  Speaker 2: the prosecution and the victims told a different story. One
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  Speaker 2: victim wrote in a letter that the assaults made her
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  Speaker 2: feel unsafe and stripped away her ability to just be
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  Speaker 2: a normal kid.
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  Speaker 3: It's impacted me because back then I didn't have to
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  Speaker 3: look around who was, like, you know, who just like
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  Speaker 3: seemed to be on like the I didn't have to
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  Speaker 3: look around and make sure that nobody was going to
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  Speaker 3: touch me. And now like I have to make sure,
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  Speaker 3: like I look around like extra to see who was
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  Speaker 3: around me and make sure nobody touched be that way again.
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  Speaker 2: Flora's Ortiz, who arrived in the US in twenty twenty four,
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  Speaker 2: apologized to his victims in court through an interpreter. Despite
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  Speaker 2: his apology, the judge noted that even after being confronted
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  Speaker 2: by one student who told him he was hurting her,
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  Speaker 2: he went on to assault another girl just two days later.
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  Speaker 2: Following his jail time, Flora's Ortiz will face two years
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  Speaker 2: of probation and must undergo a psychosexual evaluation. While the
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  Speaker 2: defense argued his teenage brain was not fully developed, the
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  Speaker 2: court ruled that the impact on the victims, who now
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  Speaker 2: moved through life differently because of his actions required a
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  Speaker 2: significant sentence. Despite the strict sentencing, Judge Van low reassured
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  Speaker 2: Flora's orties this does not define him, telling the teen
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  Speaker 2: she believes in redemption and he can go on to
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  Speaker 2: do great things. Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Desano, stated
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  Speaker 2: he was happy with the outcome, even as parents in
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  Speaker 2: the district continued to voice concerns over hallway safety and supervision.
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  Speaker 2: For the latest crime and justice breaking news, be sure
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  Speaker 2: to tune in tomorrow on your favorite podcast app with
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  Speaker 2: this crime alert. I'm Sidney Silvani.