Shauntel Kepner shared a series of photos on Facebook that showed her and other family members celebrating Anna Kepner on what would have been her high school graduation day

Shauntel and Christopher Kepner.Credit : Good Morning America/YouTube

Anna Kepner’s stepmother honored her through a series of Facebook posts on what would have been the late teen’s high school graduation day.

Shauntel Kepner wrote about what an amazing person Anna was and how sad it was that she did not get to participate in her commencement ceremony on May 17. Shauntel removed the post from public view a few days later, however, PEOPLE was able to verify the post before it was hidden.

She also included family photos of herself and her daughter posing with Anna’s father Christopher Kepner, along with her two half-siblings in front of a Senior table they designed.

That table was covered in blue and white and had Anna’s name spelled out in large letters along with photos of Anna and her friends from Temple Christian School throughout the years.

Most of the family members posing in the photos wore clothing with blue butterflies as a tribute to Anna’s favorite color and fondness for butterflies.

The table Shauntel designed for Anna.Good Morning America/YouTube

The post was shared on the same day that Christopher accepted his daughter’s high school diploma on her behalf. He could be seen wiping away tears as he walked off the stage to an ovation from the audience.

The family traveled to their former hometown of Titusville, Fla. for the festivities after relocating to Tennessee earlier this year.

Shauntel made no mention of her son, identified in court records as “T.H.,” who is accused of sexually assaulting and then killing Anna aboard the Carnival Cruise Line’s Horizon on Nov. 6, 2025.

In February, T.H. was arraigned in a Florida federal court on charges of sexual assault and murder before being released back into the custody of a maternal relative.

He remains in the custody of that relative, who he was sent to live with back in November of last year.

Shauntel has not spoken publicly about T.H., but court documents filed in Brevard County as part of an ongoing custody dispute between Shauntel and her ex-husband reveal that she cut all ties with T.H. as soon as their cruise returned to port on Nov. 8 and has not spoken to her son since that time.

Per a filing by the relative who took custody of T.H., she has also allegedly refused to pay child support and both she and Christopher have been vocal in their belief that T.H. should not be allowed release before trial.

T.H. and his pretrial release conditions are set to be reconsidered on May 27 now that a grand jury indicted him on murder and aggravated sexual abuse charges and prosecutors announced they will be trying him as an adult.

The trial had initially been set to start June 1, but has now been pushed back to September following a series of motions.

Prosecutors subsequently filed a new motion this week that seeks to put a limit on any more trial delays.

That motion, a copy of which was obtained by PEOPLE, states that the trial — currently set to begin on Sept. 8 — must begin no later than Oct. 27 pursuant to the Speedy Trial Act.

T.H. has entered a plea of not guilty to both charges. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison.

SOURCE: https://people.com/anna-kepner-stepmom-honors-her-graduation-after-cutting-ties-with-son-11979469