Plea deal could keep Anna Kepner’s alleged killer out of prison

New details now. The teen accused of killing his stepsister on a cruise ship could cut a deal to avoid life behind bars. Timothy Hudson's legal team is now considering a plea instead of a trial. He's accused of raping and murdering Anna Kepner on a family cruise last year and stuffing her lifeless body under a bed. Esther Bauer now with the new updates in the case. Timothy Hudson's legal team is asking for more time to investigate one final issue before they'll decide whether or not he'll plead guilty or try his luck with a jury trial. New court filings in the case are delaying his trial and now pointing towards a possible plea deal. They're saying there's one thing left to go over. Timothy Hudson's defense told a judge earlier this month they're making progress on the case but didn't specify what one issue needs more time. It would probably be to examine him for mental, maybe still the insanity defense or something like that. Jeff Golub is not affiliated with the case, but thinks some kind of doctor examination could be the final holdup. He thinks the teen should definitely consider a plea deal because the federal government's case is strong. He's in the room, she's there. I don't know what defense you could really come up with. The teen is accused of raping and strangling his stepsister to death while on a family cruise. He was 16 at the time of the alleged attack and could face life behind bars if convicted. If they're going to offer something that's less than life, yet still give him a life, I think that's the way to go. Golub says his teen could be pushing for 30 to 35 years behind bars with the possibility of parole at 25. It was something where he can get out at some point, or at least they can review it and see how he's doing. The judge granted this request and is now giving the defense several more months to build the case or settle outside of court. And the deadline for a plea deal is January 15th. If Hudson was given around a 30-year sentence, he could be out of prison in his 40s. Reporting in Melbourne, Esther Bauer, Fox 35 News.