Crime

Nancy Grace is sick of Anna Kepner's family appearing to protect the stepbrother accused of raping and killing her ... and Nancy feels he should face life behind bars like every other killer.

Nancy popped in to "TMZ Live" absolutely furious about the case and the fact that the stepbrother -- identified in court docs as "T.H., a minor" -- is out on bond.

She told us, "I don't understand it. This is charged as murder one!"

She continued, "It seems to me, from the beginning, that the family has been more worried about protecting his identity and protecting him than they are about what happened to Anna and getting justice for her."

The prosecutors who charged Anna Kepner’s stepbrother with her murder have revealed the evidence they have collected in their investigation ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, the feds provided the defense team for Anna’s accused stepbro -- identified as "T.H." by prosecutors -- with FBI investigation docs, two videos from the FBI, Carnival Cruise documents, and Anna’s autopsy photo and X-rays.

The feds say they also handed over the full medical examiner report, body cam videos, and the “extraction of C.K.” cell phone. Anna’s father’s name is Christopher Kepner, but prosecutors do not identify who C.K. is in the docs.

Christopher Kepner -- the father of 18-year-old Anna Kepner, who was found dead on a Carnival Cruise ship last year -- is furious his stepson is still free ... considering he's been charged with raping and murdering Anna.

The 16-year-old suspect -- identified in court docs as "T.H., a minor" -- has been let out of jail and living with a relative despite the charges, which Christopher sees as a big problem.

He told the Daily Mail, "We're upset that he's still out. We're six months in and he should already have been arrested and yet he's free to do whatever he wants right now. That's our problem. He's been able to do whatever he wants and go where he wants but the family's been sitting here unable to do anything."

Anna Kepner’s stepbrother, T.H. -- who is accused of raping and murdering her on a Carnival cruise -- has been living with family while being monitored by the feds ... but now that he's charged as an adult, prosecutors have changed their tune and want him behind bars pending his trial ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, T.H. -- who was arrested in February and indicted by a federal grand jury for first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse as an adult this week -- has been staying at his uncle Devon Ziske’s home.

T.H. was ordered to stay at home and always be under the supervision of an adult. He was made to wear a GPS monitor and not allowed to be alone with anyone under the age of 18, unless supervised by an adult.

Ashlee Jenae's family tells us they've heard next to nothing from her fiancé Joe McCann since her tragic death in Tanzania earlier this month ... and they're looking to get their hands on surveillance video from the hotel where she was found unconscious.

Ashlee's parents -- Harry and Yolanda, and their respective partners -- sat down with TMZ's Charlie Neff and told us about their communications with Joe, or lack thereof, in the wake of Ashlee's death.

The family says Joe only reached out to them once ... 11 hours after she was taken to a hospital ... and her father says that's really strange. He says Joe assured them everything was fine, but Ashlee was ultimately pronounced dead at the hospital.

Offset's shooting is no longer a local case in Florida ... the case has gone federal with the FBI now investigating, and releasing a bunch of photos of suspects and getaway vehicles.

The FBI in Miami just issued a statement with photos showing the alleged perpetrators and their two Chevrolet SUVs, one of which is a matte gray Tahoe and the other is a black Suburban.

In the pics, one dude is jabbering on his cellphone while another is walking around one of the SUVs, and other snaps show the suspects interacting with each other. An FBI official confirmed to TMZ ... the photos are related to last week's Offset shooting.

Brian Hooker is going quiet ... and it’s raising just as many questions as answers in the desperate search for his wife, Lynette Hooker, who's been missing for 10 days after she went overboard on a boat in the Bahamas.

The husband at the center of the mystery has officially stepped back from the spotlight ... with his attorney, Terrel Butler, announcing Tuesday he will no longer be doing media interviews as the situation intensifies.

Hooker’s focus is locked in on finding his wife of 25 years ... pouring all of his emotional and physical energy into the ocean search while working behind the scenes with “relevant parties,” according to his lawyer.

The stepbrother charged with raping and murdering 18-year-old Anna Kepner received a glimmer of good news amid all the bad news in his indictment ... prosecutors say there's no chance he'll be put to death, because it's unconstitutional.

Here's how it all breaks down ... the 16-year-old defendant, identified in court docs as "T.H., a minor," is charged with first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse, and he faces life in prison if convicted. In the charging docs, prosecutors indicated this is not a death penalty case.

In their new motion seeking to keep T.H. behind bars pending his trial, the feds says the death penalty is off the table under Supreme Court precedent that bars the imposition of capital punishment on juvenile offenders. T.H. was 16 at the time he allegedly killed Kepner ... though he was actually indicted as an adult by a federal grand jury.

Ashlee Jenae’s family is reeling after her sudden death ... and now they’re facing a whole new reality: the financial toll of bringing her home to the States.

Her father Harry Robinson has launched a GoFundMe with a $50K goal, saying the money will go toward travel, arrangements, and mounting costs as they deal with an ongoing investigation overseas.

As we reported, Ashlee -- whose real name is Ashly Robinson -- was found unconscious at a resort villa in Tanzania and rushed to a hospital ... where she died the following day on Friday, April 10.

A 65-year-old woman from Arizona is finally facing justice decades after she allegedly suffocated her newborn baby to death and tossed her in the woods at a North Dakota college campus.

Nancy Jean Trottier was arrested April 7 for the alleged murder of the baby, named "Rebecca" by police, after a DNA breakthrough linked her to the child's corpse, local Fargo, ND outlet Valley News Live reports.

Trottier is accused of birthing the baby and then stuffing her inside a plastic bag -- with her umbilical cord still attached -- and dumping the bag in a wooded area behind Valley City State College in 1981. Trottier was reportedly a student there from 1978 to 1982.

A woman accusing Eric Swalwell of sexual misconduct is set to detail her grievances in a press conference Tuesday, her attorney has announced.

The woman's high-profile attorney, Lisa Bloom, revealed the news on Instagram Monday night ... saying her client has "pretty serious sexual misconduct" allegations to air. The presser is set to take place this morning in Beverly Hills.

As you know, Swalwell exited California governor's race Sunday after sexual assault and misconduct allegations by a former staff member and at least 3 other women. Bloom slammed Swalwell in her Instagram video ... saying he didn't ditch the race as an act of accountability, but instead because he wanted to avoid the ethics investigation that Congress opened into him.

Brian Hooker, the husband at the center of a Bahamas disappearance mystery, has been released from police custody after days of questioning, but he's still firmly on investigators' radar.

Hooker was cut loose Monday evening without charges following a final round of questioning that lasted about an hour, his attorney, Terrel Butler tells TMZ. Butler says authorities had no evidence against her client and were essentially forced to let him go. She tells us Brian is "elated" to be released.

Despite walking free, Hooker isn't off the hook. Royal Bahamas Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles says the decision to release him came after consulting with prosecutors and confirmed he remains a suspect in an active investigation. She added officials are still hopeful Lynette, who's been missing for more than a week, will be found.

Lindsie Chrisley hit her ex-boyfriend in the face and made him bleed ... at least that's what he told dispatchers after calling the police for help.

TMZ obtained the 911 audio from David Landsman's call to cops in Georgia, and you hear him say Lindsie came over to his home, beat his face and drew blood.

David tells the dispatcher Lindsie fled in her Lexus after the alleged beating ... and he refuses an ambulance and says he wants cops to come over and document his injuries.

Federal prosecutors are demanding Anna Kepner’s stepbrother be locked up after he was accused of raping and murdering his sister ... TMZ has learned. 

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, prosecutors call Anna’s brother -- only identified as T.H. in paperwork -- a “danger to others” and argue he should not be released on bond. 

The prosecutors said that the evidence “demonstrated the offense conduct that [T.H.] engaged in involved the most serious, egregious, and violative crimes one person can inflict upon another.” 

The man cops say is the guy seen in a viral video who went nuts on a porch before breaking into a Northern California home has been hit with charges ... TMZ has learned.

In wild video, police say you can see 30-year-old Jason Thomas Nichols kicking at the front door and yelling -- repeatedly saying, "Where's your daughter?" -- before eventually getting in through a sliding glass door ... according to a statement released by the Fairfield PD.

Fairfield Police say officers rushed to the house on April 7 when a man tried to force his way inside while a woman and child were home.

Disturbing new twist in Anna Kepner's death aboard a Carnival Cruise ... the feds say her 16-year-old stepbrother raped her before murdering her on their family vacation.

Anna's stepbrother has been indicted as an adult by a federal grand jury and charged with first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse ... according to federal prosecutors in Florida.

The feds only identify Anna's stepbrother by his initials T.H., and say he's facing a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.