Anna Kepner
Tearful Dad Accepts Diploma She By no means Might
Revealed
Anna Kepner ought to’ve been strolling throughout the stage along with her classmates this weekend … as a substitute, her grieving father accepted her diploma by tears as the group rose to its toes.
Christopher Kepner attended Temple Christian Faculty’s graduation ceremony in Titusville, Florida … six months after Anna was killed aboard a Carnival cruise ship.
Watch the video, obtained by “Good Morning America,” that reveals him wiping away tears as he walked onstage to gather Anna’s diploma following a standing ovation from the packed auditorium.
The heartbreaking second grew to become a tribute to Anna all through the night time … with Christopher, his spouse Shauntel and different relations sporting blue butterflies — Anna’s favourite — whereas Shauntel additionally created a senior desk lined in photographs of Anna and her pals over time.
“It was onerous,” Christopher mentioned. “Being in her place to try this was very onerous.”
He continued … “Our time with Anna was quick, however it left us with many recollections that we’ll endlessly cherish. We waited for her title to be known as. I walked up and grabbed the diploma.”
The emotional ceremony unfolded because the felony case surrounding Anna’s dying continues to maneuver towards trial. Her 16-year-old stepbrother, recognized in courtroom papers solely as T.H.is scheduled to face trial in September on federal homicide and sexual assault costs tied to her dying aboard the cruise ship.
Christopher and Shauntel additionally informed GMA they continue to be “pissed off and upset” over a choose’s choice to permit T.H. to remain on pretrial launch with a member of the family as a substitute of in custody whereas awaiting trial.
As we beforehand reportedChristopher has mentioned he doesn’t plan to attend the trial except prosecutors require him to testify … explaining it will be too painful to relive the tragedy after he was the one who discovered Anna’s physique aboard the ship.
