A Titusville teenager accused of raping and murdering his stepsister on a cruise ship is asking a federal judge to delay his upcoming trial.

Federal prosecutors have alleged that Timothy Hudson, 16, sexually assaulted and killed 18-year-old Anna Kepner on the Carnival Horizon cruise ship as it returned to Miami in November.

Hudson’s attorneys filed court papers Monday seeking to postpone his trial, which is currently scheduled to begin September 8.

The defense said it needs more time to prepare, in part, due to “the unique – and very unfortunate – family dynamic that has resulted from the allegations here.”

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Regardless of whether Hudson is convicted by a jury or enters a plea, his attorneys say the 16-year-old is entitled to a so-called Miller hearing to determine whether the juvenile is eligible for a sentence other than automatic life in prison.

“Preparation for a Miller hearing often resembles the type of mitigation investigation involved in a capital prosecution,” Assistant Federal Public Defender Eric M. Cohen wrote. “Unfortunately, however, defense counsel do not have the type of access to certain family members that would facilitate their investigation.”

In a footnote to the motion for a trial delay, the defense attorney acknowledged that he was “purposely being vague due to the intense media scrutiny this case has garnered.”

Federal prosecutors are not opposed to the trial delay, the motion states.

A judge did not immediately rule on Hudson’s request.