Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski | True Crime News & Commentary

Nick Reiner's defense attorney Alan Jackson told reporters there are "very complex and serious issues" in this case and urged the public not to rush to judgment. That's not a throwaway line — it's a signal. But a signal of what?

In this interview, defense attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis breaks down the defense strategies most likely being developed right now behind closed doors. Nick Reiner has a documented, decades-long history of severe drug addiction. He entered rehab at 15. By 22, he'd been through 17 treatment programs. He's spoken publicly about methamphetamine, heroin, homelessness, and violent episodes while using — including dest...

Richard Allen's appeal just dropped — and it's not a narrow legal technicality. It's 113 pages alleging the entire Delphi case was built on lies, omissions, and constitutional violations.

The defense claims Detective Liggett's warrant affidavit changed witness descriptions to fit Allen. Betsy Blair described Bridge Guy as young, early twenties, with poofy brown hair — and rated her sketch 10 out of 10 for accuracy. Allen was 44 with short hair. The jury never saw that sketch. Sarah Carbaugh originally said the man wore a tan jacket and was muddy. Liggett wrote "blue jacket" and "muddy and bloody." Blair told investigators directly that she...

Netflix's new documentary "Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story" drops December 30th, and it finally shifts the focus to where it belongs — not on Ruby Franke, but on the woman Ruby herself blamed for leading her into what she called "a dark delusion."

Jodi Hildebrandt wasn't just Ruby's business partner. She was a licensed mental health counselor with a documented history of ethical violations, a pattern of isolating clients from their families, and an ideology that former clients say destroyed marriages and lives for nearly two decades before she ever met Ruby Franke. In 2012, her license was put on...

Years before Charity Beallis and her six-year-old twins were found shot to death in their Arkansas home, her own father told police she confessed to murder.

According to a police report, Randy Powell said his daughter admitted she "is the one who shot Shawna" — Shawna Beallis, the previous wife of Dr. Randall Beallis. Charity allegedly told her father she was relieved detectives never fingerprinted a wine glass she'd been drinking from at the scene.

That wine glass was documented. It was never tested. Shawna's death was ruled a suicide in 2012. The evidence was destroyed. And the wo...

Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were found stabbed to death in their Brentwood home on December 14th, 2025. Their son Nick Reiner has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances — charges that carry the possibility of the death penalty in California.

In this interview, defense attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis breaks down exactly how the Los Angeles District Attorney's office will build their case against Nick Reiner. We examine the special circumstances allegation, the deadly weapon enhancement, and what prosecutors need to prove to secure a first-degree conviction.

We also discuss th...

Rob and Michele Reiner spent nearly two decades trying to save their son. Seventeen rehab stays. Constant supervision. A guest house on their property so they could keep him close and try to manage the chaos. Every possible resource love, money, access, and opportunity could provide. And still, on December 15, 2025, they were found stabbed to death in their Brentwood home. Their son, Nick Reiner, now faces charges in their killings.

This is not a story about parents who missed the warning signs. It’s about parents who lived with those signs for eighteen years and had no legal wa...

In February 2025, Kristin and James Brock were found shot to death in their bed in Carroll County, Georgia. Their five-year-old daughter discovered the bodies. Their teenage daughter, Sarah Grace Patrick, called 911. For months, Sarah posted tearful TikToks mourning her parents, gave an emotional eulogy at their funeral, and reached out to true crime influencers asking them to cover the case. She commented on videos speculating about who the killer might be. She allegedly wrote that the media coverage "would be a really big hit."

Then investigators arrested her for both murders.

Sarah Grace Patrick was sixteen...

A Kentucky sheriff shot and killed a judge inside his own courthouse chambers — and according to court documents, the warning signs were everywhere. Witnesses say Mickey Stines hadn't slept in days. He'd lost a massive amount of weight. He was convinced unnamed people were going to kill his wife and daughter. He woke his wife up at night to whisper because he believed their home was bugged. And on the day of the shooting, he reportedly tried calling his grandmother — who had been dead for three years. Coworkers saw it. An attorney saw it. 

The local police chief said...

Three days before Sheriff Mickey Stines allegedly walked into Judge Kevin Mullins' chambers and shot him nine times, an attorney contacted the Kentucky Bar Association asking what he could do to intervene. He'd already warned Mullins directly. Told him Stines was "losing it." The local police chief had seen enough to say Stines had "lost his mind." Staff inside the sheriff's office watched their boss make phone calls to relatives who had been dead for years. They got him to a doctor. The doctor sent him home with a diagnosis of "acute stress reaction." Twenty-four hours later, Kevin Mullins was...

Here's what no one wants to say out loud: Rob and Michele Reiner probably knew they were in danger. Friends say Michele had been confiding for months that Nick's mental health was deteriorating. Neighbors say there had been violent incidents before. The night before their deaths, Nick got into a screaming argument with his father at a Christmas party. Everyone saw the signs. No one could legally do anything about it.

In the United States, you cannot force a competent adult into treatment. You cannot commit someone because you believe they're dangerous. You have to wait until the...

LIVE COURTROOM COVERAGE — NO COMMENTARY

This is the raw, uninterrupted courtroom feed from The Trial of Brian Walshe, presented exactly as it unfolds inside the courtroom.

Brian Walshe is standing trial in connection with the disappearance and death of his wife, Ana Walshe, a case that has captured national attention and raised urgent questions about digital evidence, marital dynamics, and investigative timelines. This series provides unfiltered access to the testimony, exhibits, expert witnesses, and courtroom decisions as they happen.

There is no editorializing, no added narration, and no commentary — just the court, the attorneys, the...

Rob and Michele Reiner spent nearly two decades trying to save their son Nick from addiction. They sent him to rehab seventeen times. They let him live in their guesthouse. They made a movie together about his struggles. And when counselors warned them that Nick was lying and manipulating them, they eventually rejected that advice — publicly apologizing for ever believing the professionals over their own son.

Now Rob and Michele are dead, allegedly stabbed by Nick in their Brentwood home the night after a Christmas party where they'd asked the host if they could bring him just to ke...

Rob Reiner didn’t ignore his son’s struggles — he built a movie around them. He talked openly about the guilt, the missteps, the decades of trying. Michele carried the emotional weight of nearly 20 years of crisis. They were present, involved, and doing everything our system tells families to do.

And still, they were left defenseless.

In part two, former FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke explains the darkest truth: families are often fully aware someone is dangerous — but the law ties their hands. Parents cannot force an adult child into long-term treatment. They cannot limit their movement...

Jesse Butler pleaded no contest to ten rape-related charges, got youthful offender status, and walked out of court with probation and community service. No prison. No sex offender registry. And if he makes it to his 19th birthday in August without incident, his record gets sealed forever.

But the case isn't over. Attorney Rachel Bussett just filed a motion that could change everything.

In this breakdown, we examine every legal avenue that could still put Butler behind bars. The Marsy's Law challenge arguing victims' constitutional rights were violated when the plea deal was struck minutes before...

Rob and Michele Reiner spent eighteen years trying to save their son. Seventeen rehab facilities. A feature film about his addiction. A guest house on their property so they could watch over him. And still, on December 15th, 2025, they were found stabbed to death in their Brentwood home. Nick Reiner, 32, has been charged with their murders.

This isn't a case about parents who didn't see it coming. It's about parents who saw it coming for nearly two decades and couldn't stop it.

Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott has spent thirty years working with families in crisis, perpetrators of...

Two cases this week that expose exactly how broken the American legal system is — in completely opposite directions.

In Arkansas, Aaron Spencer is heading to trial for stopping Michael Fosler, a 67-year-old man with 43 felony charges who was out on bond and actively taking Spencer's 13-year-old daughter in the middle of the night. Fosler had already assaulted her once. A no-contact order was in place. The system knew he was dangerous and let him walk anyway. When Spencer's daughter ended up in Fosler's truck heading toward Fosler's house, Spencer did what the system refused to do — he protected his...

Mickey Stines just admitted in court filings that he shot and killed Judge Kevin Mullins. Nine bullets. Seven of them fired while the judge was already on the ground. It's all on video. But now Stines is claiming he "had no control" over his actions—and his defense is pointing to a rare neurological disease caused by bug bites as part of the explanation.

For over a year, no one could explain why a Kentucky sheriff walked into a judge's chambers and executed a man he'd worked with for decades. They'd eaten lunch together that same day. Stines us...

Years before Brian Walshe was charged with murdering and dismembering his wife Ana, he allegedly pulled off another calculated crime—this time against his own father. Dr. Thomas Walshe, a prominent neurologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital, hadn't spoken to his son in over a decade when he died unexpectedly while traveling in India in September 2018. And for good reason: according to court documents, Brian had stolen nearly $800,000 from his father during a Lenox home refinance deal years earlier—took the check, then vanished for over a decade. 

Thomas made his feelings clear in his will, leaving his only...

Nick Reiner is in custody right now, accused of taking the lives of both of his parents inside their Brentwood home. The night before, witnesses say he got into a screaming confrontation with his father Rob Reiner at a holiday party. By Sunday afternoon, Rob and Michele Reiner were gone — reportedly discovered by their own daughter Romy.

Nick Reiner is 32 years old. He has been in and out of treatment programs since he was fifteen. He's experienced homelessness. He's struggled publicly with addiction and severe mental health issues for most of his adult life. His parents talked about it...

Anna Kepner was 18 years old when she was found dead under a bed on the Carnival Horizon cruise ship, wrapped in a blanket and covered with life vests. Her death has been ruled a homicide by mechanical asphyxiation. Both of her stepbrother's parents have identified him in court documents as the FBI's sole suspect. And yet, five weeks later, no arrest has been made. In this breakdown, we cover everything that's emerged from the Brevard County custody hearings, the disturbing testimony about chokehold use in the family home, and the ex-boyfriend who says he tried to warn Anna's parents months...

For nine months, Charity Beallis told anyone who would listen that she was in danger. She reported strangulation. Filed for divorce. Got a protective order. Went to a state senator. Documented her fears online. She even posted research showing that victims who are strangled are 750% more likely to be murdered by their abuser.

But instead of protection, she got a court ruling awarding joint custody to the man she said she feared. Three days later, Charity and her six-year-old twins were found dead from gunshot wounds.

No one has been charged.
Federal agencies — including Homeland Se...

Michael Fosler was out on a $50,000 bond. He had 43 felony charges hanging over him — assault of a minor, grooming, exploitation material. A no-contact order was in place. The system knew exactly who he was and what he was capable of. And just after 1 a.m. on October 8th, 2024, Aaron Spencer's 13-year-old daughter was in Fosler's truck, being taken toward Fosler's house in the middle of the night.

This wasn't a hypothetical threat. This wasn't a father acting on old anger. This was a kidnapping in progress — by the same man who had already violated his child once and was...

Rob Reiner was 78 years old. His wife Michele was 68. And on the last night of their lives, they brought their 32-year-old son Nick to a Christmas party at Conan O'Brien's house because they needed to "keep an eye on him."

That's not parenting. That's surveillance. That's what the mental health system in America leaves families with when their adult children are in crisis — no legal authority, no institutional support, no options. Just proximity. Just hoping your presence is enough to keep things from going sideways.

It wasn't. Less than 24 hours later, Rob and Michele were dead. Th...

Rob and Michele Reiner didn’t die because the red flags went unnoticed. They died because everyone noticed — and still couldn’t do a thing about it. The night before the murders, Nick and Rob had a public, explosive argument at Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party. Guests heard it. People saw it. And yet, 24 hours later, the worst happened anyway.

Why? Because in America, when an adult struggles with severe mental illness, addiction, and escalating instability, families have almost no authority to intervene unless the person voluntarily agrees to treatment — or commits an act of violence.

Former F...

On November 20, 2025, Virginia State Police were headed to question high school football coach Travis Turner at his home in Appalachia, Virginia. Before they arrived, he was gone. His wife says he walked into the dense Appalachian mountains behind their house, allegedly carrying a firearm. He hasn't been seen since.

Four days later, authorities issued ten felony warrants — five counts of possession of child sexual abuse material, five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor. Additional charges are pending. Travis Turner, the beloved head coach of the undefeated Union High School Bears, is now a fugitive. The U...

Three months before Aaron Spencer stopped Michael Fosler from taking his daughter, he stood in front of Lonoke County deputies in complete shock. His 13-year-old had just disclosed that Fosler — a 67-year-old man — had assaulted her. Body cameras captured everything. And in that moment of devastation, Spencer said something prosecutors now want to use against him: "Sometimes you've got to handle things yourself."

The state is calling that premeditation. They want a jury to believe a father processing the worst news of his life was actually announcing a plan. But here's what that argument ignores — Spencer was watching the sy...

Three cases. Three explosive developments. One of the nation’s most respected former FBI agents breaking down what it all means.

In this extended episode, Jennifer Coffindaffer joins us to analyze the newest revelations in the D4VD / Celeste Rivas Hernandez investigation, the shocking identification of a second suspect, and the devastating domestic-violence failure surrounding the murders of Charity Beallis and her children.

PART ONE: The Inner Circle Cracks
D4VD’s record-label GM, Robert Morgenroth, spent three days on the stand before a grand jury — an extraordinary sign that prosecutors believe he has information he eit...

Nearly 29 years after six-year-old JonBenét Ramsey was found murdered in her family's Boulder, Colorado basement, Boulder Police have announced significant movement in the case. Chief Stephen Redfearn confirmed that investigators have collected new evidence, retested existing evidence with modern DNA technology, and conducted new interviews over the past year. Dozens of items are currently being tested at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation — including evidence from the basement crime scene that was never tested before.

At CrimeCon 2025, the Ramsey family's former attorney Hal Haddon pointed to the garrote used to strangle JonBenét as potentially critical, noting that DNA...

For nine months, Charity Beallis begged for help. She wrote letters. Posted warnings. Told friends, family, legislators — anyone who would listen — that she feared her estranged husband would kill her. On December 2nd, a judge awarded that man joint custody. On December 3rd, Charity and her two children were found shot to death.

Now the Secret Service and Homeland Security have joined a sprawling investigation, and the death of the suspect’s first wife in 2012 — also by gunshot, ruled a suicide, with evidence destroyed — has been reopened.

Retired FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer joins us to break down...

Payne County District Attorney Laura Austin Thomas has finally spoken publicly about the Jesse Butler case — the Stillwater, Oklahoma teenager who pleaded no contest to 11 felony charges including attempted rape, strangulation, and domestic assault against two teenage girls. Butler faced up to 78 years in prison but walked away with youthful offender status, community service, counseling, and no sex offender registration. His record will be expunged when he turns 19.

In her statement, the DA defends the plea deal by claiming the victims' families were consulted, that trials for sexual assault are traumatic, and that Oklahoma law favors rehabilitation for mi...

A bombshell revelation from attorney Mark Geragos has shifted the entire landscape of the Celeste Rivas Hernandez investigation: according to him, LAPD has identified a second suspect. Not the killer — but someone allegedly involved before, during, and after Celeste’s death, including the disposal and possible dismemberment of her body.

Retired FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer joins us to break down what investigators uncovered — and how they uncovered it.

Geragos says cellphone data, Tesla GPS, and social-media location tracking created a digital trail accurate “almost to the minute.” One key focus: a late-night trip to a remote are...

Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner were found dead in their Brentwood home on Sunday, December 14, 2025. Both had their throats slit. Their daughter Romy discovered the bodies and immediately told police that a family member was responsible — and that he was "dangerous."

Hours later, their 32-year-old son Nick Reiner was arrested near USC and booked on suspicion of murder. He's now being held without bail.

But here's what makes this story even more disturbing: the night before the killings, Rob, Michele, and Nick attended a Christmas party at Conan O'Brien's house. Witnesses say Nick wa...

The investigation into the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez has reached a critical turning point. A Los Angeles County grand jury is now hearing testimony from individuals directly connected to singer D4VD, and the cracks in his inner circle are starting to show. This week, Robert Morgenroth, the general manager of D4VD's record label and president of his touring company, spent three days being grilled by Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman. According to reports, Morgenroth was heard in the courthouse hallway telling his attorney that Silverman was aggressive in questioning why he never contacted police after learning a...

The grand jury investigating the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez has entered its third week — and the pressure inside that room is reaching a breaking point. Retired FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer joins me to break down the newest developments as the people closest to D4VD begin to fracture under questioning.

This week, Robert Morgenroth — general manager of D4VD’s record label and president of his touring company — spent three straight days testifying. Three days for a non-target witness is extraordinary, and it signals something major: prosecutors believe he knows far more than he’s letting on. Accord...

Three cases. Three firestorms. One attorney who cuts through the noise.

In this extended episode, defense attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis joins me to break down the legal chaos surrounding the Netflix documentary Sean Combs: The Reckoning, the explosive allegations linking Diddy to the murders of Tupac and Biggie, and the mysterious cruise-ship death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner, where a 16-year-old stepbrother is the named suspect — yet no charges have been filed.

Part One: Diddy vs. Netflix
We look at the cease-and-desist letter, the “stolen footage” accusations, and why Diddy hasn’t filed the billion...

Eighteen-year-old Anna Kepner died aboard a cruise ship. Her sixteen-year-old stepbrother has been identified as the suspect — not by police, not by the FBI, but through explosive court filings in a custody battle. The family acknowledges it. Witnesses describe aggression, chokeholds, and a dynamic the adults claim they never saw. And still: no charges.

So what does this silence actually signal?

Former prosecutor Eric Faddis explains why federal investigations move slowly, why cruise-ship deaths fall under complex jurisdictional rules, and what benchmarks investigators need before they pursue homicide charges involving a minor. We examine the digital tr...

The Netflix documentary doesn’t stop at abuse allegations — it dives straight into the two most infamous unsolved murders in music history: Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. With Keefe D now awaiting trial in Nevada, statements resurfacing from decades past, and former associates like Kirk Burrowes making explosive claims, many viewers are asking the same question: Is there any world where Diddy faces criminal charges?

Defense attorney Eric Faddis breaks down exactly why these allegations haven’t resulted in charges and what prosecutors actually need before they put anyone — especially a high-profile figure — in front of a grand...

Charity Powell-Beallis spent nine months fighting for her life in the Arkansas court system. She reported that her husband strangled her in front of their children. She filed for divorce. She sought full custody. She told a state senator she feared for her life. She posted on Facebook that the system was protecting her abuser while silencing her as the victim.

One day after a judge reportedly awarded joint custody to her estranged husband — a doctor with a domestic violence conviction — Charity and her six-year-old twins were found shot to death in their home.

When her fath...

Brian Walshe has been convicted of first-degree murder in the death of his wife Ana Walshe, who disappeared on New Year's Day 2023. After just six hours of deliberation, a Norfolk County jury found the 50-year-old Cohasset man guilty of premeditated murder — making this one of the rare cases where a first-degree murder conviction was secured without the victim's body ever being recovered. Ana Walshe, a 39-year-old mother of three who worked as a real estate manager in Washington D.C., was last seen alive in the early morning hours of January 1, 2023, after a New Year's Eve celebration at the family ho...

LIVE COURTROOM COVERAGE — NO COMMENTARY

This is the raw, uninterrupted courtroom feed from The Trial of Brian Walshe, presented exactly as it unfolds inside the courtroom.

Brian Walshe is standing trial in connection with the disappearance and death of his wife, Ana Walshe, a case that has captured national attention and raised urgent questions about digital evidence, marital dynamics, and investigative timelines. This series provides unfiltered access to the testimony, exhibits, expert witnesses, and courtroom decisions as they happen.

There is no editorializing, no added narration, and no commentary — just the court, the attorneys, the...