The Idaho Murders | The Case Against Bryan Kohberger

This Thanksgiving, three of the most talked-about defendants in America are experiencing the holiday in a way most people never imagine: behind the walls of three very different prison systems. Bryan Kohberger. Sean “Diddy” Combs. Donna Adelson. Three names dominating headlines — now sharing the same institutional reality when the rest of the world gathers around family tables.

In this episode, we take you inside what Thanksgiving actually looks like in prison. Not the fantasy version, not the movie version — the real, stripped-down version served on plastic trays under fluorescent lights. Idaho, federal, and Florida prisons all have their own rhyt...

In tonight’s Hidden Killers Live, we’re unpacking one of the most uncomfortable realities about modern institutions: people show concerning behavior long before they cross a legal line — and institutions rarely know what to do with that space in between. Joining us is retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke, who has spent his career studying that gap.

Washington State University found itself exactly in that space. Multiple women reported disturbing interactions. Faculty documented repeated issues. A mandatory meeting was held because of one TA. And yet, without a criminal act, the system froze. This is where human behavi...

Before the murders ever happened… long before the headlines, the courtroom footage, and the national spotlight… there was Washington State University. And inside that department, there was a trail. A documented pattern of complaints, warnings, meetings, and uncomfortable conversations all centered around one graduate student: Bryan Kohberger.

Tonight on Hidden Killers, we walk through that trail — not with speculation, but with the actual documented behavior that students and faculty reported in real time. The staring. The boundary violations. The gender-based hostility. The “creepy” interactions people whispered about in hallways. The emails students sent with “911” in the subject line. The faculty me...

Tonight on Hidden Killers Live, we’re cutting straight through the fog that has surrounded Washington State University’s handling of Bryan Kohberger’s behavioral complaints — and we’re doing it with retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke, one of the most respected behavioral experts in the country.

This isn’t about blaming people who didn’t have a crystal ball. This is about understanding what behavioral red flags actually are. Before a single crime is committed, before there’s a police report, before anyone can articulate what’s wrong — humans pick up patterns. They feel unsafe. They sense boundary-viola...

Tonight on Hidden Killers Live, we’re taking on the uncomfortable truth institutions hate facing: sometimes the danger is right in front of them, but the structure, culture, and psychology of the environment keep anyone from calling it what it is. Retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke joins us to break down how those blind spots cost Washington State University crucial opportunities to intervene.

This episode digs into the behavioral complaints that circulated inside WSU long before any crime occurred: the staring, the hovering, the boundary-breaking, the fear expressed by women in the department. These weren’t isolated inci...

Tonight on Hidden Killers Live, we’re taking on the uncomfortable truth institutions hate facing: sometimes the danger is right in front of them, but the structure, culture, and psychology of the environment keep anyone from calling it what it is. Retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke joins us to break down how those blind spots cost Washington State University crucial opportunities to intervene.

This episode digs into the behavioral complaints that circulated inside WSU long before any crime occurred: the staring, the hovering, the boundary-breaking, the fear expressed by women in the department. These weren’t isolated inci...

Tonight on Hidden Killers, we’re diving into the lawsuit that could finally crack open the one part of the Bryan Kohberger story that’s been sealed tight: what Washington State University actually knew about his behavior before the Idaho killings — and what they did or didn’t do with it.

The Goncalves family has officially taken the first major step toward suing WSU, and the claims are explosive. They’re arguing that the university wasn’t just a backdrop in Kohberger’s life — it was an institution with warnings stacking up in its hallways, complaints piling on desks, and a gro...

Two major true-crime cases just took sharp, unexpected turns — one in the courtroom, one in the civil arena.

First, Brian Walshe blindsided the court by pleading guilty to disposing of Ana Walshe’s remains and misleading investigators — but still maintaining he didn’t kill her. It’s a move that redefines the entire murder trial and forces huge strategic shifts for both sides.

Then, across the country, Washington State University is facing legal heat. The Goncalves family has filed a civil claim arguing WSU ignored repeated warnings about Brian Kohberger before the Moscow murders. More than a dozen co...

The Goncalves family has taken the next step — not criminal, but civil. They’ve filed claims against Washington State University, arguing the school ignored repeated red flags about Brian Kohberger before the murders in Moscow.

And now the question becomes: Does the law agree?

In this deep-dive episode of Hidden Killers, Tony Brueski sits down with former prosecutor and defense attorney Eric Faddis to unpack the legal claims, the duty-of-care standards, the foreseeability argument, and the staggering list of complaints that WSU allegedly received long before the killings.

Tony and Eric break down the core...

Two major true-crime cases just took sharp, unexpected turns — one in the courtroom, one in the civil arena.

First, Brian Walshe blindsided the court by pleading guilty to disposing of Ana Walshe’s remains and misleading investigators — but still maintaining he didn’t kill her. It’s a move that redefines the entire murder trial and forces huge strategic shifts for both sides.

Then, across the country, Washington State University is facing legal heat. The Goncalves family has filed a civil claim arguing WSU ignored repeated warnings about Brian Kohberger before the Moscow murders. More than a dozen co...

Tonight on Hidden Killers, we’re diving into the lawsuit that could finally crack open the one part of the Bryan Kohberger story that’s been sealed tight: what Washington State University actually knew about his behavior before the Idaho killings — and what they did or didn’t do with it.

The Goncalves family has officially taken the first major step toward suing WSU, and the claims are explosive. They’re arguing that the university wasn’t just a backdrop in Kohberger’s life — it was an institution with warnings stacking up in its hallways, complaints piling on desks, and a gro...

Bryan Kohberger has just been ordered to pay for another part of the aftermath he created — this time, roughly $3,000 for two victims’ urns, on top of the more than $30,000 restitution outlined in his agreement. On the surface, it feels like a moment of overdue accountability in a case where nothing has moved fast enough, clean enough, or confidently enough. But as always in the Kohberger saga… the fine print tells a very different story.

In this episode of Hidden Killers, Tony Brueski dives into the judge’s ruling — not just what it means for restitution, but what it quietly un...

When police arrested Bryan Kohberger — the criminology Ph.D. student accused of murdering four University of Idaho students — they found a single book with underlining on page 118.

Months later, reporting from the Idaho Statesman revealed that book was Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers — a self-help classic about conquering fear through action.

In this episode of Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski, we dig into what that detail really means. Was Kohberger simply reading a popular motivational book? Or was he absorbing a philosophy that, in his hands, took on something much darker?

When police arrested Bryan Kohberger — the criminology Ph.D. student accused of murdering four University of Idaho students — they found a single book with underlining on page 118.

Months later, reporting from the Idaho Statesman revealed that book was Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers — a self-help classic about conquering fear through action.

In this episode of Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski, we dig into what that detail really means. Was Kohberger simply reading a popular motivational book? Or was he absorbing a philosophy that, in his hands, took on something much darker?

Justice doesn’t end at sentencing — and in the Bryan Kohberger case, it just got even darker.

In this episode of Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski, we break down the latest courtroom development in the Idaho student-murder case. More than three years after the 2022 killings and just months after Kohberger’s guilty plea and life sentences, the court was back in session — this time to fight over restitution.

The state wants additional money for victims’ families — about $3,100 in remaining funeral expenses, specifically urns and related costs. Kohberger’s defense team argues he’s indigent and has no ability to pa...

Two stories. One broken system.
In Idaho, Bryan Kohberger could legally make money off his own murders. In Virginia, a first-grade teacher named Abby Zwerner was shot after four separate warnings were ignored. Both stories show how America’s justice system has traded accountability for excuses — and how law, morality, and bureaucracy keep collapsing under their own contradictions.

Tony Brueski and former prosecutor Eric Faddis connect these cases in one of their most morally charged episodes yet. The first half, When Infamy Becomes an Industry, explores how constitutional loopholes turned the First Amendment into a profit shield for...

Before Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty to the brutal murders of four University of Idaho students, his defense team was quietly preparing a courtroom strategy that would have shocked the nation.

According to newly unsealed court filings, Kohberger planned to call friends of the victims — and even the survivors themselves — as defense witnesses. Among them: Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke, the two young women who lived through that horrific night in November 2022. Also on the list were Emily Alandt, Hunter Johnson, and Kaylee Goncalves’ ex-boyfriend, Jack DeCoeur.

Imagine it — the two surviving roommates, who lost four of their cl...

It sounds impossible — but in Idaho, it’s not. Bryan Kohberger, the convicted killer of four University of Idaho students, could one day profit from his crimes. Why? Because Idaho has no “Son of Sam” law — no statute that blocks criminals from turning their infamy into income.

In this episode, Tony Brueski exposes the gaping legal loophole that could let a murderer make money off murder. While most states have laws that stop convicted felons from profiting off books, interviews, or documentaries about their crimes, Idaho never passed one. That means that even behind bars, Kohberger could legally sell his “...

Bryan Kohberger can’t leave his cell — but his story can. In the state of Idaho, there’s no Son of Sam law, meaning that a convicted murderer can legally make money from the story of his crimes. Books. Documentaries. Interviews. Royalties. In this episode, Tony Brueski and former prosecutor Eric Faddis expose how one of the most horrifying modern murder cases has collided with one of America’s oldest constitutional blind spots: the First Amendment’s protection of speech — even when that speech turns into profit from murder.

Tony opens with the question every viewer needs to hear: How ca...

Two stories. One broken system.
In Idaho, Bryan Kohberger could legally make money off his own murders. In Virginia, a first-grade teacher named Abby Zwerner was shot after four separate warnings were ignored. Both stories show how America’s justice system has traded accountability for excuses — and how law, morality, and bureaucracy keep collapsing under their own contradictions.

Tony Brueski and former prosecutor Eric Faddis connect these cases in one of their most morally charged episodes yet. The first half, When Infamy Becomes an Industry, explores how constitutional loopholes turned the First Amendment into a profit shield for...

In this Hidden Killers deep dive, Tony Brueski examines what really happens to a mind like Bryan Kohberger’s when the walls close in and the audience disappears.

After being sentenced to life in prison for the murders of four University of Idaho students, Kohberger now faces the one force he can’t manipulate: time. For nearly three years he’s lived under lockdown—no stage, no admirers, no power. What does that do to a brain built on control, superiority, and a complete lack of empathy?

Using insights from decades of psychological research on psychopathy, narcissi...

Before Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty to the brutal murders of four University of Idaho students, his defense team was quietly preparing a courtroom strategy that would have shocked the nation.

According to newly unsealed court filings, Kohberger planned to call friends of the victims — and even the survivors themselves — as defense witnesses. Among them: Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke, the two young women who lived through that horrific night in November 2022. Also on the list were Emily Alandt, Hunter Johnson, and Kaylee Goncalves’ ex-boyfriend, Jack DeCoeur.

Imagine it — the two surviving roommates, who lost four of their cl...

When Bryan Kohberger suddenly took a plea deal, the courtroom went silent — and with it, hundreds of pieces of evidence, witness testimony, and forensic detail that were set to define one of the most watched murder trials in America.

Now, newly unsealed documents are giving us a chilling glimpse at what the jury would have seen: the DNA on the knife sheath, the phone data that tracked Kohberger’s movements, and the professors at Washington State University who were ready to testify about his behavior and his disturbing fascination with Ted Bundy.

In this episode, we dive...

There’s a kind of cruelty that doesn’t end with a conviction. It’s quieter — colder — and it shows up in the fine print of legal filings long after the headlines fade.

Convicted killer Bryan Kohberger, now serving four consecutive life sentences for the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, has found a new way to wound the families of his victims — by refusing to pay them the restitution the court ordered.

In a stunning October filing, Kohberger’s defense argued he shouldn’t have to pay because the victims’ families received...

Before the flashing lights and the headlines, the Kohbergers were just a quiet Pennsylvania family.
Then one December night, the world changed — and so did their last name.

In this Hidden Killers special, Tony Brueski explores the human cost of infamy through the story “Growing Up Kohberger.” What happens when your sibling becomes the nation’s most hated man? What happens when your last name turns radioactive overnight?

Through documented accounts, psychological research, and parallel stories from other families of killers, Tony examines what experts call courtesy stigma — the inherited guilt of proximity. He explores the moral...

There’s something broken in the system — and Bryan Kohberger knows exactly how to exploit it.

You’d think that after pleading guilty and being sentenced to four consecutive life terms for the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, this case would finally be over. But it’s not. Kohberger is still managing to pull the strings from inside his cell — not through violence this time, but through bureaucracy.

In October, his defense team filed a motion arguing that he shouldn’t have to pay restitution to the victims’ families because they received...

When Bryan Kohberger suddenly took a plea deal, the courtroom went silent — and with it, hundreds of pieces of evidence, witness testimony, and forensic detail that were set to define one of the most watched murder trials in America.

Now, newly unsealed documents are giving us a chilling glimpse at what the jury would have seen: the DNA on the knife sheath, the phone data that tracked Kohberger’s movements, and the professors at Washington State University who were ready to testify about his behavior and his disturbing fascination with Ted Bundy.

In this episode, we dive...

In a powerful new conversation, Alivia Goncalves — sister of Kaylee Goncalves, one of the victims in the University of Idaho murders — is breaking her silence about her private meeting with prosecutors and investigators in Lewiston, Idaho in an interview with Brian Entin. We discuss what she revealed to him.

For the first time, Alivia shares what really happened behind closed doors on October 6th, when she sat alone across from members of the prosecution team, Idaho State Police, and Moscow PD — determined to learn everything she could about her sister’s murder and the evidence against Bryan Kohberger.

...

There’s a kind of cruelty that doesn’t end with a conviction. It’s quieter — colder — and it shows up in the fine print of legal filings long after the headlines fade.

Convicted killer Bryan Kohberger, now serving four consecutive life sentences for the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, has found a new way to wound the families of his victims — by refusing to pay them the restitution the court ordered.

In a stunning October filing, Kohberger’s defense argued he shouldn’t have to pay because the victims’ families received...

Before the flashing lights and the headlines, the Kohbergers were just a quiet Pennsylvania family.
Then one December night, the world changed — and so did their last name.

In this Hidden Killers special, Tony Brueski explores the human cost of infamy through the story “Growing Up Kohberger.” What happens when your sibling becomes the nation’s most hated man? What happens when your last name turns radioactive overnight?

Through documented accounts, psychological research, and parallel stories from other families of killers, Tony examines what experts call courtesy stigma — the inherited guilt of proximity. He explores the moral...

Before the families could speak, Hollywood did. In a stunning October 2025 announcement, Lifetime confirmed that actor Miles Merry will play Bryan Kohberger in an upcoming dramatization of the Idaho student murders. The film, part of the network’s long-running “Ripped From the Headlines” series, is already deep in pre-production — casting finalized, production crew set, and a release date likely locked. But the families of the victims? They were never asked. Never consulted. Never warned.

This is Lifetime’s formula: turn tragedy into prime-time content. They did it with Amanda Knox, Gabby Petito, and Chris Watts — all criticized for exploiting r...

Why did Bryan Kohberger suddenly plead guilty after nearly two years of pretrial warfare? The answer might be more personal—and more psychological—than legal.

In this breakdown, we explore how the revelation that Kohberger’s sister, Amanda, was on the prosecution’s witness list may have triggered a collapse in his carefully controlled defense. For a man driven by dominance, image, and manipulation, the prospect of family testifying against him may have cut deeper than any courtroom battle.

We unpack:
 • The timeline between Amanda being listed and Kohberger's plea
 • What his control-obsessed behavior says about the...

They kill.

Then they smile for cameras, clock in for work, or go grocery shopping.

In this chilling Hidden Killers investigation, we explore “The Performance of Normal” — the haunting calm that follows murder. Starting with Bryan Kohberger, who prosecutors say was seen casually shopping hours after the brutal Idaho student murders, we dive deep into the psychology behind that eerie stillness.

Why do some killers seem completely composed after committing horrific crimes?

From John List, who ate lunch next to his wife’s body before vanishing for 18 years…

To Dennis Rader (BTK...

Before the families could speak, Hollywood did. In a stunning October 2025 announcement, Lifetime confirmed that actor Miles Merry will play Bryan Kohberger in an upcoming dramatization of the Idaho student murders. The film, part of the network’s long-running “Ripped From the Headlines” series, is already deep in pre-production — casting finalized, production crew set, and a release date likely locked. But the families of the victims? They were never asked. Never consulted. Never warned.

This is Lifetime’s formula: turn tragedy into prime-time content. They did it with Amanda Knox, Gabby Petito, and Chris Watts — all criticized for exploiting r...

Why did Bryan Kohberger suddenly plead guilty after nearly two years of pretrial warfare? The answer might be more personal—and more psychological—than legal.

In this breakdown, we explore how the revelation that Kohberger’s sister, Amanda, was on the prosecution’s witness list may have triggered a collapse in his carefully controlled defense. For a man driven by dominance, image, and manipulation, the prospect of family testifying against him may have cut deeper than any courtroom battle.

We unpack:
 • The timeline between Amanda being listed and Kohberger's plea
 • What his control-obsessed behavior says about the...

They kill.

Then they smile for cameras, clock in for work, or go grocery shopping.

In this chilling Hidden Killers investigation, we explore “The Performance of Normal” — the haunting calm that follows murder. Starting with Bryan Kohberger, who prosecutors say was seen casually shopping hours after the brutal Idaho student murders, we dive deep into the psychology behind that eerie stillness.

Why do some killers seem completely composed after committing horrific crimes?

From John List, who ate lunch next to his wife’s body before vanishing for 18 years…

To Dennis Rader (BTK...

In this gripping psychological breakdown, we go beyond the headlines and into the behavioral blueprint of Bryan Kohberger—the man convicted of murdering four University of Idaho students. Was he a psychopath? A narcissist? Or something more complicated?

Join Tony Brueski on Hidden Killers as we pull apart the clinical language behind the internet’s most overused labels. “Psychopath” and “narcissist” aren’t just insults—they’re technical profiles, rooted in years of forensic and psychological study. And in Kohberger’s case, the question isn’t just what he did… but why.

What does his academic obsession with criminolo...

In the face of unthinkable tragedy, Stacy Chapin, the mother of slain University of Idaho student Ethan Chapin, chose a path of grace over vengeance. This deeply moving commentary from Hidden Killers explores her powerful decision to not let Bryan Kohberger—the accused killer—define her or her family's story. Instead of focusing on the crime, Stacy and her family have channeled their grief into a powerful legacy, establishing scholarships and writing a book to honor Ethan's life. This episode is a tribute to the strength of the human spirit. It's about what happens after the crime—the difficult journey of hea...

What does life look like for Bryan Kohberger now that he’s off the front page and locked inside one of Idaho’s most restrictive prisons?

In this episode of Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski, we go inside the Idaho Maximum Security Institution—home to death row, long-term restrictive housing, and now, Bryan Kohberger. This is not general population. This is J Block. And the reality of Kohberger’s existence there is bleak.

We break down every confirmed detail of his day-to-day life:
• 23 hours a day in a single cell
• One hour of solo outdoor rec<...

In this gripping psychological breakdown, we go beyond the headlines and into the behavioral blueprint of Bryan Kohberger—the man convicted of murdering four University of Idaho students. Was he a psychopath? A narcissist? Or something more complicated?

Join Tony Brueski on Hidden Killers as we pull apart the clinical language behind the internet’s most overused labels. “Psychopath” and “narcissist” aren’t just insults—they’re technical profiles, rooted in years of forensic and psychological study. And in Kohberger’s case, the question isn’t just what he did… but why.

What does his academic obsession with criminolo...