Mind Behind The Crime | The Psychology Of Killers

Welcome to the "Week in Review," where we delve into the true stories behind this week's headlines. Your host, Tony Brueski, joins hands with a rotating roster of guests, sharing their insights and analysis on a collection of intriguing, perplexing, and often chilling stories that made the news.
    
 This is not your average news recap. With the sharp investigative lens of Tony and his guests, the show uncovers layers beneath the headlines, offering a comprehensive perspective that traditional news can often miss. From high-profile criminal trials to in-depth examinations of ongoing investigations, this podcast takes listeners on a fasc...

Welcome to the "Week in Review," where we delve into the true stories behind this week's headlines. Your host, Tony Brueski, joins hands with a rotating roster of guests, sharing their insights and analysis on a collection of intriguing, perplexing, and often chilling stories that made the news.
    
 This is not your average news recap. With the sharp investigative lens of Tony and his guests, the show uncovers layers beneath the headlines, offering a comprehensive perspective that traditional news can often miss. From high-profile criminal trials to in-depth examinations of ongoing investigations, this podcast takes listeners on a fasc...

Welcome to the "Week in Review," where we delve into the true stories behind this week's headlines. Your host, Tony Brueski, joins hands with a rotating roster of guests, sharing their insights and analysis on a collection of intriguing, perplexing, and often chilling stories that made the news.
    
 This is not your average news recap. With the sharp investigative lens of Tony and his guests, the show uncovers layers beneath the headlines, offering a comprehensive perspective that traditional news can often miss. From high-profile criminal trials to in-depth examinations of ongoing investigations, this podcast takes listeners on a fasc...

Welcome to the "Week in Review," where we delve into the true stories behind this week's headlines. Your host, Tony Brueski, joins hands with a rotating roster of guests, sharing their insights and analysis on a collection of intriguing, perplexing, and often chilling stories that made the news.
    
 This is not your average news recap. With the sharp investigative lens of Tony and his guests, the show uncovers layers beneath the headlines, offering a comprehensive perspective that traditional news can often miss. From high-profile criminal trials to in-depth examinations of ongoing investigations, this podcast takes listeners on a fasc...

Why We Turn to Conspiracies After Tragedy? Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott Explains

In this final segment, the Hidden Killers Live team unpacks the psychological pull of conspiracy theories following the Charlie Kirk assassination. Shavaun Scott explains why the human brain craves certainty after chaos, and how conspiracy thinking offers both a sense of control and emotional escape. Tony Brueski and his co-hosts reflect on the hopelessness many feel in today’s polarized climate, the erosion of problem-solving in leadership, and the psychological cost of living in constant fear. The episode closes with the FBI’s press conference, revealing new inve...

America Addicted to Rage: Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott on the Kirk Assassination
This segment zooms in on the psychology behind America’s division. With insight from psychotherapist Shavaun Scott, the panel dissects how social media outrage, tribal thinking, and dopamine-driven rage responses have turned political discourse into psychological warfare. Tony Brueski and co-hosts explore why so many Americans are trapped in “us vs. them” narratives, and how misinformation fuels distorted perceptions that can escalate into violence. Shavaun draws on clinical experience and neuroscience to explain why people become addicted to anger — and how that cycle makes tragedies like the Charlie Kirk ass...

The Psychology of Shock: Why the Charlie Kirk Assassination Feels Different

In this opening segment, Tony Brueski, Stacy Cole, Todd Michaels, and psychotherapist Shavaun Scott examine why the assassination of Charlie Kirk has triggered such deep emotional shockwaves across the country. From the symbolism of losing a polarizing political figure to the anxiety of watching violence erupt in what should have been a safe, public setting, the team unpacks the psychological destabilization many Americans now feel. Shavaun explains how attacks on leaders can feel like attacks on identity itself, while Tony and the panel reflect on the collective...

Charlie Kirk Assassination & Steins Courthouse Shooting — Full Psychological & Legal Breakdown  
In this Hidden Killers Live full-episode special, we bring you two of the most disturbing cases rocking America right now — the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the courthouse murder of Judge Kevin Mullins by Sheriff Mickey Stines.

First Half — The Assassination of Charlie Kirk (with Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott):

Segment 1: Shockwaves of Kirk’s killing and why it feels psychologically different from other political violence.

Segment 2: The neuroscience of polarization and why America seems addicted to rage and division.

Segment 3: Conspiracy theories, hopelessn...

From Jen Soto To Jake Harrow: Why America’s Child Protection System is Broken Beyond Repair

The final segment of this Hidden Killers Live breakdown brings the conversation to its most haunting point: how could Jake Haro ever be rated “low risk” after nearly killing his first child?

Tony Brueski and Shavaun Scott examine the checklist mentality of child protective services and probation programs, where compliance and paperwork are valued over real-world judgment. Shavaun shares a devastating personal case from her career: a young boy she warned was unsafe with his mother, only for the court to ign...

Why Did Rebecca Haro Stay With Jake Haro? Trauma Bonds & a Mother’s Responsibility

In this chilling segment, the spotlight turns to Rebecca Haro, the mother who stood by Jake Haro even after he shattered their daughter’s bones and later killed their infant son Emmanuel. Why would someone defend such a man? Why stay loyal when your children’s lives are at risk?

Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott explains the psychology of trauma bonding and dependent personality disorder, breaking down why some partners remain attached to abusers despite overwhelming evidence of danger. Tony and Stacy weigh Rebecca’s moral...

Jake Haro Case: Castration, Competency Tests & Child Safety: Should Society Go Further?
What does it mean to have the capacity to parent? In this gripping segment, Tony Brueski and psychotherapist Shavaun Scott wrestle with the uncomfortable truth: not everyone can or should be raising children.

The Haro case sparks a brutally honest conversation about America’s obsession with “positive thinking” — the idea that anyone can change if they just try. But when it comes to protecting kids, blind faith is a death sentence. Jake Haro attended parenting classes, checked the required boxes, and was rated “low risk.” Weeks later...

Why Was Jake Haro Free? A Baby’s Death That Should Never Have Happened

In this powerful segment of Hidden Killers Live, Tony Brueski sits down with psychotherapist and author Shavaun Scott to examine one of the most heartbreaking cases in recent memory — the death of 7-month-old Emmanuel Haro. Prosecutors say Emmanuel’s father, Jake Harro, killed him despite the fact that just two years earlier he had fractured the skull, spine, and bones of another infant.

Instead of serving prison time, Jake was given probation. That decision allowed him to father more children and ultimately left E...

Bryan Kohberger’s Disturbing Selfies + The Tragic Case of Baby Emmanuel Haro | Hidden Killers Live
In this Hidden Killers Live 2-hour special, Tony Brueski, Stacy Cole, and Todd Michaels dive into two of the most disturbing true crime stories dominating headlines today: the latest revelations about Bryan Kohberger and the tragic death of baby Emmanuel Haro.

The first half of the show zeroes in on Kohberger, the man accused of murdering four University of Idaho students. Newly released photos from his phone reveal a disturbing obsession with himself: endless bathroom selfies, awkward poses, emaciated body shots, and cr...

Welcome to the "Week in Review," where we delve into the true stories behind this week's headlines. Your host, Tony Brueski, joins hands with a rotating roster of guests, sharing their insights and analysis on a collection of intriguing, perplexing, and often chilling stories that made the news.
    
 This is not your average news recap. With the sharp investigative lens of Tony and his guests, the show uncovers layers beneath the headlines, offering a comprehensive perspective that traditional news can often miss. From high-profile criminal trials to in-depth examinations of ongoing investigations, this podcast takes listeners on a fasc...

Welcome to the "Week in Review," where we delve into the true stories behind this week's headlines. Your host, Tony Brueski, joins hands with a rotating roster of guests, sharing their insights and analysis on a collection of intriguing, perplexing, and often chilling stories that made the news.
    
 This is not your average news recap. With the sharp investigative lens of Tony and his guests, the show uncovers layers beneath the headlines, offering a comprehensive perspective that traditional news can often miss. From high-profile criminal trials to in-depth examinations of ongoing investigations, this podcast takes listeners on a fasc...

Welcome to the "Week in Review," where we delve into the true stories behind this week's headlines. Your host, Tony Brueski, joins hands with a rotating roster of guests, sharing their insights and analysis on a collection of intriguing, perplexing, and often chilling stories that made the news.
    
 This is not your average news recap. With the sharp investigative lens of Tony and his guests, the show uncovers layers beneath the headlines, offering a comprehensive perspective that traditional news can often miss. From high-profile criminal trials to in-depth examinations of ongoing investigations, this podcast takes listeners on a fasc...

Welcome to the "Week in Review," where we delve into the true stories behind this week's headlines. Your host, Tony Brueski, joins hands with a rotating roster of guests, sharing their insights and analysis on a collection of intriguing, perplexing, and often chilling stories that made the news.
    
 This is not your average news recap. With the sharp investigative lens of Tony and his guests, the show uncovers layers beneath the headlines, offering a comprehensive perspective that traditional news can often miss. From high-profile criminal trials to in-depth examinations of ongoing investigations, this podcast takes listeners on a fasc...

Welcome to the "Week in Review," where we delve into the true stories behind this week's headlines. Your host, Tony Brueski, joins hands with a rotating roster of guests, sharing their insights and analysis on a collection of intriguing, perplexing, and often chilling stories that made the news.
    
 This is not your average news recap. With the sharp investigative lens of Tony and his guests, the show uncovers layers beneath the headlines, offering a comprehensive perspective that traditional news can often miss. From high-profile criminal trials to in-depth examinations of ongoing investigations, this podcast takes listeners on a fasc...

Welcome to the "Week in Review," where we delve into the true stories behind this week's headlines. Your host, Tony Brueski, joins hands with a rotating roster of guests, sharing their insights and analysis on a collection of intriguing, perplexing, and often chilling stories that made the news.
    
 This is not your average news recap. With the sharp investigative lens of Tony and his guests, the show uncovers layers beneath the headlines, offering a comprehensive perspective that traditional news can often miss. From high-profile criminal trials to in-depth examinations of ongoing investigations, this podcast takes listeners on a fasc...

Prison Life is Breaking Bryan Kohberger — Full Psychological Analysis

Prison isn’t built for fragile egos. And Bryan Kohberger — the man convicted of murdering four University of Idaho students — is already proving that point.

From the moment he entered Idaho’s maximum-security facility, Kohberger began unraveling. His letters and complaints are almost surreal: begging for different vegan meals, obsessing over food portions, writing about harassment through the vents, and demanding to be moved out of J-Block. The man who once portrayed himself as a master of criminal behavior now spends his days panicking about tuna casserole and verbal...

Donna Adelson’s High-Stakes Loyalty: Scripts, Cover-Ups & Prison Future

What happens when enmeshment doesn’t just ruin relationships—but pulls a family into crime? In this segment, Tony Brueski and psychotherapist Shavaun Scott dive into the Adelsons’ darkest dynamics, where loyalty has crossed into cover-ups, scripts, and manipulation.

We explore why some family members are willing to risk everything, even prison, to protect the family unit. Why does one sibling cross the line into criminality while another refuses? And how did Donna Adelson allegedly turn manipulation into a lifestyle—writing scripts for testimony, bribing with promises of money...

The impact of enmeshed families doesn’t end in childhood—it follows people into every adult relationship. In this segment, Tony Brueski, Stacy, Todd, and psychotherapist Shavaun Scott explore how toxic loyalty and control spill into marriages, friendships, and self-identity.

From mandatory Sunday dinners to overbearing in-laws, the conversation highlights how enmeshed families suffocate independence—even decades later. Stacy shares her own jaw-dropping story about an ex-mother-in-law who tried to control everything, from prom night to medical crises, underscoring how deeply this pattern runs.

Shavaun explains how parents like Donna Adelson can live “inside” a child’s head, infl...

Bryan Kohberger’s Broken Brain: Control, Family & Obsession

The story of Bryan Kohberger isn’t just about four lives stolen in Moscow, Idaho. It’s also about a lifetime of obsessions, failures, and fractured psychology that built the man accused of those crimes.

From his teenage years, Kohberger described himself as numb, detached, incapable of empathy. He filled journals and online posts with accounts of feeling unreal, seeing the world through “visual snow,” and struggling to connect with anyone. As he grew older, those feelings didn’t fade — they hardened into obsessions. Nightly “stargazing” drives were really peeping exp...

Understanding The Adelson's: Roots, Culture & Control
Families that look “close” on the outside can actually be suffocating on the inside. In this segment, Tony Brueski is joined by psychotherapist and author Shavaun Scott, along with Stacy and Todd, to unpack the roots of enmeshed families—the kind where loyalty becomes control.

We dig into cultural influences, from Jewish and Asian traditions that normalize family loyalty, to the rise of helicopter parenting. We explore how narcissistic parents turn children into extensions of themselves, expecting achievements to reflect back on them rather than fostering independence.

Shavaun explains the fa...

Kohberger’s “Mom Text” & Donna’s Grand Piano: How Loyalty Turns Criminal

Today’s full Hidden Killers Live digs into two explosive storylines and a deep psychological dive that ties them together. First, we unpack a new detail in the Bryan Kohberger case: the night-after exchange with his mother, including a link she sent describing the victim’s bruises and fight back. Was it innocent true-crime chatter between a mom and her criminology-student son—or something far more unsettling in hindsight? We connect that moment to Kohberger’s narrow fixations, the “coffee shop girl,” and his Jekyll/Hyde letters to Washingto...

Bryan Kohberger’s Prison Meltdown: Complaints, Control & Collapse

Bryan Kohberger once carried himself like the smartest man in the room — the criminology PhD student who thought he could outthink investigators, classmates, maybe even the law itself. But the mask has slipped, and the picture we’re seeing from inside Idaho’s maximum-security prison is one of collapse.

Within weeks of being placed in J-Block, Kohberger began flooding staff with handwritten complaints. He demanded “full trays” of vegan food, griped about substitutions on his meals, and accused inmates of screaming threats at him through the vents. He even begged...

Donna Adelson’s Kids Just DESTROYED Her in Court — Full Breakdown

It was the moment Donna Adelson feared most: her own children stepping into the courtroom and turning the spotlight directly on her. Robert and Wendy Adelson both testified — and together, they may have just delivered the most devastating blow to their mother’s defense.

Robert’s words were blunt and powerful. He described Donna as controlling, manipulative, the one who dictated family life. Wendy’s testimony was more complicated — evasive, cautious, full of “I don’t remembers.” Two siblings, two approaches, but both ultimately painted a picture of a mothe...

Welcome to the "Week in Review," where we delve into the true stories behind this week's headlines. Your host, Tony Brueski, joins hands with a rotating roster of guests, sharing their insights and analysis on a collection of intriguing, perplexing, and often chilling stories that made the news.
    
 This is not your average news recap. With the sharp investigative lens of Tony and his guests, the show uncovers layers beneath the headlines, offering a comprehensive perspective that traditional news can often miss. From high-profile criminal trials to in-depth examinations of ongoing investigations, this podcast takes listeners on a fasc...

Welcome to the "Week in Review," where we delve into the true stories behind this week's headlines. Your host, Tony Brueski, joins hands with a rotating roster of guests, sharing their insights and analysis on a collection of intriguing, perplexing, and often chilling stories that made the news.
    
 This is not your average news recap. With the sharp investigative lens of Tony and his guests, the show uncovers layers beneath the headlines, offering a comprehensive perspective that traditional news can often miss. From high-profile criminal trials to in-depth examinations of ongoing investigations, this podcast takes listeners on a fasc...

Welcome to the "Week in Review," where we delve into the true stories behind this week's headlines. Your host, Tony Brueski, joins hands with a rotating roster of guests, sharing their insights and analysis on a collection of intriguing, perplexing, and often chilling stories that made the news.
    
 This is not your average news recap. With the sharp investigative lens of Tony and his guests, the show uncovers layers beneath the headlines, offering a comprehensive perspective that traditional news can often miss. From high-profile criminal trials to in-depth examinations of ongoing investigations, this podcast takes listeners on a fasc...

Welcome to the "Week in Review," where we delve into the true stories behind this week's headlines. Your host, Tony Brueski, joins hands with a rotating roster of guests, sharing their insights and analysis on a collection of intriguing, perplexing, and often chilling stories that made the news.
    
 This is not your average news recap. With the sharp investigative lens of Tony and his guests, the show uncovers layers beneath the headlines, offering a comprehensive perspective that traditional news can often miss. From high-profile criminal trials to in-depth examinations of ongoing investigations, this podcast takes listeners on a fasc...

Welcome to the "Week in Review," where we delve into the true stories behind this week's headlines. Your host, Tony Brueski, joins hands with a rotating roster of guests, sharing their insights and analysis on a collection of intriguing, perplexing, and often chilling stories that made the news.
    
 This is not your average news recap. With the sharp investigative lens of Tony and his guests, the show uncovers layers beneath the headlines, offering a comprehensive perspective that traditional news can often miss. From high-profile criminal trials to in-depth examinations of ongoing investigations, this podcast takes listeners on a fasc...

Sheriff Stines & Judge Mullins EXPOSED Murder & Corruption REVEALED
This is the full breakdown of one of the most shocking scandals in recent memory: the murder of Judge Kevin Mullins by Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines — and the avalanche of allegations that followed.

On September 19th, 2024, Stines shot Mullins inside his chambers, just minutes after sharing lunch. The killing was caught on courthouse surveillance. But the story didn’t end there. It only began.

In the aftermath, women came forward alleging Judge Mullins coerced them into sexual encounters in exchange for leniency, custody, or freedom. One victim, Tia Adam...

Wendy Adelson’s “I Don’t Remember” Strategy: Trauma or Cover-Up?

While Robert Adelson took the stand with blunt force, Wendy Adelson chose a very different strategy — and it has the courtroom buzzing. Over and over again, her answers leaned on selective memory: “I don’t remember.”

But what does that really mean? Is Wendy’s forgetfulness a trauma response after years of stress, manipulation, and family chaos? Or is it a carefully measured way to protect herself — and maybe her mother — from saying too much?

Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott dissects Wendy’s testimony in real time, explaining ho...

Jail Guard Speaks Out: Judge Mullins Invited Me to Sex Parties

The courthouse may not have been the only place corruption thrived. A former jail guard told NewsNation’s Brian Entin that the Letcher County jail was “basically a brothel.” She alleged supervisors took inmates home, guards pressured women, and Judge Mullins himself invited her to late-night “parties” with other higher-ups.

Other allegations claim inmates were rewarded with cigarettes, commissary, or extra time outside their cells in exchange for sex. These claims, while unproven in court, paint a disturbing picture of systemic abuse where exploitation was treated as...

"She Controlled Everything” — Robert Adelson DESTROYS His Mother in Court

The Donna Adelson trial just delivered its most brutal moment yet. Her eldest son, Robert Adelson, took the stand and tore through the carefully crafted image of his mother. His testimony wasn’t cautious, it wasn’t hesitant — it was devastating.

Robert described Donna as controlling, domineering, the person who always “ran the show.” Unlike Wendy, who hesitated and leaned on “I don’t remember,” Robert offered blunt truths that ripped the curtain off the Adelson family dynamic.

Psychotherapist and author Shavaun Scott joins Tony Brueski to brea...

Judge Kevin Mullins EXPOSED: S-for-Favors Scandal REVEALED
The murder of Judge Kevin Mullins by Sheriff Shawn Stines didn’t end the story — it blew the lid off a scandal. In the weeks after, women stepped forward with disturbing allegations: that Judge Mullins coerced them into sexual acts in exchange for leniency, avoiding jail, or even custody of their children.

One woman, Tia Adams, told reporter Brian Entin she had sex with Mullins “countless times,” sometimes in his chambers. She described the encounters as humiliating, impossible to refuse, and driven by fear of retaliation. According to her, this wasn’t i...

Sheriff Stines BREAKING POINT: Murder of Judge Mullins EXPLAINED
On September 19th, 2024, Whitesburg, Kentucky was rocked by a killing that stunned the country. Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines shot and killed his longtime friend, Judge Kevin Mullins, inside Mullins’ own chambers — just minutes after the two had lunch together. The entire murder was caught on courthouse surveillance.

In this episode of Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski, psychotherapist and author Shavaun Scott joins me to analyze one of the strangest crimes in recent memory: a sheriff killing a judge on camera. Was Sheriff Stines insane, or was he pushed to the b...

Donna & Wendi Adelson EXPOSED, What Turned Wendi AGAINST Donna!

The Adelson family once projected strength, privilege, and unity. Now, piece by piece, it’s collapsing in public view.

In this combined episode, we cover two seismic developments in the Donna Adelson trial. First: the courtroom showdown where Wendi Adelson refused to testify for her mother. Her lawyers fought back against a defense subpoena, and the judge quashed it. That refusal marks a dramatic fracture in family loyalty. Wendi is choosing survival over solidarity, while her brother Charlie — already convicted — is still clinging to his mother’s defense...

Donna Adelson DEMANDS To Testify Her Innocence In Dan Markel Case

Most defendants avoid the stand. Donna Adelson wants to run to it.
As her trial begins, Donna has told her legal team she intends to testify — against the advice of experts, against the odds, and against common sense. She believes she can sway a jury with her words. But will her confidence come across as arrogance?

In this conversation with psychotherapist and author Shavaun Scott, we dig into the psychology of Donna Adelson — why someone accused of orchestrating a murder-for-hire plot might be desperate to s...