Inside the Mind of a Manipulator — The Psychology Driving the Brian Walshe Case

Anna Kepner was 18 years old — a cheerleader from Titusville, Florida with plans to join the Navy. On November 7th, 2025, her body was found stuffed 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. The only suspect: her 16-year-old stepbrother, who was sharing that cabin with her. But this story isn't just about what happened in that room. It's about what's happening to the family left behind. Anna's father Christopher married the stepbrother's mother less than a year before Anna died. This wasn't a family with deep roots — it was a family still figuring itself out. Now the grandmother says she can't accuse the boy because she doesn't know what happened, but admits "the summation would be that he did something." The stepmother is trying to seal court records and delay hearings. The father was subpoenaed to testify and didn't answer the door — his SUV running in the driveway, lights on inside, a No Trespassing sign posted. Anna's biological mother says she was told not to come to the funeral. She showed up anyway, in disguise. The FBI has said nothing publicly. No charges have been filed. The stepbrother was hospitalized after the cruise, is now living with a relative, and reportedly told investigators he doesn't remember what happened. Everything we know about this case has come from a custody battle between the suspect's parents — not from law enforcement. And if charges are ever filed against a juvenile, the case may be sealed forever. This is a family that can't grieve together and can't fall apart separately. They're frozen — caught between a girl who deserved justice and a boy they can't bring themselves to condemn. #AnnaKepner #CarnivalCruise #TrueCrime #CruiseShipMurder #FBIInvestigation #CarnivalHorizon #TitusvilleFlorida #JusticeForAnna Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

5 Joulu 18min

The Brian Walshe murder trial isn't just about the evidence — it's about the dynamics surrounding the case that could influence how this jury sees everything. And there are some significant wildcards in play that most people aren't talking about. First, there's the Michael Proctor connection. Proctor, the disgraced Massachusetts State Police trooper who was fired for misconduct during the Karen Read investigation, also worked the Walshe case. Several investigators tied to the Proctor scandal may be called as witnesses. The defense has every reason to lean into this — if they can paint the investigation as tainted or sloppy, it creates doubt. And after what happened in the Karen Read trial, Massachusetts juries may be more skeptical of state police testimony than they've ever been. Then there's what happened to Walshe himself. In September 2025, he was stabbed in jail at the Norfolk County Correctional Center. His attorneys pushed for a trial delay, arguing he couldn't adequately assist in his own defense after the attack. The judge ordered a 40-day mental health evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital. Walshe was cleared to stand trial just two weeks before opening statements. The jury won't hear about any of that — but it's context that matters for understanding where this defendant's head might be. And then there's the fundamental problem the jury has to wrestle with: Brian Walshe has already admitted he disposed of his wife's body. He pleaded guilty to it. Now they have to decide if they can separate that admission from the murder charge. Legally, they're supposed to. Psychologically? That's a different question. In this episode, Eric Faddis breaks down the trial dynamics that could shape the outcome. We discuss how the Proctor scandal might be weaponized by the defense, what "consciousness of guilt" jury instructions actually mean, and what typically makes or breaks no-body murder cases. Eric also tells us what he's watching for as this trial moves into its second week. #BrianWalshe #BrianWalsheTrial #MichaelProctor #KarenReadCase #MassachusettsStatePolice #NoBodyMurder #JuryInstructions #ConsciousnessOfGuilt #MentalCompetency #EricFaddis #TrueCrime #TrialAnalysis #WhatToWatch #LegalAnalysis #NorfolkCounty #Dedham #CriminalJustice #TrueCrimeCommunity #CourtAnalysis #TrialDynamics Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

5 Joulu 15min

The new Netflix documentary "Sean Combs: The Reckoning" contains an allegation that's hard to shake: according to Bad Boy co-founder Kirk Burrowes, Diddy allegedly charged the estate of the Notorious B.I.G. for the cost of his own funeral — while publicly positioning himself as the grieving best friend. But that's not where it ends. The documentary and years of prior reporting reveal a pattern of alleged financial exploitation stretching back three decades — from Craig Mack, Bad Boy's first star who died broke after trying to escape his contract, to producer Lil Rod Jones, who says he was offered just $29,000 for producing an entire album in 2023. In this video, we break down the allegations from the documentary, the testimony of former Bad Boy insiders, and the exposed playbook that allegedly kept artists locked in, underpaid, and silenced for years. Sources referenced: "Sean Combs: The Reckoning" (Netflix, 2025) Rolling Stone investigative report on Craig Mack (2024) Mark Curry's "Dancing with the Devil: How Puff Burned the Bad Boys of Hip-Hop" (2009) Billboard, Variety, Complex, NBC News reporting Diddy's team has called the documentary a "shameful hit piece" and disputes the allegations presented. He is currently serving a 50-month federal sentence after being convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution in July 2025. He is appealing his conviction. #Diddy #SeanCombs #TheReckoning #NotoriousBIG #Biggie #BadBoyRecords #Netflix #Documentary #TrueCrime #HipHop #CraigMack #MarkCurry #KirkBurrowes #50Cent Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

5 Joulu 26min

Prosecutors in the Brian Walshe murder trial are trying to prove first-degree murder without a body, without a murder weapon, and without a definitive cause of death. Ana Walshe has never been found. What the Commonwealth does have is a digital trail that reads like a step-by-step guide to getting away with murder — and a defendant who stood to collect $2.7 million in life insurance if his wife died. The internet searches are the backbone of the prosecution's case, and they are brutal. According to testimony from Massachusetts State Police Trooper Nicholas Guarino, the searches began at 4:52 a.m. on January 1, 2023 — just hours after the couple celebrated New Year's Eve with a friend. That first search: "Best way to dispose of a body." By 4:55 a.m., Walshe had moved on to "How long before a body starts to smell." Over the next several days, the searches continued: "How long does DNA last." "Hacksaw best tool for dismembering." "Can you be charged with murder without a body." "Can you identify a body with broken teeth." He even researched Patrick Kearney — a serial killer known as the "trash bag killer." Prosecutors also have motive. Ana Walshe had taken out $2.7 million in life insurance policies naming her husband as the sole beneficiary. And according to the prosecution, Brian Walshe knew his wife was having an affair with William Fastow, a Washington D.C. real estate broker who sold Ana the townhouse she owned there. Prosecutors say Walshe's phone searched Fastow's name on Christmas Day — less than a week before Ana disappeared. In this episode, former prosecutor Eric Faddis breaks down the strength of the Commonwealth's case. We discuss how prosecutors prove premeditation through circumstantial evidence, whether the internet searches are as damning as they appear, and what the defense can do to poke holes in the timeline. Eric also explains the challenges of no-body murder cases and what the conviction rates actually look like. The prosecution may not have Ana Walshe's remains, but they're betting they have enough to put her husband away for life. #BrianWalshe #BrianWalsheTrial #AnaWalshe #ProsecutionCase #GoogleSearches #LifeInsuranceMurder #NoBodyMurderCase #CircumstantialEvidence #EricFaddis #TrueCrime #MurderTrial #WilliamFastow #AffairMotive #Hacksaw #Dismemberment #FirstDegreeMurder #Premeditation #MassachusettsTrial #CriminalJustice #TrueCrimePodcast Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

5 Joulu 12min

Day 4 of the Brian Walshe murder trial delivered some of the most damaging evidence yet — and it all comes down to what he was searching on Christmas Day 2022. According to testimony from Massachusetts State Trooper Connor Keefe, Brian Walshe's phone was used to search "Ana Walshe found dead" on December 25th, 2022 — a full week before the defense claims Ana died suddenly in her sleep after a New Year's Eve party. That same day, he searched for William Fastow, the man Ana was having an affair with, along with Ana's workplace and colleagues. William Fastow took the stand today and testified about his intimate relationship with Ana. He described a woman who was planning to leave her husband, who felt trapped by Brian's ongoing legal troubles, and who was devastated that she couldn't be with her children. Fastow said they were planning a future together — discussing what the next one, three, five, and ten years would look like. The last time Fastow heard from Ana was a Happy New Year's text at midnight on December 31st. After that, silence. When Brian called Fastow on January 4th to ask if he'd seen Ana, Fastow said he sounded calm — almost casual — like nothing was wrong. Prosecutors also showed surveillance footage from an Abington apartment complex on January 3rd, 2023. The video shows a man getting out of a Volvo consistent with Brian's vehicle, throwing a trash bag into a dumpster, and driving away. Cell phone data placed Brian at three different apartment complexes with dumpsters that same afternoon. The defense wants the jury to believe this is all the result of panic after discovering his wife dead. But panic doesn't explain searching to see if your wife has been "found dead" a week before she supposedly dies. Trooper Keefe returns for cross-examination. 🔔 Subscribe and hit the bell for daily trial coverage. #BrianWalshe #AnaWalshe #WalsheTrial #TrueCrime #MurderTrial #CohassetMurder #WilliamFastow #TrueCrimeCommunity #Justice4Ana #TrialWatch Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

5 Joulu 21min

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 witnesses, and the judge. Viewers can follow every moment as the prosecution lays out its timeline, the defense challenges the state’s case, and the court works through a complex and highly scrutinized trial that has been years in the making. If you’re watching our live companion analysis on Hidden Killers or catching up with the highlight segments later, this raw feed serves as the complete, original source for everything happening inside the courtroom. #BrianWalshe #AnaWalshe #Courtroom #TrialCoverage #TrueCrime #LiveTrial #HiddenKillers #CourtFeed #LegalProceedings #TrialUpdates Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

5 Joulu 25min

Bryan Kohberger spent years studying how violent offenders think, act, and survive behind bars. He researched criminal minds, rigid behavior patterns, and psychological survival strategies. And yet now, just months into four consecutive life sentences, the reporting coming out of the Idaho Maximum Security Institution paints a very different picture — not of a mastermind adapting to prison life, but of a man unraveling under the weight of basic reality. Tonight, we break down the flood of grievances, appeals, and handwritten complaints Kohberger has reportedly fired off since arriving on J-Block — one of the most controlled, restrictive tiers in the entire facility. From claims of minute-by-minute verbal threats, to disputes over vegan meal trays, to frustration with the JPay system, to repeated attempts to transfer to a quieter housing unit, Kohberger appears to be hitting every pressure point of incarceration without understanding the culture of the world he now lives in. We also look at what former detectives, prison consultants, and correctional insiders are saying about his behavior — why they believe he’s making himself more of a target, why the inmates are taunting him through the vents around the clock, why his reactions are being described as “a jailhouse Karen,” and what this tells us about the psychology that drove him before the murders. And yes — we talk about the now-verified leaked prison footage posted online by a former corrections officer. The Idaho Department of Correction confirmed the video is real. That officer is gone. But the consequences of that leak, and the environment Kohberger sits in right now, are far from over. This episode is also a reminder of the four young lives lost: Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin. Four futures taken. Four families forever changed. And a man who now sits in isolation filing complaints about bananas while serving the rest of his natural life. Hidden Killers goes deep into the reporting, the psychology, and the cracks forming inside Kohberger’s carefully constructed persona. Subscribe for more daily coverage of major trials, criminal cases, and forensic analysis. #BryanKohberger #IdahoFour #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers #IdahoMurders #PrisonLife #CrimeNews #KayleeGoncalves #MadisonMogen #XanaKernodle #EthanChapin Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

5 Joulu 13min

Brian Walshe is currently on trial for the murder of his wife Ana Walshe, a mother of three who vanished from their Cohasset, Massachusetts home on New Year's Day 2023. Her body has never been found. But here's where this case takes a turn that legal experts are still trying to wrap their heads around: two weeks before trial, Walshe pleaded guilty to disposing of his wife's body and lying to police. He admitted, in open court, that he dismembered Ana and discarded her remains in dumpsters across the region. And yet he's standing in front of a jury right now saying he didn't kill her. The defense theory? Ana Walshe died suddenly and unexpectedly in their bed in the early hours of New Year's Day. No cause. No explanation. Just gone. Defense attorney Larry Tipton told jurors that his client panicked when he found his wife unresponsive. That he didn't think anyone would believe her death was natural. That his only thought was protecting their three young boys. So instead of calling 911, Brian Walshe allegedly grabbed a hacksaw. In this episode, defense attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis breaks down what might be the boldest — or most reckless — defense strategy we've seen in years. We dig into the tactical decision to plead guilty to the lesser charges right before trial. Is this about limiting what evidence the jury sees, or did the defense just hand prosecutors a gift? How do you sell "sudden unexplained death" to a jury when your client then cut up the body? And how do you rehabilitate a defendant's credibility when his own lawyer admitted he lied in every single police interview? Eric walks us through what the defense needs to prove, what experts they might call, and whether putting Walshe on the stand is a necessary risk or a fatal mistake. This is a case where the defense has already conceded consciousness of guilt — now they have to convince twelve people that consciousness of guilt doesn't mean guilt. We break down whether that's even possible. #BrianWalshe #BrianWalsheTrial #AnaWalshe #WalsheDefense #SuddenUnexplainedDeath #MurderTrial #EricFaddis #DefenseStrategy #MassachusettsMurderTrial #TrueCrime #CourtAnalysis #LegalAnalysis #DismembermentCase #NoBodyMurder #CriminalDefense #TrialStrategy #Cohasset #TrueCrimeCommunity #CriminalJustice #CourtRoom Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

5 Joulu 18min