The Hidden Birth: The Laken Snelling Case & The Psychology of Denial
When 21-year-old University of Kentucky cheerleader Laken Snelling gave birth alone in her apartment, what happened next stunned investigators. She wrapped her newborn in a towel, placed the body in a trash bag inside her closet — and then, according to court documents, ordered McDonald’s through an app and tried to go about her day. This episode digs into that impossible contradiction: how someone can experience the most traumatic moment of their life and immediately act as though nothing happened. Tony Brueski, Stacy Cole, and psychotherapist Shavaun Scott explore the psychological mechanics of shock, shame, and denial — and why the young brain, overwhelmed by fear and isolation, can make devastating choices it can’t comprehend. Is this a story of pure evil? Or of panic, immaturity, and a desperate attempt to keep life “normal” when everything has already collapsed? We’ll look at how identity, reputation, and fear of judgment can override rational thought, and why concealment often feels like the only option to a terrified young adult. This isn’t a story about excuses — it’s about understanding how fear rewires the human mind. #HiddenKillers #LakenSnelling #TrueCrime #PsychologyOfDenial #ShavaunScott #TonyBrueski #UniversityOfKentucky #ImpulseControl #CrimeAndPsychology #HiddenBirth 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
23 Loka 25min
Arkansas Let a Predator Walk — and Punished the Dad Who Stopped Him: The Aaron Spencer Case
There are stories that make you question your faith in the system — and then there’s Aaron Spencer’s story. In October 2024, a decorated Army veteran from Lonoke County, Arkansas, woke to find his 14-year-old daughter gone. Her bed was staged with a decoy hoodie, her dog was barking, and every instinct in his body told him the unthinkable had happened. The man charged with stalking and assaulting her — 67-year-old Michael Fosler — had taken her again. Here’s the part that will make your blood boil: Fosler was already facing 43 felony charges for child exploitation, grooming, and sexual indecency with a minor — this same child. He’d been arrested, charged, and then released by Judge Barbara Elmore on just $5,000 bond. The prosecutor of record, John Huggins, agreed to the terms. There was no ankle monitor, no high-risk supervision, no meaningful enforcement of the “no contact” order. That decision almost cost a girl her life. When Aaron Spencer found Fosler’s truck on a dark Arkansas highway, his daughter was inside. He confronted the man, who refused to comply, grabbed for her again, and lunged. Aaron fired — ending the threat and saving his child. The next day, he was charged with second-degree murder and a firearm enhancement, facing up to 45 years. The same officials who freed the predator are now trying to bury the father. This episode exposes a catastrophic failure of the justice system — a prosecutor and judge whose decisions directly led to a child’s kidnapping, a gag order that silenced the truth for months, and a father who did what they refused to do: protect his family. Now, Spencer is fighting back — not just in court, but on the ballot. He’s running for sheriff of Lonoke County to fix the system that failed his daughter. It’s not just a case. It’s a referendum on justice itself. #AaronSpencer #ArkansasJustice #ChildProtection #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #JusticeSystemFailure #BarbaraElmore #JohnHuggins #FreeAaronSpencer #SystemAccountability 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
23 Loka 23min
Inside the Panic: Why D4vd’s “Frunk” Decision Reveals a Broken Mind, Not a Master Plan
When police found the body of 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez inside the front trunk of a Tesla registered to the musician known as D4vd, it didn’t just expose a horrifying crime scene — it exposed a psychological collapse. A moment where fear, immaturity, and denial replaced logic. In this episode, Tony Brueski sits down with psychotherapist Shavaun Scott to examine the psychology of impulsive concealment — why young people in crisis make catastrophic, irrational choices that they somehow believe will “fix” the problem. Why would anyone think a body in a frunk wouldn’t be found? Why do young adults underestimate consequences, even when the evidence is literally sitting in plain sight? And what does this say about a generation raised on instant validation and social-media performance? This isn’t a story about criminal genius. It’s about panic. About the under-developed prefrontal cortex that governs judgment and foresight — and how, when terror strikes, it simply shuts down. Together, Tony and Shavaun unpack what neuroscience, fear, and shame can do to the human mind when reality feels too big to face. If you’ve ever wondered why some people make the worst decisions imaginable under pressure, this conversation will change how you think about crime, youth, and consequence. #HiddenKillers #D4vd #CelesteRivasHernandez #TrueCrimePodcast #PsychologyOfCrime #ImpulsiveCrimes #ShavaunScott #TonyBrueski #BrainDevelopment #CrimeAndPsychology 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
23 Loka 27min
Alivia Goncalves Breaks Her Silence: What She Saw, Heard, and Learned About Bryan Kohberger
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. In this emotional, revealing discussion, Alivia describes the meeting as “traumatizing but necessary.” She opens up about what it was like to see key evidence firsthand — including the full surveillance timeline tracking Kohberger’s movements from 3:00 to 4:20 a.m., the cell tower CAST data showing 23 visits to the victims’ home, and even one carefully redacted crime scene photo. She also talks about the moment prosecutor Bill Thompson admitted he couldn’t guarantee that sensitive images would never leak — a moment that pushed her to face the unthinkable rather than risk being blindsided online later. Alivia reveals new context about Kohberger’s Amazon knife purchase, the witness list including one of his sisters, and her reaction to recently unsealed Washington State University reports detailing multiple complaints from women who said Kohberger made them feel unsafe. But the heart of this story isn’t just the evidence — it’s Alivia’s ongoing mission. She’s building a digital archive to preserve the full truth of what happened to Kaylee, Maddie, Xana, and Ethan — to protect their legacy from conspiracy theories and online distortion. This is a story about strength, truth, and the fight to keep reality intact. #BryanKohberger #KayleeGoncalves #IdahoMurders #MoscowIdaho #AliviaGoncalves #HiddenKillers #TrueCrimePodcast #UniversityOfIdaho #JusticeForKaylee #TonyBrueski 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
23 Loka 17min
