BREAKING: Brendan Banfield Will Testify in His Own Defense — Digital Expert Challenges Entire Catfish Theory
Brendan Banfield is taking the stand. His defense attorney made the announcement Friday morning in Fairfax County court, setting up what could be the most critical moment of this double murder trial.But before Banfield gets his chance to tell his story, the defense spent Day 7 attacking the prosecution's digital evidence. Harry Lidsky, a former Department of Justice digital forensics expert, testified that the catfishing theory doesn't hold up under scrutiny.The key moment: Within the same minutes the FetLife account was allegedly created on Christine's laptop, her phone was browsing a Lululemon sale. Lidsky told the jury he believes the same person was using both devices simultaneously. If Christine was actively on her phone while someone was creating a fetish profile in her name on her laptop, the prosecution has a serious problem.Lidsky also pointed out that Brendan and Juliana weren't always home when Christine's devices accessed FetLife or messaged Joseph Ryan on Telegram. And the 45-minute phone call Ryan had with someone he believed was Christine? The prosecution still can't prove who was on the other end.Judge Penney Azcarate—the same judge from the Johnny Depp trial—admonished the defense for disorganization but allowed testimony to continue. A winter storm may delay Monday's proceedings.Banfield has pleaded not guilty to all charges. When he takes the stand, prosecutor Jenna Sands will finally get to cross-examine him about the blood evidence, the affair, and everything else. This case is about to come down to who the jury believes.#TrueCrimeToday #BrendanBanfield #AuPairAffair #MurderTrial #ChristineBanfield #JosephRyan #FairfaxCounty #CatfishMurder #TrueCrimeNews #TrialUpdateJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspodInstagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodListen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.
26 Tammi 15min
Caneiro Trial Bombshell: Trust Expert Testifies Policy Only Paid If All Four Family Members Died — Defense Points to Third Brother Who Fled Before Bodies Were Found
Week two of the Paul Caneiro trial delivered testimony that cuts to the heart of why prosecutors say two children had to die. Trust account expert Lazaro Cardenas explained to jurors that Keith Caneiro's $3 million life insurance policy was held in a trust where Paul was the trustee — and that trust would only benefit Paul if Keith, Jennifer, Sophia, and Jesse were all dead. Every single one of them. Prosecutors say this is why the children weren't spared.The jury also heard from Dennis Corpora, a neighbor who was awakened by gunshots around 3:20 AM on November 20th, 2018. His immediate reaction: "Someone just got whacked." He knew it was a pistol. He called police twice. By morning, Keith Caneiro was dead on his front lawn with five gunshot wounds. His wife and children were stabbed and left to die in a burning house.The defense is fighting back by pointing to the third Caneiro brother, Corey, who fled to Pennsylvania on the morning of the murders — before Keith's family had even been discovered. Corey was seen giving Paul money that morning. His wife contacted police instead of him. A civil lawsuit alleges he later maneuvered himself into control of the insurance proceeds. But prosecutors have something the defense can't explain away: DNA matching both children found on bloody jeans in Paul's basement, a murder weapon in Paul's house, and surveillance footage showing Paul disconnecting his cameras at 1:28 AM. Questions aren't evidence. And the evidence leads to Paul.#PaulCaneiro #CaneiroBrothersTrial #ColtsNeckMurders #CoreyCaneiro #NewJerseyTrial #CourtTV #TrueCrime #FamilyAnnihilator #MansionMurders #TheCrimeTimesJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspodInstagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodListen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.
26 Tammi 18min
Banfield Trial: FBI Credibility Analysis of Juliana & Blood Expert Says Bodies Were Staged
Juliana Peres Magalhães is the prosecution's entire case—and she's a credibility minefield. She lied for over a year. She wrote jail letters promising to "take the blame" for Brendan Banfield. She told his mother she would "give my life for his." She only flipped after Banfield's arrest, after hospitalization from stress, and after his family stopped paying her legal bills. Now she's negotiating with Netflix while media producers fund her commissary. She wrote her mother: "We do deserve something."Former FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke—who headed the Bureau's Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program—analyzes what makes witnesses credible or not. How do you evaluate someone who lied for a year and then flipped? What does her behavior on the stand tell us? Does the Netflix deal destroy her credibility—or is it irrelevant to whether she's telling the truth?The prosecution closed with their strongest forensic evidence. Blood stain pattern analyst Iris Dalley Graff testified that Joseph Ryan's body was moved after death and Christine Banfield's blood was deliberately placed on Ryan's hands and clothing to frame him for her murder. The transfer patterns were "finger-like in shape"—consistent with someone touching him with blood-covered hands. Blood droplets on his forearm suggested dripping from above. This analysis directly supports Juliana's testimony that Banfield staged the scene after the killings.Defense attorney John Carroll fought back hard. He pointed to body camera footage showing Banfield pressing on his wife's neck when police arrived—behavior, Carroll argued, of a husband trying to save his wife, not kill her. After the jury left, Carroll moved to dismiss all charges, arguing prosecutors never called a single homicide detective. Judge Penney Azcarate denied the motion. The defense now presents their case. Banfield has pleaded not guilty.#BrendanBanfield #JulianaMagalhaes #RobinDreeke #TrueCrimeToday #FBI #ChristineBanfield #BloodEvidence #CrimeSceneStaging #AuPairAffair #FairfaxTrialJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspodInstagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodListen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.
26 Tammi 38min
Reiner Case: FBI & Psychology Experts Explain How Smart Parents Stopped Seeing the Threat
Rob Reiner wasn't naive. He was a successful director with resources, connections, and access to the best treatment money could buy. By the end, he was publicly saying they should have listened to Nick instead of the professionals. They brought a son exhibiting erratic behavior to a party where other guests considered calling 911. They went to sleep in a house with someone who, according to sources, was in psychiatric crisis. Something fundamentally shifted in how they perceived threat.Former FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke—who served as Chief of the Bureau's Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program—analyzes twenty years of family dynamics. How does a family go from calling police in 2019 to sleeping in the same house on December 13th, 2025? Dreeke explains how trust gets exploited through reciprocity, vulnerability, and manufactured guilt. Nick co-wrote "Being Charlie" with his father—a movie about their relationship. That's extraordinary narrative control over the family story.Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott delivers our most comprehensive analysis—a three-part breakdown covering Nick's individual psychology, the family dynamics that trapped the Reiners for 30 years, and systemic failures that allowed tragedy despite unlimited resources. She examines Nick's schizoaffective disorder, the medication change that reportedly destabilized him one month before the murders, and the psychology of someone who admits killing his parents but believes his incarceration is a conspiracy.Part two breaks down how the family "grew used to" behavior that alarmed strangers and what three decades cycling through 18-plus facilities does to parents. Part three exposes why the mental health system failed. Dr. Drew said 30-day programs were "almost meaningless" for Nick. Alexis Haines said he belonged in a hospital. The care he needed may not even exist. When does supporting a dangerous adult child stop being love?#NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleReiner #RobinDreeke #ShavaunScott #TrueCrimeToday #FBI #ThreatBlindness #FamilyDynamics #PsychologyJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspodInstagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodListen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.
26 Tammi 1h 15min
Monique Tepe Did Everything Right: FBI Expert on Why Grievance Collectors Don't Let Go
She left after seven months. Let him keep the house. Let him have the rings. Paid what she owed—with interest. Moved back to Ohio, rebuilt her life, married Spencer, had two children. Her family says Monique never spoke Michael McKee's name after the divorce. She only called him "her ex-husband." She talked about emotional abuse. About torment. That she was always worried. She did everything right.Eight years later, police say he drove 300 miles in the middle of the night and killed her anyway.Former FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer examines the psychology of someone who allegedly holds onto that kind of rage for nearly a decade. She breaks down what she calls "deep-seated resentment and hate that just built up"—the behavioral profile of a grievance collector who catalogs perceived slights, assigns permanent blame, and never moves on. Watching an ex-spouse build a new family doesn't bring closure for someone like this. It escalates obsessive attachment into violence.The divorce records reveal telling control dynamics. McKee wanted the rings back from a marriage that lasted less than a year. The separation agreement required Monique to reimburse him with interest. Coffindaffer explains what this suggests about ownership and entitlement—someone who demands jewelry back from a seven-month marriage isn't negotiating. They're keeping score.Police labeled this a "targeted domestic violence attack." But there were no prior reports. No restraining orders. No documented threats. Monique's family says the arrest was "not a shock"—they'd suspected McKee from day one but stayed quiet to protect the investigation. The family knew. For eight years. And the system couldn't act until someone was dead.Sometimes doing everything right still isn't enough.#TeepeMurders #MoniqueTepe #MichaelMcKee #JenniferCoffindaffer #TrueCrimeToday #FBI #GrievanceCollector #DomesticViolence #SpencerTepe #IntimatePartnerViolenceJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspodInstagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodListen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.
25 Tammi 32min
Reiner Case: FBI Expert Analyzes "Threat Blindness" & California's 57% Conservatorship Failure Rate
Rob Reiner wasn't naive. He was a successful director with resources, connections, and access to the best treatment money could buy. By the end, he was publicly saying they should have listened to Nick instead of the professionals. They brought a son who'd been exhibiting erratic behavior to a party full of friends. They went to sleep in a house with someone who, according to sources, was in the middle of a psychiatric crisis. Something fundamentally shifted in how they perceived threat.Former FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke—who served as Chief of the Bureau's Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program—analyzes what happened inside that family over twenty years. How does a family go from calling police in 2019 to sleeping in the same house on December 13th, 2025? Dreeke explains how trust gets exploited through reciprocity, vulnerability, and manufactured guilt. The Reiners had tried tough love. It hadn't worked. They blamed themselves. Nick co-wrote "Being Charlie" with his father—a movie about their relationship. That's extraordinary narrative control over the family story.But the system abandoned them too. Nick was under court-ordered conservatorship in 2020. A judge found him gravely disabled. A licensed fiduciary controlled his treatment. On paper, this is the system working. In reality, California's conservatorship expires after one year with no follow-up. Families can't petition for renewal. The state doesn't track what happens next.A California study found 83% of conserved patients remain stable under conservatorship. After termination? Only 43% stay stable. That's a 57% relapse rate—and the state calls follow-up care "voluntary." Nick's conservatorship ended in 2021. For four years, no one was watching. When he moved back in with his parents, when sources say he changed medications a month before December 14th—there was no legal mechanism for intervention. The system declared victory and walked away.#NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleReiner #RobinDreeke #TrueCrimeToday #FBI #ThreatBlindness #Conservatorship #Manipulation #SystemFailureJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspodInstagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodListen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.
25 Tammi 49min
McKee-Tepe Murders: FBI Experts on "Wound Collectors" & Why a Surgeon Allegedly Made Critical Mistakes
A vascular surgeon with no criminal record. A Chicago penthouse. A firearm that police say matches shell casings from a double homicide 300 miles away. And eight years of alleged obsession that ended with Monique Tepe and her husband Spencer dead while their children slept down the hall.Former FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke—who headed the Bureau's Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program—identifies Dr. Michael McKee as a potential "wound collector." These are people who don't move on from perceived injuries. They catalog grievances, assign blame, and carry resentment for years until it explodes. Dreeke breaks down how wound collectors think, how high-functioning professionals mask dangerous resentment, what finally triggers them to act, and how they convince themselves they're the victim. Understanding this psychology might help someone recognize the signs before the next tragedy.Former FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer analyzes the forensic evidence. Surveillance footage captured McKee's vehicle arriving before the killings and leaving after. A hooded figure walked through an alley at 3:52 AM. A preliminary NIBIN ballistics match ties a firearm from McKee's penthouse to the crime scene. But the investigation raises questions: how did someone allegedly enter the Tepe home with no forced entry? And why would a surgeon—someone whose entire career is built on precision—allegedly keep the murder weapon in his own apartment for eleven days?Coffindaffer examines the behavioral red flags that emerged months before, including a malpractice process server who tried nine times to locate McKee at addresses that didn't exist. She explains what investigators are holding back, what the defense will exploit, and why waiving extradition might be calculated. McKee maintains his innocence and plans to plead not guilty to two counts of premeditated aggravated murder.#TeepeMurders #MichaelMcKee #WoundCollector #RobinDreeke #JenniferCoffindaffer #TrueCrimeToday #FBI #MoniqueTepe #SpencerTepe #NIBINJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspodInstagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodListen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.
25 Tammi 40min
