Arkansas Let a Predator Walk — and Punished the Dad Who Stopped Him: The Aaron Spencer Case

There are stories that break your heart — and then there are stories that break your trust in the entire system. The case of Aaron Spencer out of Lonoke County, Arkansas, does both. Spencer is the father who woke up one October night to find his 14-year-old daughter gone, a decoy hoodie left behind, and the man she was missing with — a convicted child predator named Michael Fosler — nowhere to be found. Fosler wasn’t some random stranger. He was out on bond for a string of charges including internet stalking of a child and sexual indecency with a minor. The district attorney’s office knew his record. The judge knew it. And they still let him walk free. That decision nearly cost a little girl her life. So when Aaron Spencer spotted that car with his daughter inside, he didn’t see an opportunity for patience — he saw an active kidnapping in progress. He acted, confronting the predator who had taken his child. Fosler died at the scene. The daughter lived. Now, instead of being celebrated for saving her, Spencer is facing a second-degree-murder charge — prosecuted by the same system that failed to keep the predator locked up. And if that sounds backward to you, you’re not alone. This episode dives deep into the legal, psychological, and moral collapse that allowed this to happen — how prosecutors, judges, and pre-trial services made decision after decision that put a child in harm’s way. And how one father’s act of courage exposed just how broken “justice” has become. Spencer’s response? He’s running for sheriff — against the department that arrested him — to make sure no other parent ever has to choose between obeying the law and saving their child. This isn’t vigilante justice. It’s survival. It’s accountability. It’s what happens when good people have had enough. #AaronSpencer #ArkansasJustice #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers #ChildProtection #JusticeSystemFailure #ParentalInstinct #DAFail #HeroDad #LawAndOrderCollapse 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

26 Loka 16min

Philadelphia’s District Attorney Larry Krasner promised reform. Instead, he’s delivered a revolving door for violent offenders. From Officer James O’Connor IV to Kada Scott, lives keep ending the same way — with suspects his office already had, and already let go. In this explosive interview, former prosecutor Eric Faddis joins Tony Brueski and Stacy Cole to expose how ideology, ego, and neglect turned Philadelphia into a test lab for failed justice: • Why Krasner’s violent-crime conviction rate collapsed to 33%. • How dropped gun and assault cases fueled record homicides. • What internal culture protects prosecutors but abandons victims. • And whether this pattern amounts to prosecutorial malpractice. Krasner calls it progress. Philadelphia calls it survival. This is Hidden Killers — where reform meets reality, and the truth doesn’t blink. #LarryKrasner #KadaScott #EricFaddis #HiddenKillers #PhiladelphiaCrime #DistrictAttorney #SystemicFailure #JusticeReform #KeonKing #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

26 Loka 53min

When the gavel came down and the jury pronounced Donna Adelson guilty of first-degree murder, it should’ve been the end of the story. But for Donna—the matriarch at the center of Florida’s most infamous murder-for-hire plot—it was only the beginning of a new obsession: the appeal. In this episode of Hidden Killers, Tony Brueski breaks down the cold, technical road Donna faces as she fights for a retrial, dissecting the difference between emotional theater and the unforgiving machinery of Florida appellate law. From her denied motion for a new trial to the looming question of whether juror misconduct or “cumulative error” could rescue her case, we dig into what it really takes to overturn a conviction this airtight. You’ll hear how appellate judges view claims of insufficient evidence, how Florida courts handle high-profile conspiracy verdicts, and why the odds are stacked against her. But beyond the courtroom filings lies something deeper—the psychology of control. Even behind bars, Donna’s need to dominate every narrative lives on through her legal maneuvers. What happens when a lifetime narcissist finally meets a system she can’t manipulate? Is her appeal a fight for justice—or just another performance from someone who’s never accepted accountability? Tony unpacks not only the legal mechanics of her appeal but the psychology driving it—the collapse of control, the rewriting of reality, and the quiet delusion that still fuels her belief she can bend the system to her will. If you think the story ended with a verdict, think again. This is what happens when narcissistic power collides with the rule of law—and loses. #DonnaAdelson #DanMarkel #AdelsonFamily #TrueCrime #Appeal #Narcissism #HiddenKillers #FloridaJustice #LegalAnalysis #PsychologicalBreakdown 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

26 Loka 18min

Two crimes. Two young lives. Two moments of sheer panic that turned fatal. A musician whose Tesla held the body of a missing 15-year-old. A college cheerleader who hid her newborn in a closet, then went out for fast food. In this extended Hidden Killers episode, Tony Brueski and psychotherapist Shavaun Scott dissect the chilling psychology behind both the D4vd / Celeste Rivas Hernandez and Laken Snelling cases — revealing how fear, shame, and an underdeveloped brain can twist reality into delusion. Why do young people believe they can hide what can’t be hidden? What happens in the mind when panic flips the switch from reason to denial? And what does neuroscience tell us about the prefrontal cortex — the part of the brain that’s supposed to see the bigger picture — simply not being ready yet? This isn’t about monsters. It’s about immaturity, fear, and the illusion of control. It’s about how a single impulsive act — followed by a catastrophic cover-up — can change everything. Raw, honest, and psychologically deep, this episode shows that the scariest thing about these crimes isn’t the violence. It’s how human the decisions behind them really are. #HiddenKillers #D4vd #LakenSnelling #TrueCrime #PsychologyOfCrime #ShavaunScott #TonyBrueski #ImpulseControl #BrainDevelopment #FearAndDenial 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

25 Loka 52min

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 donations through GoFundMe. That’s right — he’s trying to use the kindness of strangers as a legal loophole to get out of paying what he owes. His lawyers claim the families “did not suffer an economic loss” because they were “extensively funded” through public generosity. It’s a move that feels less like a legal argument and more like one final act of control from a man who’s spent every step of this process refusing to take accountability. The same man who broke into 1122 King Road that November night and took four young lives is now arguing over dollars and decimals from his prison cell. But here’s the deeper truth: this isn’t about money — it’s about power. About the narcissistic offender’s need to stay relevant, to twist the knife one last time, even when the world’s stopped listening. The Goncalves and Mogen families, who’ve already endured the unthinkable, are being forced to re-engage with a man who should’ve faded into the background of justice months ago. This episode of Hidden Killers breaks down the legal, psychological, and moral layers of Kohberger’s final insult — how it exposes the pathology of control, entitlement, and complete emotional detachment that’s defined him from the start. Because for Bryan Kohberger, the violence never really stopped. It just changed form. #BryanKohberger #IdahoMurders #HiddenKillers #TrueCrimePodcast #KayleeGoncalves #MadisonMogen #XanaKernodle #EthanChapin #CrimePsychology #JusticeForIdaho4 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

25 Loka 18min

Brian Walshe was supposed to be on trial this week. But instead of jury selection and evidence, we got a mental health evaluation. Instead of justice for Ana Walshe, we got another delay. In this episode, we break down exactly how Brian Walshe — the Massachusetts man accused of murdering and dismembering his wife — managed to hit pause on his own trial just days before it was set to begin. The reason? His attorneys claim he’s no longer competent to stand trial, citing “mental and physical decline” following a jailhouse stabbing. But let’s look at the pattern here. This is the same man who told police his wife left for a work emergency — when he knew she hadn’t. The same man caught on surveillance buying mops, tarps, and cleaning supplies the day after she vanished. The same man who googled “how to dispose of a body” on a child’s iPad. And now he’s too unwell to face a jury? We’re digging into the forensic timeline, the legal maneuvers, and the broader psychology of a man who appears to be using the legal system not to defend himself — but to delay the inevitable. Because in a case without a body, time is leverage. Delay is strategy. And every new excuse buys him more of both. This isn’t just about a competency evaluation. It’s about a pattern of control, manipulation, and deflection — the same pattern that’s been playing out since the moment Ana disappeared. So how long can he run the clock? And will the system ever hold him to it? Watch now — because justice may be patient, but it doesn't wait forever. #AnaWalshe #BrianWalshe #TrueCrimePodcast #HiddenKillers #ForensicPsychology #MurderTrial #JusticeDelayed #CompetencyHearing #TrueCrimeCommunity #LegalStrategy 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

25 Loka 17min

There’s a disturbing pattern in America’s justice system — one that stretches from the past into the present. From the John Wayne Gacy investigation of the 1970s to Aaron Spencer’s prosecution today, we keep coming back to the same haunting question: Why does the system protect predators and punish those who fight them? In the first half of this episode, Defense Attorney Bob Motta — host of Defense Diaries and BURIED: Inside the John Wayne Gacy Investigation — takes us deep inside the newly remastered Gacy Tapes: never-before-heard recordings of Gacy speaking with his defense attorneys, including Bob’s own father. For decades, those tapes sat in darkness. Now, with enhanced audio and new detective interviews, BURIED exposes how the Gacy investigation really unfolded — revealing police shortcuts, ignored victims, and the desperation that finally cracked the case. It’s a chilling reminder of how often the system gets it wrong — even when it’s trying to get it right. Then, in the second half, we shift to Lonoke County, Arkansas, where a father named Aaron Spencer is facing second-degree murder charges after allegedly shooting a known predator he found with his 14-year-old daughter. The twist? Spencer is now running for sheriff — against the very department that arrested him. His slogan: “Restoring Trust.” To some, he’s a hero. To others, a vigilante. But to many, he’s proof that faith in law enforcement has been replaced by something darker — a belief that justice only comes when you take it into your own hands. From Gacy’s crawl space to Arkansas courtrooms, this is the connective tissue of true crime: the failure of systems built to protect us, and the people forced to fill the gaps. Hosted by Tony Brueski | Guest: Bob Motta (Defense Diaries, BURIED) Subscribe for more true-crime conversations that challenge the system — and the stories we think we know. #JohnWayneGacy #AaronSpencer #BobMotta #DefenseDiaries #HiddenKillers #BuriedPodcast #JusticeSystem #TrueCrimePodcast #VigilanteJustice #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

25 Loka 1h 1min

He looked like the guy next door — an architect, a husband, a father.  But prosecutors say Rex Heuermann was also the man behind the Gilgo Beach murders, one of the most disturbing serial-killer cases in recent memory. In this psychological deep dive, Hidden Killers host Tony Brueski takes you inside the mind of control, exploring how a man can design blueprints by day and allegedly engineer horror by night. Through the lens of behavioral science, Tony examines compartmentalization, high-functioning psychopathy, and sadistic dominance — the traits that allow someone to live a double life so convincingly it fools everyone around them. From the soundproof basement to the meticulous planning, Heuermann’s world wasn’t chaos — it was choreography. This episode unpacks how his architecture mirrored his pathology and why the façade of normalcy is often the perfect camouflage for the worst kind of predator. Because monsters don’t always hide in the dark. Sometimes they wave from the driveway. #RexHeuermann #GilgoBeach #HiddenKillers #TonyBrueski #TrueCrimePodcast #SerialKillerPsychology #CriminalMind #FBIProfile #LongIslandMurders #BehavioralAnalysis 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

25 Loka 15min