Nick Reiner, Kohberger WSU Lawsuit & Tepe Murder — Listener Questions Episode

The legal strategy in the Nick Reiner case is becoming clear. When defense attorney Alan Jackson withdrew on January 7th, he told reporters his former client is "not guilty of murder" under California law—language that strongly points to a not guilty by reason of insanity defense. Nick Reiner, 32, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of his parents, legendary director Rob Reiner and photographer Michele Singer Reiner, at their Brentwood home on December 14th. Nick has a documented history of schizoaffective disorder, was in and out of rehab eighteen times starting at age fifteen, and was placed under a mental health conservatorship in 2020. Sources say he had recently switched psychiatric medications and was becoming more erratic. Hours before the murders, Nick attended a Christmas party at Conan O'Brien's home, where witnesses described bizarre behavior—repetitive questions to guests, inappropriate attire, and an argument with his father.Nick is now represented by public defender Kimberly Greene, who requested additional time to review the case. His arraignment has been delayed until February 23rd. If convicted, he faces life without parole or the death penalty. The DA's office hasn't decided whether to seek death and says it will consider the family's wishes.#RobReiner #MicheleSingerReiner #NickReiner #ReinerMurders #InsanityDefense #Schizoaffective #BrentwoodMurder #HollywoodTragedy #TrueCrimeToday #MentalHealthCrisisJoin 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.

27 Jan 13min

The surgeon accused of killing Monique and Spencer Tepe in their Columbus home entered a not guilty plea Friday. Michael McKee stood silent while his defense attorney, Diane Menashe, spoke for him. That choice of attorney tells you everything about how this case is going to be fought.Menashe is the same lawyer who defended Dr. William Husel in 2022 — the Mount Carmel physician charged with murdering fourteen patients through allegedly lethal fentanyl doses. She called one witness during the entire defense. Husel was acquitted on all counts. Now she's representing another doctor facing murder charges.The prosecution includes Franklin County Prosecutor Shayla Favor, taking on her first felony case after a career in property code enforcement. She'll be supported by veteran homicide prosecutors, but the matchup raises questions about experience and strategy in a case drawing national attention.Today we break down what the not guilty plea signals, how Menashe's defense philosophy could shape the trial, and the new details emerging about McKee's pattern of evasion — including a malpractice lawsuit that couldn't locate him for months before the killings. Process servers found fake addresses, TVs turning off when they knocked, and colleagues who said he "just disappeared."The battle lines are drawn. This is how it begins.#TrueCrimeToday #MichaelMcKee #TepeCase #MoniqueTepe #SpencerTepe #DianeMenushe #ColumbusOhio #DomesticViolence #MurderTrial #WilliamHuselJoin 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.

27 Jan 15min

The last known phone call between Keith and Paul Caneiro was played for jurors in Monmouth County Superior Court—and it reveals a man at the end of his patience. "I need it—I need it. Give me the f***ing login, Paul!" Keith demanded, giving his brother until 8 p.m. to provide access to a trust account. By the next afternoon, Keith Caneiro, 50, was dead on the front lawn of his Colts Neck mansion with five gunshot wounds. Inside, his wife Jennifer, 45, and their children—11-year-old Jesse and 8-year-old Sophia—were found stabbed and burned. Paul Caneiro, 58, is on trial for four counts of first-degree murder. Prosecutors say greed drove Paul to slaughter his brother's family after Keith discovered he was stealing from their shared businesses. Testimony from a financial crimes detective revealed multiple transfers from Keith's trust account into Paul's personal account with no repayment. Hours before the Colts Neck fire was reported, Paul allegedly set fire to his own Ocean Township home while his wife and daughters slept inside. Evidence includes bloody clothing with DNA matching the child victims and a gun matched to the murder weapon. Paul's defense attorney claims investigators ignored a third brother. Paul has been in jail without bail since November 2018.#KeithCaneiro #PaulCaneiro #CaneirioTrial #ColtsNeckMurders #JenniferCaneiro #MansionMurders #MonmouthCountyTrial #TrueCrimeToday #FamilyMurder #JusticeForKeithJoin 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.

27 Jan 18min

The Jesse Butler case is far from over. The 18-year-old Stillwater, Oklahoma teen pled no contest to 11 felonies — including attempted rape, strangulation, and violating a protective order — and received no prison time under youthful offender status. But now attorney Rachel Bussett has filed a motion arguing the entire plea was legally void from the beginning.According to court filings, the victims were never properly consulted. Critical orders were entered without required signatures. One victim was having surgery the day youthful offender status was granted — she had no idea it was happening. The DA allegedly met with a minor victim without her parent or attorney present, told her about the plea deal, and then instructed her not to tell her mother.Bussett's argument is unprecedented in Oklahoma: if the procedural requirements weren't followed, the plea itself is void ab initio — void from the start. That means Butler's due process argument collapses, and the case could be reset for adult prosecution.February 3rd, 2026 is the preliminary hearing to determine what this challenge looks like. Meanwhile, a federal lawsuit has been filed against Stillwater Public Schools, Principal Walter Howell, school resource officer Paul Blankinship, and Butler's parents — including Mack Butler, the former Oklahoma State football operations director who was working as the school district's assistant athletic director during the alleged assaults.Jesse Butler turns 19 in August. If he completes his rehabilitation plan, his record gets expunged. But if this motion succeeds, he could face real prison time.#JesseButler #JesseMackButler #StillwaterOklahoma #MarsysLaw #TrueCrime #PayneCounty #VictimsRights #OklahomaState #YouthfulOffender #CourtroomDramaJoin 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.

27 Jan 32min

The man accused of murdering Monique Tepe and her husband Dr. Spencer Tepe pleaded not guilty on January 23rd to four counts of aggravated murder. Michael McKee, 39, Monique's ex-husband, appeared via video before a Franklin County magistrate and waived bond. He remains in custody. Prosecutors allege McKee, a vascular surgeon, traveled from Illinois to Columbus and killed the couple in the early morning hours of December 30th. Spencer was shot multiple times. Monique sustained a gunshot wound to the chest. Their two children, ages four and one, were found inside the home unharmed. Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant has called this a "targeted" and "domestic violence related attack." Investigators say surveillance footage places McKee's vehicle at the scene before and after the killings. When multiple firearms were seized from his Rockford property, preliminary ballistic analysis linked one weapon to three 9mm shell casings recovered from the Tepe residence. The charges carry firearm specifications for using a gun and a suppressor. McKee is represented by Diane Menashe, who previously defended Dr. William Husel. Monique divorced McKee in 2017. She married Spencer in 2019. If convicted, McKee faces a minimum of life with parole eligibility after 32 years—or life without parole.#MichaelMcKee #MoniqueTepe #SpencerTepe #TepeMurders #ColumbusOhio #AggravatedMurder #BallisticEvidence #DomesticViolenceHomicide #JusticeForTepe #TepeCaseJoin 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.

27 Jan 30min

Today on True Crime Today, we're covering two major cases that raise the same devastating question: What does it take for warning signs to translate into action? Former FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke—21 years with the Bureau, former Chief of the FBI's Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program—joins us to analyze both the Kohberger and Reiner cases through the lens of threat assessment and behavioral analysis. The families of the four murdered Idaho students have sued Washington State University, alleging the school received 13 formal complaints about Bryan Kohberger's threatening and predatory behavior and failed to meaningfully intervene. The lawsuit describes faculty predicting Kohberger would assault future students, staff creating their own "911" alert systems, women fleeing classrooms. Robin breaks down what these behaviors signaled and why institutions often choose perceived legal protection over actual safety. Then we turn to the Reiner case. Nick Reiner was under an LPS mental health conservatorship in 2020 that ended after one year. His medication was reportedly changed a month before his parents were found stabbed to death. Rob Reiner had publicly said they should have listened to Nick instead of professionals. Robin explains how trust gets exploited over decades, how families lose their ability to perceive danger, and what the Reiners may have stopped being able to see. Two cases. Two mechanisms of failure. One essential conversation about what it takes to act on what you see.#TrueCrimeToday #BryanKohberger #NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleReiner #RobinDreeke #FBI #IdahoMurders #Conservatorship #WarningSignsIgnoredJoin 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.

27 Jan 47min

Rob and Michele Reiner did everything right. They showed up to every therapy session. They paid for eighteen rehab stays. They hired private instructors and family therapists. They let their troubled son live in their guesthouse even after he destroyed it—multiple times. And on December 14, 2025, they were found stabbed to death in their Brentwood home. Their son Nick, 32, was arrested that night and now faces two counts of first-degree murder.Today on True Crime Today, we break down the troubling history of Nick Reiner—the entitled Hollywood son whose struggles with addiction and mental illness were met with endless resources and zero consequences. A 2009 rehab roommate tells the Daily Mail that Nick was "a fucking pompous little punk" who constantly ranted about hating his parents—the same parents who attended every family session while other wealthy families sent nannies.We examine Nick's own admissions on the Dopey podcast: destroying property with "no logic," stealing OxyContin from sick elderly people, and getting high during the press tour for Being Charlie—a film about his recovery that his father directed. We look at the 2020 mental health conservatorship, the reported medication change weeks before the killings, and the disturbing scene at Conan O'Brien's Christmas party where guests say Nick was "freaking everyone out" just hours before his parents' deaths.This is the story the headlines won't tell you. Money couldn't save Rob and Michele Reiner.#TrueCrimeToday #NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleReiner #ReinerMurder #TrueCrime #HollywoodMurder #BrentwoodMurder #Parricide #BreakingJoin 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.

27 Jan 41min