Bryan Kohberger’s Reading: How “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway” Became His Mindset
When police arrested Bryan Kohberger — the criminology Ph.D. student accused of murdering four University of Idaho students — they found a single book with underlining on page 118. Months later, reporting from the Idaho Statesman revealed that book was Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers — a self-help classic about conquering fear through action. In this episode of Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski, we dig into what that detail really means. Was Kohberger simply reading a popular motivational book? Or was he absorbing a philosophy that, in his hands, took on something much darker? Tony breaks down how Jeffers’ message — “The only way to get rid of the fear of doing something is to go out and do it” — could have resonated with Kohberger’s obsessive need for control and dominance. Through psychological analysis and factual reporting, this episode explores how self-help principles can be warped by pathological minds — transforming courage into justification, empowerment into entitlement, and action into violence. We examine the context of the discovery, Kohberger’s academic writings about “emotions and criminal decision-making,” and his disturbing fascination with overcoming hesitation. The result is a chilling portrait of a man who may have misread a book about personal growth as a guide to fearlessness at any cost. It’s not about blame. It’s about understanding how ordinary ideas can become extraordinary distortions inside extraordinary minds. 🎧 New episodes daily. 📺 Watch full coverage and interviews with top experts — retired FBI agents, prosecutors, and psychotherapists — only on Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski. #BryanKohberger #FeelTheFearAndDoItAnyway #IdahoMurders #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #TonyBrueski #PsychologyOfMurder #Criminology #SusanJeffers #FearAndControl #IdahoCase #TrueCrimeAnalysis #HiddenKillersPodcast 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
11 Nov 16min
Mother Arrested — But Where Is 9-Year-Old Melodee Buzzard?
A mother under arrest. A daughter still missing. And an investigation that keeps stretching across states and logic alike. On Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski, we break down the case of 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard, missing since early October 2025. Her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, was arrested November 7 in Santa Barbara County on a felony false-imprisonment charge with $100,000 bail. The sheriff’s office insists this arrest is not directly related to Melodee’s disappearance — but investigators rarely say those words without a strategy behind them. Here’s the chilling timeline: Ashlee rented a white 2024 Chevy Malibu in Lompoc on October 7. Surveillance later captured wigs, and authorities allege a license-plate swap during the trip. The last verified sighting of Melodee occurred near the Utah-Colorado border on October 9. Days later, Ashlee returned to California — without her daughter. Former FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer joins Tony and Stacy Cole to decode what “not directly related” really means — and how investigators may be using this charge as a containment tool while reconstructing Melodee’s final known route. From vehicle forensics to cell-tower triangulation and search-grid coordination, we analyze the likely behind-the-scenes maneuvers law enforcement won’t yet discuss publicly. We also examine the psychology of silence — when a parent refuses to cooperate, how do investigators keep hope alive without compromising the case? And what should the public be looking for right now that could truly help? This story is still unfolding. And somewhere along that route between Lompoc and Utah, the answers may still exist. #MelodeeBuzzard #AshleeBuzzard #HiddenKillers #TonyBrueski #JenniferCoffindaffer #TrueCrimeToday #MissingChild #FalseImprisonment #SantaBarbara #UtahColoradoBorder 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
11 Nov 35min
Inside the Donna & Charlie Adelson’s Appeals : Do They Have A Chance?
In this extended episode of Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski, we go deep into the quietest chapter yet in the saga of the Adelson family: the appeals. On November 4, 2025, Donna Adelson filed her notice of appeal with Florida’s First District Court of Appeal — one day before her son Charlie filed his reply brief in his own appeal. It marks the moment both mother and son officially stepped into the long, lonely process that almost never changes anything. Tony breaks down what really happens next: how the appellate process works, what judges actually review (hint — not new evidence), and why the odds of success hover around five percent. You’ll hear how appellate courts look only for procedural errors, not moral redemption — and why, for both Donna and Charlie, even a “win” might only shave paperwork, not years, off their sentences. From the mechanics of record transmission to the rare chance of oral argument, Tony lays out the cold reality behind the legal language: this isn’t a new trial — it’s a postscript. The show explores the psychology of defendants who cling to appeals as emotional lifelines, the contrast between hope and finality, and the irony of two people who once manipulated the system now trapped inside it. It’s not flashy. It’s not fast. But it’s justice — moving one slow, relentless step at a time. 🎧 Listen to the full analysis now on Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski. #HiddenKillers #DonnaAdelson #CharlieAdelson #DanMarkel #AdelsonAppeal #TrueCrimePodcast #FloridaJustice #CourtOfAppeal #LegalAnalysis #TonyBrueski #TrueCrimeToday #JusticeSystem #MurderForHire #CriminalAppeal 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
11 Nov 16min
Justice in Reverse: Melodee Buzzard Missing, Jesse Butler Free
Two headlines. Two tragedies. And one justice system collapsing under its own contradictions. In California and Oklahoma — two stories this week reveal the same ugly truth: justice is selective. One mother sits in jail while her missing daughter remains unaccounted for. Another man, accused of horrific violence, walks free. First: The Melodee Buzzard case. Nine-year-old Melodee vanished in early October. Her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, was arrested November 7 on a false-imprisonment charge, bail set at $100,000. Investigators insist the arrest isn’t directly tied to the disappearance — but behind that phrasing lies a strategic move. Authorities allege rented vehicles, wigs, and license-plate swaps, with Melodee last seen near the Utah-Colorado border on October 9. Ashlee returned to California alone. The public’s question: if she’s not charged for the disappearance, what’s she really being held for? Then: Jesse Butler. In Payne County, Oklahoma, an 18-year-old accused of rape, strangulation, and sexual assault was handed what amounts to freedom — no prison, only community service and counseling. A plea deal so soft it’s reigniting national outrage over judicial accountability. The victims nearly died; Butler walks out under the guise of “rehabilitation.” Together, these cases frame a system that punishes at random — one that acts swiftly against optics, but gently toward those it quietly favors. When a violent offender is treated with mercy and a missing-child case stalls behind legal semantics, we’re left with a single, bitter question: who is the justice system actually protecting? Former FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer joins Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski and Stacy Cole to pull back the curtain on both investigations — the legal strategy, the investigative psychology, and the moral failure playing out in real time. Two stories. Two families. One nation still pretending this is justice. #MelodeeBuzzard #JesseButler #AshleeBuzzard #HiddenKillers #TonyBrueski #JenniferCoffindaffer #TrueCrimeToday #JusticeSystem #FalseImprisonment #OklahomaJustice #MissingChild 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
11 Nov 57min
‘She Lied About Everything’: The Sandra Birchmore Story Police Want Buried
“She lied about everything.” That’s what former Massachusetts Deputy Police Chief Robert Devine told the state’s oversight commission when he was asked about Sandra Birchmore — a 23-year-old woman found dead in her Canton, Massachusetts apartment in 2021. But behind that phrase lies one of the most disturbing stories of police corruption, grooming, and betrayal in modern American law enforcement. Sandra Birchmore joined the Stoughton Police Explorers program as a teenager — a mentorship group designed to inspire young people interested in policing. Instead, it became her trap. Federal prosecutors say she was groomed and manipulated by Stoughton officers for years, including Detective Matthew Farwell, who now stands accused of murdering her. In August 2024, Farwell was indicted for strangling Birchmore and staging her death to look like suicide — allegedly to stop her from exposing his misconduct. At the time, Sandra was pregnant and believed Farwell was the father. Later, DNA testing proved otherwise, but it didn’t erase the years of manipulation and control that led up to her death. As the federal case builds, another disturbing layer has surfaced: senior officers — including Robert Devine, who once oversaw the Explorer program — have been accused of misconduct and cover-ups. Instead of accountability, Devine offered deflection, telling investigators that Birchmore “lied about everything.” In this episode, Tony Brueski tears into that defense — and the system that enables it. What does it mean when those sworn to protect instead prey on the vulnerable? What happens when “credibility” becomes a weapon, and victims of grooming are discredited by the very people who created their trauma? This isn’t just about one department or one victim. Across the country, similar police Explorer programs have been exposed for systemic abuse — from Kentucky to Texas, from Florida to Utah. The same pattern repeats: powerful men, teenage recruits, secret communication, and departments more interested in damage control than justice. Sandra’s story is a warning — and an indictment of every institution that confuses authority with immunity. She didn’t “lie about everything.” She told the truth about the wrong people. 🎙 Watch Tony Brueski expose the dark psychology and systemic rot behind the Sandra Birchmore case — and why this time, the cover-up won’t hold. #SandraBirchmore #StoughtonPolice #MatthewFarwell #RobertDevine #TrueCrimePodcast #HiddenKillers #PoliceCorruption #Grooming #JusticeForSandra #TrueCrimeToday #HiddenKillersLive #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
11 Nov 18min
Did Donna Adelson Confess in Jail? Breaking Down The ‘Jailhouse Daughter’ Claims
In one of the most chilling post-verdict revelations yet, we’re hearing directly from the woman Donna Adelson once called her “jailhouse daughter.” Her name is Dina Burnernhard, and according to her testimony and a new interview with Surviving the Survivor, she spent five months locked up alongside Donna in the Leon County Jail. What she witnessed behind those walls is nothing like the frail, weeping grandmother the world saw in court. Dina says Donna began their friendship with a powdered donut — a simple gesture that soon turned into a full-blown manipulation campaign. From there, Donna promised her money, pills, commissary, even a grand piano — all in exchange for taking the stand and lying under oath to shift blame away from Donna and toward her former co-conspirator, Katherine Magbanua. But Dina didn’t play along. Instead, she turned over the handwritten script Donna had given her — later introduced in court as State’s Exhibit 62 — showing exactly what Donna wanted her to say. It didn’t stop there. Dina says Donna bragged about her wealth, trashed her own son Robert for testifying, and even confided that she “did it to keep her grandkids, but it wasn’t supposed to go that far.” Those words — if true — amount to a jailhouse confession. Dina also claims Donna spoke about faking health issues to gain sympathy, manipulating psychiatrists, and inventing assaults that never happened — all part of a long con to regain control of her narrative. In this episode, Tony Brueski breaks down the psychology of manipulation behind bars — how Donna Adelson allegedly groomed her fellow inmate, and how Dina Burnernhard, an addict society had written off, became the unlikely truth-teller who helped expose her. From powdered donuts to perjury scripts, this story reveals the rot beneath the polished surface of a family that once believed they were untouchable — and how power and privilege can twist into pure darkness when the walls close in. #DonnaAdelson #DanMarkel #HiddenKillers #TrueCrimePodcast #JailhouseConfession #HiddenKillersLive #TonyBrueski #PrisonManipulation #WendiAdelson #TrueCrimeCommunity 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
10 Nov 17min
Why Did The DOJ Shut Down The Epstein Investigation? Ret FBI Chief Explains
The real story isn’t just that the Epstein investigation was shut down — it’s how it was shut down. And why everyone inside stayed quiet. Former FBI Behavioral Program Chief Robin Dreeke joins me for an unflinching look at the inner workings of institutional obedience — the invisible forces that make people protect power instead of truth. Through a behavioral lens, Robin breaks down how fear travels through a bureaucracy — not as orders, but as tone, silence, and career calculus. He explains the moral corrosion that sets in when “don’t ask” becomes an unwritten rule, and why credible survivors are often the first to be dismissed. We go beyond the headlines to expose the psychological blueprint of a cover-up — from collective denial to reputation management masquerading as justice. This is the story of what happens when integrity is no longer an asset, but a liability. No partisanship. No conspiracy. Just behavioral truth. Because the psychology of protection — and the decay it causes — is far more dangerous than any single individual. #EpsteinCase #RobinDreeke #BehavioralAnalysis #DOJ #FBI #InstitutionalCoverUp #HiddenKillers #PsychologyOfPower #JusticeSystem #MoralCorrosion 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
10 Nov 25min
He Can’t Pay — But He’s Getting Paid? Bryan Kohberger’s Sick Prison Cash Flow
Justice doesn’t end at sentencing — and in the Bryan Kohberger case, it just got even darker. In this episode of Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski, we break down the latest courtroom development in the Idaho student-murder case. More than three years after the 2022 killings and just months after Kohberger’s guilty plea and life sentences, the court was back in session — this time to fight over restitution. The state wants additional money for victims’ families — about $3,100 in remaining funeral expenses, specifically urns and related costs. Kohberger’s defense team argues he’s indigent and has no ability to pay while serving four consecutive life sentences. But prosecutors countered with a disturbing revelation: Kohberger’s prison account has already received tens of thousands of dollars from online supporters and so-called “true-crime fans.” Judge Steven Hippler, who presided over sentencing, heard arguments on whether those funds should be redirected to reimburse the families. No ruling yet — but the hearing underscored how strange and hollow post-conviction “justice” can feel when grieving parents must return to court to debate urn prices while the killer profits from notoriety. Tony Brueski exposes how this case reveals a deeper cultural sickness: society’s obsession with murderers, the fan networks that feed them, and a legal system that keeps re-traumatizing the very people it’s supposed to protect. #BryanKohberger #HiddenKillersPodcast #TrueCrime #TonyBrueski #IdahoMurders #JusticeForTheVictims #CrimeNews #KohbergerTrial #PrisonFunds #TrueCrimeCommunity 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
10 Nov 13min
