The Psychological Breakdown of Bryan Kohberger Behind Bars

A Florida appeals court has overturned the $213.5 million verdict once awarded to Maya Kowalski and her family — the same case that inspired the Netflix documentary Take Care of Maya. In 2016, Maya Kowalski, then just ten years old, was admitted to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital for complications related to Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a rare and debilitating pain condition. Her mother, Beata Kowalski, a registered nurse, had been pursuing aggressive ketamine treatments to relieve her daughter’s suffering. But when hospital staff grew suspicious of the treatment plan and Beata’s behavior, they reported suspected child abuse to Florida’s Department of Children and Families. Under state law, they had no choice. That single report changed everything. Maya was placed under state custody, separated from her mother for months. Beata, cut off from her daughter and accused of being an abuser, took her own life. Years later, a jury sided with the Kowalski family, holding the hospital liable for false imprisonment, emotional distress, and wrongful death, awarding them over $250 million — later reduced to $213.5 million. Now, the Second District Court of Appeal has reversed that decision, citing Florida’s mandatory reporter immunity laws under Chapter 39. The court ruled that Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital acted as an agent of the state after reporting the suspected abuse and was therefore protected from liability for many of the claims. The ruling effectively vacates the entire verdict and limits any future retrial to a narrow scope: battery, medical negligence, and emotional distress claims related to Maya alone. Supporters of the decision say it reinforces the importance of protecting mandatory reporters from retaliation. Critics argue it shields institutions from accountability and erases justice for a grieving family. In this episode of Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski, we explore the facts, the law, and the human cost of this reversal. Did the system protect Maya — or fail her? #TakeCareOfMaya #MayaKowalski #JohnsHopkinsAllChildrensHospital #HiddenKillers #TrueCrimePodcast #CourtTV #FloridaLaw #MedicalNegligence #ChildAbuseReporting #JusticeSystem 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

31 Okt 27min

Two stories. One broken system. In Idaho, Bryan Kohberger could legally make money off his own murders. In Virginia, a first-grade teacher named Abby Zwerner was shot after four separate warnings were ignored. Both stories show how America’s justice system has traded accountability for excuses — and how law, morality, and bureaucracy keep collapsing under their own contradictions. Tony Brueski and former prosecutor Eric Faddis connect these cases in one of their most morally charged episodes yet. The first half, When Infamy Becomes an Industry, explores how constitutional loopholes turned the First Amendment into a profit shield for convicted killers. The Supreme Court’s Simon & Schuster decision gutted Son of Sam laws nationwide — and states like Idaho never replaced them. Tony and Eric unpack how “free speech” became a business plan for murderers and why politicians are too afraid to fix a law that lets killers cash checks while victims’ families get nothing. The second half, The Price of Ignorance, turns the spotlight on institutional cowardice. In Newport News, Virginia, teacher Abby Zwerner was nearly killed after school officials ignored every warning about an armed six-year-old. Tony and Eric examine how fear of optics, legal liability, and self-preservation led to tragedy — and what that means for every teacher still walking into a classroom unprotected. Together, these stories reveal a single truth: justice in America doesn’t end at the verdict — it just changes platforms. Whether it’s a killer monetizing murder or a school hiding behind procedure, the result is the same. Profit over pain. Policy over people. #BryanKohberger #AbbyZwerner #TrueCrime #JusticeSystem #SonOfSam #SchoolShooting #TonyBrueski #EricFaddis #VictimsRights #CrimePodcast #LegalAnalysis #WhenJusticeFails #FreeSpeech #Accountability 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

31 Okt 52min

In a quiet neighborhood in Ocala, Florida, a mother of four simply knocked on her neighbor’s door to ask for answers. What happened next was anything but simple. AJ Owens’ life ended when her neighbor, convinced her peace had been stolen, reached for a gun and fired through a locked door. This isn’t just a story of a shooting — it’s a psychological breakdown in full display. I’m Tony Brueski, and in this episode of Hidden Killers, we go deep into the mindset of one woman who couldn’t tolerate other people living. She didn’t see children playing. She saw disrespect. She didn’t hear laughter. She heard a threat. With the veneer of the “perfect neighbor” and the weapon of her choice, her answer to disruption was final. We’ll trace the two-year buildup: the constant complaints, the phone recordings, the police visits. Then we’ll walk you through the shot itself, the locked door, the children, the devastation. But most of all, we’ll shine a light on the malignant psychology behind it all — entitlement that morphs into threat, control that masquerades as safety, and a system that responded but never interrupted. This longform narrative isn’t about sensationalizing death. It’s about accountability. It’s about understanding how narcissistic control can completely retract someone from reality, until the world either bends to them — or lives break. If you’ve ever lived next to someone who demands their world be silent except for their voice, this one’s for you. Because quiet isn’t always peace. Sometimes quiet is the calm that follows a gunshot. Listen in. Watch the patterns. Recognize the danger. And subscribe to keep uncovering the hidden killers lurking behind everyday facades. #TrueCrimeStory #HiddenKillers #NeighborhoodMurder #PsychologicalProfile #NarcissismInCrime #MotherOfFour #StandYourGround #CrimeAnalysis #FatalEgo #ControlAndViolence 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

30 Okt 18min

Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott joins Tony Brueski, Stacy Cole, and Todd Michaels to unpack the warped psychology behind The Perfect Neighbor case — where “fear” became justification for a killing. For two years, Susan Lorincz saw danger in ordinary life: neighborhood kids, laughter, noise. That chronic hyper-vigilance — mixed with grievance and entitlement — built a narrative that only she believed. Scott explores how paranoia and cognitive distortion feed on isolation, turning imagined threat into moral crusade. From micro-aggressions to the myth of the “good citizen,” this interview asks what happens when anxiety weaponizes itself and empathy disappears. Scott also offers trauma-informed insights for the secondary victims — Ajike Owens’ children — and explains how communities can recognize early warning signs before another tragedy repeats. #ThePerfectNeighbor #ShavaunScott #AjikeOwens #HiddenKillersPodcast #TonyBrueski #TrueCrimeAnalysis #FearVsReality #TraumaPsychology #BehavioralHealth #StandYourGround 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

30 Okt 25min

Before Charlie’s smirk, before Donna’s letters, before the Adelson name became synonymous with murder — there were the first flips. In this haunting episode of Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski, we go back to where it all began: the deals, the confessions, and the whispers that cracked open the Daniel Markel murder-for-hire case. This is the untold story of how Luis Rivera — a gang member with nothing left to lose — traded silence for survival, and how Katherine Magbanua — caught between love, money, and manipulation — became the bridge that connected killers to the Adelson family. It’s a chilling portrait of greed, control, and the illusion of safety that defined the Adelsons long before the world saw their faces in court. This is how justice began — not with headlines, but with the first domino that dared to fall. #HiddenKillers #AdelsonFamily #DanMarkel #TrueCrimePodcast #KatherineMagbanua #LuisRivera #DonnaAdelson #CharlieAdelson #MurderForHire #FloridaCrime 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

30 Okt 16min

A mother is dead. A neighbor claims fear. But what really drove Susan Lorincz to pull the trigger through a closed door?  In this exclusive conversation, psychotherapist Shavaun Scott joins Tony Brueski. Stacy Cole, and Todd Michaels to dissect the psychology behind The Perfect Neighbor case — where paranoia, entitlement, and grievance collided in one deadly moment. Scott unpacks the behavioral descent that transforms everyday irritation into lethal certainty. Was Lorincz truly afraid, or was “fear” the mask for long-nurtured anger? From chronic irritability and confirmation bias to the self-righteous delusion of being “under siege,” Scott breaks down the cognitive distortions that rewrite reality until violence feels justified. Together, they examine how “stand-your-ground” culture, racialized fear, and emotional dysregulation converge — and what this case reveals about the American obsession with safety at all costs. This isn’t just a crime story; it’s a psychological autopsy of modern paranoia. #ShavaunScott #HiddenKillers #ThePerfectNeighbor #AjikeOwens #SusanLorincz #TonyBrueski #TrueCrimePodcast #PsychologyOfFear #StandYourGround #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

30 Okt 25min

Alex Murdaugh’s name has become synonymous with deceit, greed, and betrayal. The former South Carolina attorney confessed to stealing millions from clients, friends, and even his own firm — but does that make him a murderer? In this explosive episode of Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski, we strip away the money, the scandals, and the headlines to ask one uncomfortable question: did the jury convict Alex Murdaugh for murder, or for being a monster they already hated? In March 2023, Murdaugh was found guilty of killing his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, at their Moselle property. But with no murder weapon, no direct forensic link, and no eyewitnesses, the case depended heavily on his financial crimes to establish motive. His own attorney, Dick Harpootlian, admits Murdaugh is a “horrible person” for what he did financially — but insists that doesn’t mean he pulled the trigger. As the South Carolina Supreme Court weighs whether to grant a new trial amid allegations of jury tampering by former court clerk Becky Hill, the debate over guilt versus prejudice is heating back up. Tony breaks down the real evidence: what points to guilt, what points to innocence, and why removing the financial narrative changes everything. Was Murdaugh’s conviction built on facts — or on disgust? Is he a murderer, or just a morally bankrupt man who became the perfect villain for America’s true-crime obsession? It’s time to separate what can be proven from what just feels true. 🎙️ Subscribe now for more unfiltered true crime breakdowns with Tony Brueski on Hidden Killers. #AlexMurdaugh #HiddenKillersPodcast #TrueCrime #MurdaughMurders #MaggieMurdaugh #PaulMurdaugh #SouthCarolina #JusticeSystem #TrueCrimeCommunity #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

30 Okt 25min