Nick Reiner's New Attorney Had 30 Seconds To Prepare — Here's What That Means For His Defense

Barry Morphew stood in an Alamosa County courtroom Monday and pleaded not guilty to murdering his wife Suzanne Morphew for the second time. Suzanne vanished Mother's Day 2020 from their Colorado home. Her body wasn't found until September 2023 — discovered by accident while investigators searched for someone else entirely. The autopsy changed everything: forensic testing found BAM, an animal tranquilizer, in Suzanne's bone marrow. According to the grand jury indictment, Barry Morphew was the only private citizen in that part of Colorado with a prescription for BAM. He admitted using it on a deer at their property just weeks before his wife disappeared. The first prosecution fell apart spectacularly. DA Linda Stanley's office bungled discovery so badly that a judge barred 14 of their expert witnesses. She was disbarred in 2024 for misconduct — including appearing on a YouTube true crime show during the active case and launching an investigation into the presiding judge based on online conspiracy theories. The Colorado Supreme Court upheld her disbarment last year. Now a new prosecutor has secured a fresh indictment. Barry waived his right to a speedy trial; his defense says they need time to review the evidence. Trial begins October 13, 2026. Today we cover the full case — the marriage, the secret affair, the damning text messages, and whether this second prosecution can finish what the first one started.#BarryMorphew #SuzanneMorphew #TrueCrimeToday #MorphewTrial #ColoradoMurder #LindaStanley #DisbarredDA #ColdCase #MurderCase #BreakingNewsJoin 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.

17 Jan 18min

Two major cases. One attorney breaking down the evidence, the strategy, and where the legal system fails. Eric Faddis joins True Crime Today for a comprehensive analysis.On the Reiner case: Alan Jackson withdrew under circumstances he's "legally prohibited" from explaining — but declared Nick "not guilty of murder" on his way out. There's a sealed medical order. Ten sealed subpoenas. Nick appeared in a suicide prevention smock and reportedly isn't medically stabilized. Eric examines the competency question, what the gas station footage means, and whether losing Jackson fundamentally changes Nick's chances.On the McKee prosecution: Police announced a preliminary ballistic link through NIBIN connecting a weapon from McKee's property to the Tepe murders. Surveillance footage traced a vehicle to him — arriving before the killings, leaving after. Charges were upgraded to premeditated aggravated murder, death penalty eligible. Eric breaks down what evidence prosecutors need, how ballistics can be challenged, and what defense strategies remain for someone pleading not guilty.On domestic violence: The Tepe divorce records show no abuse allegations — just "incompatibility." But Monique's family says she was emotionally abused and "just had to get away from him." Eight years after the divorce, court activity brought McKee and Monique back together. Six months later, she was dead. Eric examines why victims don't document abuse, how the system treats emotional abuse differently, and whether this was a threat that could ever have been legally prevented.For anyone recognizing their situation in Monique's story, Eric offers legal advice on protection — and where the system's limits are.#EricFaddis #NickReiner #MichaelMcKee #MoniqueTepe #SpencerTepe #TrueCrimeToday #InsanityDefense #Ballistics #DomesticViolence #TrueCrimeJoin 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.

17 Jan 49min

True Crime Today brings you exclusive analysis of the relationship at the heart of the Brendan Banfield murder trial. Retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke — former head of the FBI's Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program and author of books on trust and manipulation — examines who was really in control between Brendan and Juliana Peres Magalhaes.The prosecution says Brendan manipulated a young au pair into participating in double murder. They claim he expressed his desire to "be rid of" his wife, told Juliana it was "too late to back out," and handed her a gun the morning of the killings. But Juliana isn't a passive victim in this story. She allegedly helped plan and execute the murders, then spent a year telling police the same story Brendan did — before flipping to get a plea deal that sends her home to Brazil.From jail, Juliana wrote to her mother that she was "heartbroken for doing this to Brendan" and that she loved him. But she wanted to come home.Dreeke analyzes what that letter reveals about her psychology and her relationship with Brendan. He examines the behavioral markers that separate someone who was genuinely coerced from someone who willingly participated. He explains what causes someone to maintain a lie for a year and what causes them to flip.The affair started six months before the killings. Juliana was living in the home, caring for Christine's daughter. Dreeke breaks down what that arrangement reveals about power dynamics — and what it takes for two people to form the kind of criminal partnership prosecutors allege.#BrendanBanfield #JulianaPeresMagalhaes #TrueCrimeToday #RobinDreeke #FBI #Trust #Manipulation #AuPairMurder #StarWitness #PsychologyJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISDOES & 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.

17 Jan 31min

Monique Tepe filed for divorce rather than dissolution. She hired a private judge to expedite the process. From a legal standpoint, what do those choices typically indicate?Attorney Eric Faddis says this is a pattern he sees with clients trying to exit difficult or dangerous marriages. In this interview, he breaks down what the Tepe divorce documents reveal — and what they hide.The 2017 paperwork shows no domestic violence allegations, no protection orders, no restraining orders. Just "incompatibility." But Monique's family tells a different story. Her relative Rob Misleh said McKee was "emotionally abusive." He said she "just had to get away from him."Why do so many victims choose not to document abuse? Eric explains the risks of documenting versus staying silent — and how the legal system treats emotional abuse compared to physical abuse.Eight years after the divorce, something brought McKee and Monique back into the court system in June 2025. Six months later, she was dead. Eric examines whether court filings can be used as a tool to force contact with an ex-spouse — and whether courts can prevent it.If Monique was being harassed, what legal options did she have? Could she have sought a protection order based on emotional abuse without documented physical violence? Eric breaks down what victims can do — and where the system's limits are.McKee had no criminal record. No documented allegations. Nothing that would have flagged him as a threat. Eric examines whether the legal system could realistically have protected Monique — or whether some threats simply can't be prevented until it's too late.#MoniqueTepe #MichaelMcKee #SpencerTepe #EricFaddis #TrueCrimeToday #DomesticViolence #DivorceRecords #TeepeMurders #TrueCrime #ProtectionOrdersJoin 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.

16 Jan 15min

A week after Alan Jackson's dramatic exit from the Nick Reiner case, the real story isn't what he said on those courthouse steps. It's what's locked inside the court file that nobody can access.Sealed psychiatric evaluations. A confidential medical order. Ten subpoenas hidden from prosecutors. Sources confirming Nick was being treated for schizophrenia—but no details on what his doctors actually found. A medication change that reportedly preceded the killings by weeks—but no explanation of what went wrong or who made the call.Jackson investigated for three weeks. He saw things we haven't seen. He read evaluations we can't read. And whatever he found was significant enough to make him declare—on camera, for the record—that Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder under California law.But here's what's strange: if the evidence is that strong, why is it being kept under seal? If the insanity defense is that solid, why isn't the defense team shouting it from the rooftops? And if Jackson truly believes Nick isn't legally responsible, why did he walk away instead of seeing it through?There's a gap between what we're being told and what we're being allowed to know. That gap is where the real story lives.Today we examine what's actually in those sealed documents, why the judge agreed to keep them hidden, what the outstanding subpoenas might reveal about the defense strategy, and the one question nobody in the mainstream press seems to be asking: who benefits from keeping this evidence out of public view?#NickReiner #RobReiner #SealedDocuments #TrueCrimeToday #WhatAreTheyHiding #InsanityDefense #CourtSecrets #MentalHealthDefense #CaliforniaLaw #HiddenEvidenceJoin 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.

16 Jan 27min

His attorney says Dr. Michael McKee plans to plead not guilty. Given the evidence made public — preliminary ballistic link, surveillance footage, vehicle records traced to the defendant — what defense strategies might be available? Attorney Eric Faddis breaks it down.Police recovered multiple firearms from McKee's property. A preliminary NIBIN link connects one weapon to the Tepe murders. Eric explains what "preliminary" means, how ballistic evidence can be challenged, and how damaging confirmed ballistics would be for the defense.Surveillance footage captured a vehicle arriving before the murders and leaving after. That vehicle has been traced to McKee. Eric examines how strong circumstantial evidence like this typically is — and what arguments defense attorneys use to counter it.The charges were upgraded from murder to premeditated aggravated murder. In Ohio, that requires proving "prior calculation and design." Eric explains what that means and what evidence prosecutors likely have that hasn't been released yet.McKee waived extradition but remains in Illinois. Court records say his transfer to Ohio "will not be feasible" by the end of the week. Chief Bryant said police are withholding details to protect the conviction. Eric explains when discovery begins and what the timeline to trial looks like.Spencer and Monique Tepe were shot dead in their Columbus home on December 30, 2025. Their children were found unharmed. McKee is Monique's ex-husband from a brief marriage that ended in 2017. Her family says they waited eight years for this arrest.McKee faces death penalty-eligible charges in Ohio. Eric analyzes what factors a jury would consider and whether the state's execution moratorium affects prosecution strategy.#MichaelMcKee #SpencerTepe #MoniqueTepe #EricFaddis #TrueCrimeToday #TeepeMurders #DefenseStrategy #ColumbusOhio #AggravatedMurder #TrueCrimeJoin 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.

16 Jan 17min

Surveillance video and phone records took center stage on day three of the Brendan Banfield double murder trial as prosecutors worked to corroborate au pair Juliana Peres Magalhães's testimony with hard evidence. The jury watched footage from a McDonald's near the Banfield home showing the defendant waiting in the parking lot on the morning of February 24, 2023. At 7:37 AM, Banfield is seen leaving the bathroom with his phone pressed to his ear — matching call records that show Juliana phoned him at that exact moment.According to testimony, that call was the signal that Joseph Ryan had arrived at the house. Ryan was allegedly lured there through months of messages on the fetish website FetLife from someone he believed was Christine Banfield — but who prosecutors say was actually Brendan posing as his wife.Forensic testimony revealed Brendan's DNA was not on the knife allegedly used to kill Christine, but forensic scientist Katherine Colombo noted that police let him wash his hands before collecting samples. Blood on Banfield's jeans matched Christine's DNA. Fingerprint examiner Douglas Gudakunst testified that prints on the knife were inconclusive between Banfield and Ryan.Detectives also showed the jury photographs from eight months after the murders when they returned with a warrant. The master bedroom where Christine died had been completely transformed — new flooring, new furniture, and photos of Brendan with Juliana replacing images of Brendan with his late wife. Juliana had moved into that bedroom.Prosecutors established Banfield purchased a firearm less than a month before the killings and allegedly spent $30,000 on soundproof windows. Trial resumes Tuesday.#TrueCrimeToday #BrendanBanfield #AuPairAffair #ForensicEvidence #ChristineBanfield #MurderTrial #JosephRyan #FetLifeMurder #FairfaxTrial #CrimePodcastJoin 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.

16 Jan 27min