Bryan Kohberger’s Broken Brain: Control, Family & Obsession
Bryan Kohberger’s Broken Brain: Control, Family & Obsession The story of Bryan Kohberger isn’t just about four lives stolen in Moscow, Idaho. It’s also about a lifetime of obsessions, failures, and fractured psychology that built the man accused of those crimes. From his teenage years, Kohberger described himself as numb, detached, incapable of empathy. He filled journals and online posts with accounts of feeling unreal, seeing the world through “visual snow,” and struggling to connect with anyone. As he grew older, those feelings didn’t fade — they hardened into obsessions. Nightly “stargazing” drives were really peeping expeditions. Porn searches zeroed in on unconscious women, rape, and voyeurism. Power and control weren’t just fantasies — they became the only way his brain seemed to process intimacy. At the same time, Kohberger never cut the cord with his parents. Friends recall him referring to them, even as an adult, as “mother” and “father,” calling daily, relying on them for stability he couldn’t generate for himself. Experts say this dependence highlights fragility: a man desperate for grounding, yet incapable of independence. So what drove him? Was his criminology research an academic pursuit, or a desperate attempt to decode himself? Did his failures in relationships, in confidence, in basic human connection funnel him toward darker outlets? Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott joins Tony Brueski to dissect Kohberger’s “broken brain” — the obsessions, the dependence, the fragile ego that demanded dominance but never found identity. This is a psychological autopsy of a man who could never quite find himself — and instead tried to build power by taking everything from others. Hashtags: #BryanKohberger #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #KohbergerPsychology #MoscowMurders #Idaho4 #ShavaunScott #KohbergerBrokenBrain #TrueCrimePodcast #KohbergerFamily 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
4 Sep 25min
Moldy Cash & A One-Way Flight: Donna Adelson’s Panic Spiral
Moldy Cash & A One-Way Flight: Donna Adelson’s Panic Spiral Things just got weird. In this episode, Hidden Killers host Tony Brueski and defense attorney/former prosecutor Eric Faddis explore the strange, almost cinematic behavior prosecutors are pointing to as evidence of guilt—most notably, Donna Adelson allegedly washing stacks of moldy cash and then buying a one-way ticket to Vietnam, a non-extradition country. Is this the panic of a guilty mind—or the bizarre antics of someone deeply unprepared for the heat? Eric walks us through what prosecutors mean when they talk about consciousness of guilt, and how bizarre behavior like this can resonate with a jury even more than hard forensic evidence. Because when you’re laundering money literally, it says a lot about what you’re trying to erase. This segment dives into the psychological breakdown behind desperate actions, how they land with jurors, and whether Donna’s defense team has any path to reframe the narrative. Hashtags: #DonnaAdelson #DanMarkel #MoneyLaundering #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers #TonyBrueski #EricFaddis #VietnamFlight #AdelsonTrial #PanicBehavior 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
4 Sep 13min
Understanding The Adelson's: Roots, Culture & Control
Understanding The Adelson's: Roots, Culture & Control Families that look “close” on the outside can actually be suffocating on the inside. In this segment, Tony Brueski is joined by psychotherapist and author Shavaun Scott, along with Stacy and Todd, to unpack the roots of enmeshed families—the kind where loyalty becomes control. We dig into cultural influences, from Jewish and Asian traditions that normalize family loyalty, to the rise of helicopter parenting. We explore how narcissistic parents turn children into extensions of themselves, expecting achievements to reflect back on them rather than fostering independence. Shavaun explains the family continuum: disengaged (hands-off), balanced (healthy independence), and enmeshed (over-involved). Where does a family like the Adelsons fit? They raised high-achieving children, but at what cost? Their careers soared, but their moral compasses cracked. This conversation looks at how enmeshment breeds anxiety, depression, and adult children who struggle with identity and boundaries. We also ask: Is there ever such a thing as a “good” enmeshed family, or is it always toxic in the long run? Hashtags: #AdelsonTrial #EnmeshedFamilies #ShavaunScott #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers #FamilyPsychology #DanMarkel #DonnaAdelson #TrueCrimeCommunity #PsychologyOfCrime 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
4 Sep 11min
Harvey Adelson Phone Records, Coded Texts, and Vietnam Attempt
Harvey Adelson Phone Records, Coded Texts, and Vietnam Attempt For years, Harvey Adelson has been the quietest figure in the sprawling Markel murder saga. While Donna, Charlie, and Wendy took center stage in the courtroom, Harvey stayed in the background—silent, still, never taking the stand. But newly highlighted evidence is pushing him out of the shadows. In this segment of Hidden Killers, Tony Brueski and retired FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer examine the case threads connecting Harvey to the conspiracy. Phone records show contact between Harvey’s phone and hitman Sigfredo Garcia weeks before Dan Markel’s murder. Was this coincidence—or a direct link? Investigators also point to Harvey’s alleged attempt to book a one-way ticket to Vietnam, suggesting flight and consciousness of guilt. Add in the Dolce Vita recording, where Harvey is present during family conversations prosecutors say were about the crime, and suddenly his “silent father” role looks a lot more active. Coffindaffer breaks down how investigators weigh circumstantial evidence against someone like Harvey. How do you prove intent in coded conversations? How do you read travel attempts through the lens of guilt? And does Harvey’s calm, almost dazed courtroom demeanor reflect ignorance—or the quiet stress of a man who knows he may be next? This is not a murder-trial case against Harvey, but the pieces point toward potential accessory charges and deeper involvement than he’s ever admitted. Silence doesn’t equal innocence, and Harvey’s silence may finally be catching up with him. Featuring: Tony Brueski & retired FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer Keywords: Harvey Adelson, Dan Markel murder, Dolce Vita recording, Vietnam ticket, Sigfredo Garcia, accessory after the fact, Donna Adelson, Charlie Adelson, Hidden Killers Hashtags: #HarveyAdelson #DanMarkel #HiddenKillers #JenniferCoffindaffer #TrueCrime #AdelsonFamily #FloridaCrime #Evidence #DolceVita #Conspiracy 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
4 Sep 13min
