Inside the Markel Hit: Meet The Paid Killers Who Exposed the Adelson Family

The impact of enmeshed families doesn’t end in childhood—it follows people into every adult relationship. In this segment, Tony Brueski, Stacy, Todd, and psychotherapist Shavaun Scott explore how toxic loyalty and control spill into marriages, friendships, and self-identity. From mandatory Sunday dinners to overbearing in-laws, the conversation highlights how enmeshed families suffocate independence—even decades later. Stacy shares her own jaw-dropping story about an ex-mother-in-law who tried to control everything, from prom night to medical crises, underscoring how deeply this pattern runs. Shavaun explains how parents like Donna Adelson can live “inside” a child’s head, influencing every decision—even when physically absent. For many, the control doesn’t fade until the parent dies, leaving a strange combination of grief and freedom. Some adult children even describe it as a physical weight being lifted the day the controlling parent is buried. We explore how these dynamics breed anxiety, depression, and identity confusion. People raised in such homes often replicate the cycle, marrying partners who resemble the controlling parent, chasing the same dysfunctional approval, or reliving unresolved trauma. This discussion shows how enmeshment can feel like a cult on a micro level: unquestioned authority, alternate reality, roles assigned to each family member, and loyalty above all else. It’s a chilling framework that helps explain why certain families, like the Adelsons, cross moral and legal boundaries. Hashtags: #AdelsonTrial #DonnaAdelson #FamilyTrauma #ShavaunScott #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #DanMarkel #EnmeshedFamilies #PsychologyOfCrime #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

4 Sep 10min

Donna Adelson's Scapegoats & Loyalty: Why Wendy Adelson Didn't Push Back Why do some kids push back against toxic parents while others surrender completely? In this segment, Tony Brueski and psychotherapist Shavaun Scott dig into how loyalty is conditioned inside enmeshed families—and why dissent is often crushed early. We explore how toddlers quickly learn not to challenge a domineering parent, fearing hysterical or angry reactions. This early conditioning often leads to adult children who never stand up to mom or dad—even when it destroys their independence. In families like the Adelsons, it creates stark roles: the golden child who exists to comfort and protect, and the scapegoat who rebels and gets cast out. The conversation also turns to Wendy Adelson. Did she ever see her mother’s control as unhealthy, or was it always disguised as “love”? Now, under the glare of testimony, has Wendy finally begun to reflect on what her family dynamic really was? Shavaun explains how fear of losing a parent’s love—or losing one’s place in the family—becomes more powerful than logic. Even when adult children suspect things aren’t right, they rationalize and keep quiet. Meanwhile, the family system thrives on control and conformity. This discussion highlights how “tight-knit” can be a dangerous illusion—and how the psychology of loyalty explains why some families will cross shocking lines of morality to protect their own. Hashtags: #AdelsonTrial #WendyAdelson #FamilyDynamics #ShavaunScott #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers #DanMarkel #DonnaAdelson #Enmeshment #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

4 Sep 12min

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 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