Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski | True Crime News & Commentary

Danny Spilar was 15 years old when he shared a room with Nick Reiner in a $60,000-a-month Malibu rehab. What he witnessed back then made him certain — the moment he saw the headlines about Rob and Michele Reiner's murders — exactly who was responsible.
According to Danny, Nick would stay up after lights out ranting about how much he hated his parents. This wasn't after years of heroin abuse. This wasn't after a psychotic break. This was the baseline. A 15-year-old kid, only using marijuana at the time, seething with resentment toward the parents who showed up for every therapy session while other wealthy families sent handlers.
Danny described violence too — Nick attacking another teen, getting physical with Danny himself, a tech having to intervene. And he said something chilling: Nick blamed all his problems on his parents' fame. Not the addiction. Not any mental illness. The fame.
Now Nick Reiner is reportedly expected to plead not guilty by reason of insanity. But Danny doesn't buy it. And neither will the jury when they hear Nick's own words on the Dopey podcast — where he admitted to throwing a rock through a window specifically to "prove he was crazy" and manipulate staff into giving him drugs.
This is the story of 17 years of warning signs that everyone saw coming.
#NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleReiner #DannySpilar #RehabRoommate #InsanityDefense #TrueCrime #BrentwoodMurders #HiddenKillers #BeingCharlie
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Two Utah mothers. Both raised LDS. Both developed apocalyptic beliefs that destroyed their families. Ruby Franke tortured her children until her twelve-year-old escaped through a window. Elleshia Seymour allegedly took her kids to Croatia based on TikTok prophecies about nuclear winter. In both cases, the children figured out how to save themselves.
And in both cases, the fathers say they had no idea.
Kevin Franke told police he hadn't seen or spoken to his kids in over a year. His job was to "financially provide." That was his "only involvement." He trusted Ruby completely—while she was starving their children and binding them with rope.
Kendall Seymour was following a custody arrangement when his ex-wife allegedly forged his signature and fled to Europe. His kids ended up in a Croatian orphanage. An eight-year-old told a stranger to Google his name and triggered his own rescue.
Two doomsday moms. Two oblivious dads. Same church. Same state. Same defense: "I didn't know."
When you grow up in a tradition where apocalyptic preparation is faithfulness and personal revelation is expected, how do you tell the difference between devotion and delusion? The kids could see it. Why couldn't the fathers?
#RubyFranke #ElleshiaSeymour #KevinFranke #KendallSeymour #8Passengers #LDS #Mormon #CroatiaAbduction #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers
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Defense attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis delivers the definitive analysis of two murder cases dominating headlines: the Michael McKee case in Ohio and the Kouri Richins trial in Utah.
On McKee: Eric examines the prosecution's case against Monique Tepe's ex-husband from both sides of the courtroom. The affidavit details surveillance footage, death threats spanning years, stolen plates, cell phone blackouts, and vehicle tracking. Which evidence is most critical? Where are the weaknesses? Then Eric flips to the defense perspective—the motions to exclude prior abuse allegations, the hearsay battles over statements Monique made to friends, and how to create reasonable doubt when the phone went dark and the car was tracked arriving and leaving.
On Richins: Two weeks before trial, the prosecution is taking hits. The defense just alleged witness intimidation—investigators allegedly threatened witnesses with arrest and immunity revocation. Key sourcing witness Robert Crozier has recanted, saying he sold OxyContin, not the fentanyl that killed Eric Richins. Judge Mrazik limited the FBI profiler and excluded domestic violence evidence. The "Walk the Dog" letter is only partially admitted.
No fentanyl was ever found. No pills. No forensic link. Five times the lethal dose—but how do you prove poisoning when your supply chain is broken?
Eric Faddis spent years building cases like these—and he's spent years tearing them apart. This is the full breakdown of prosecution strategy, defense playbooks, and where both cases could still go wrong.
#MichaelMcKee #MoniqueTepe #SpencerTepe #KouriRichins #EricRichins #MurderCases #TrueCrimePodcast #HiddenKillers #WitnessRecants #MurderTrial
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The Paul Caneiro trial just delivered some of its most disturbing testimony yet. A blood stain expert told jurors that eleven-year-old Jesse Caneiro was still moving - still bleeding - still trying to reach the front door when he died. The patterns don't lie. A handprint. A finger mark. Movement toward an exit he never reached.
Prosecutors say Paul Caneiro killed his brother Keith, sister-in-law Jennifer, and their two children over money and a $3 million life insurance policy. But the defense is pointing at someone else entirely: Corey Caneiro, the third brother who was never investigated, never DNA tested, and who - according to a civil lawsuit - took control of the insurance money and bought a $1.8 million home less than a year later.
Did Paul Caneiro commit the most brutal family murder in New Jersey history? Or was he the perfect patsy? We dig into the crime scene evidence, the timeline prosecutors are building, the questions the defense is raising, and what those blood patterns in Keith Caneiro's kitchen really tell us about the final moments of a family destroyed.
#PaulCaneiro #ColtsMurders #MansionMurders #TrueCrime #MonmouthCounty #KeithCaneiro #JesseCaneiro #SophiaCaneiro #MurderTrial #HiddenKillers
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The Kouri Richins murder trial begins February 23rd. But two weeks out, the prosecution's case is taking hits from multiple directions.
The defense just filed a motion alleging witness intimidation. Lead detective Jeff O'Driscoll allegedly texted a witness saying essentially: answer our calls so we can prep you, or next time I knock on your door, I'll have a warrant and a catch pole for your dog. Investigator Travis Hopper allegedly told another witness that their previously granted immunity "remains conditional upon continued cooperation"—and declining further meetings could put that immunity at risk.
Defense attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis analyzes whether these allegations constitute actual witness intimidation under Utah law or aggressive but legal tactics.
Then there's Robert Crozier. He was the state's key fentanyl sourcing witness. He originally said he sold fentanyl to the housekeeper allegedly in the supply chain. Now he says it was OxyContin, not fentanyl—and that he was detoxing and "out of it" during the original interview. The defense says this "eviscerates" the prosecution's theory. Eric breaks down whether the state can recover.
We examine Judge Mrazik's pretrial rulings: limiting the FBI profiler, excluding domestic violence evidence, and partially admitting the "Walk the Dog" letter allegedly instructing Kouri's mother how to lie on the stand.
No fentanyl was ever recovered. No pills. No forensic link. Eric Richins had five times the lethal dose in his system. How do you prove a poisoning case when your supply chain is broken and you have no murder weapon?
#KouriRichins #EricRichins #UtahMurderTrial #WitnessIntimidation #RobertCrozier #FentanylPoisoning #WalkTheDogLetter #HiddenKillers #TrueCrimePodcast #WitnessRecants
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