Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski | True Crime News & Commentary

Aaron Spencer faces second-degree murder for killing Michael Fosler. The prosecution says it was purposeful killing. The defense says it was a father protecting his 14-year-old daughter from the man charged with raping her—a man out on $5,000 bond with 43 counts pending against him. Fosler should never have been free. He definitely should never have been with that child in his vehicle at 1 a.m. after she vanished from her bedroom.

Spencer rammed Fosler's truck off the road. He says Fosler lunged at him with something in his hand. A confrontation followed. Fosler died. Now the prosecution has Rule 404(b) evidence—statements Spencer allegedly made three months earlier about what he'd do if Fosler came near his daughter again. That's their premeditation play. The defense has to counter it while arguing Spencer acted in lawful defense of his child.

Defense attorney Bob Motta breaks down the legal framework for defense-of-others in Arkansas, what Spencer's legal team needs to prove, and how they neutralize prior statements that suggest planning. We examine how to use Fosler's extensive criminal history without making it look like vigilante justice, whether "you should have called 911" holds up when a child is in immediate danger, and what the political complications mean for jury selection. Spencer is running for sheriff. His opponent worked with the removed judge. This case has layers.

#AaronSpencer #MurderDefense #BobMotta #SelfDefense #DefenseOfOthers #MichaelFosler #Rule404b #LononkeCounty #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers

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Four American children are trapped in a Croatian orphanage right now. Their father flew across the world to get them — and he's only allowed to see them two hours a day. The reason? Their mother, Elleshia Seymour, allegedly believed the apocalypse was coming. She loaded them onto a one-way flight to Europe, convinced that Salt Lake City was about to be destroyed and that COVID vaccines were turning people into zombies.

Sound familiar? It should. Lori Vallow believed the same things. So did Spring Thibaudeau. Three "doomsday moms" in six years — all from the Mormon corridor, all with nearly identical beliefs, all leaving children traumatized or dead.

The LDS Church calls these women "fringe." But when the same theology keeps producing the same tragedies in the same geography, at what point does it become an institutional problem? The Church teaches apocalyptic preparation as official doctrine. It allows members to claim "personal revelation" from God. It let Chad Daybell publish doomsday books and hold conferences for years before excommunicating him — after his stepdaughter's remains were found burned in his backyard.

Meanwhile, the Church sits on $265 billion in assets. It paid $5 million in SEC fines for hiding its wealth. And it still hasn't addressed the radicalization pipeline operating within its own ecosystem.

In this episode, we break down how Elleshia Seymour's case connects to a much larger pattern — and why the children of Mormon doomsday believers keep paying the price for an institution that won't police its own extremists.

#ElleshiaSeymour #LoriVallow #ChadDaybell #DoomsdayMom #LDSChurch #MormonExtremism #ChildAbduction #CroatiaKidnapping #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers

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Judge Barbara Elmore is off the Aaron Spencer case. The Arkansas Supreme Court removed her after finding her courtroom restrictions created constitutional problems for a second time in seven months. The first reversal came in May 2025 when the high court called her gag order a "plain, manifest, clear, and gross abuse of discretion." The second came now—after she limited the trial to 55 people, banned cameras, and refused overflow accommodations. Three justices have wanted her gone since the beginning. The majority finally agreed.

Aaron Spencer faces second-degree murder charges for killing Michael Fosler—the man out on bond for allegedly raping Spencer's teenage daughter. The same daughter who disappeared from her bedroom after midnight and ended up in Fosler's vehicle. Spencer tracked them down, rammed the truck, and a confrontation ended with Fosler dead. Now a retired judge named Ralph Wilson is taking over, and the Supreme Court has granted a Writ of Certiorari to review prior rulings.

Defense attorney Bob Motta breaks down what this judicial removal means, how rare it is for a state supreme court to take this step, and what changes when a new judge inherits a case this complicated. We examine Elmore's connection to Fosler's original sex crimes case, the letter fourteen Republican legislators sent to the Judicial Discipline Commission, and whether prior rulings could be reversed. This is the legal reality behind Arkansas's most divisive case.

#AaronSpencer #JudgeBarbaraElmore #ArkansasSupremeCourt #BobMotta #MichaelFosler #JudicialRemoval #LononkeCounty #FairTrial #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers

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Fifteen years of silence. That's what the Greenberg family has received from Sam Goldberg and his relatives since Ellen was found dead with 20 stab wounds in their shared apartment. Now, with federal prosecutors issuing subpoenas and a corruption investigation underway, Ellen's parents are making one final request: help us understand.

Sandee Greenberg's invitation was pointed but gracious: "We would like to invite Sam and his family members to come forward and explain to us things that have not been answered. I would think he would want to know exactly what happened to his beloved fiancée."

That last line lands like a verdict wrapped in velvet.

Sam Goldberg has never been named a suspect and has never been charged. But he's also never explained why his uncle removed Ellen's electronics before police secured them, why the crime scene was cleaned within 24 hours, or why his entire family refused to speak for the Hulu documentary. His one public statement in 15 years accused others of trying to "desecrate his reputation" — but offered nothing to help the Greenbergs find peace.

Now the U.S. Attorney's Office is investigating whether Philadelphia authorities botched or corrupted this case from the start. The wait-it-out strategy is over. The questions are coming whether anyone volunteers answers or not.

This is the full breakdown of why the Greenbergs' invitation is both the most generous offer Sam Goldberg will ever receive — and possibly his last chance to control his own narrative.

#EllenGreenberg #SamGoldberg #FederalInvestigation #JamesSchwartzman #PhiladelphiaSuicide #TrueCrimePodcast #JusticeForEllen #DeathInApartment603 #ColdCaseUpdate #GreenbergFamily

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This week we're covering three cases that force the same devastating question: how do families know when a troubled relative has become genuinely dangerous? Nick Reiner is charged with stabbing his parents, legendary director Rob Reiner and photographer Michele Singer Reiner, at their Brentwood home. His attorney withdrew while insisting Nick is "not guilty of murder"—signaling a likely insanity defense based on his documented schizoaffective disorder and years of erratic behavior. Paul Caneiro is on trial in New Jersey for the 2018 murders of his brother Keith, sister-in-law Jennifer, and their two children at the family's Colts Neck mansion. Prosecutors say financial desperation drove him to kill after Keith discovered he was stealing from their shared businesses. Jurors heard the final phone call between the brothers—Keith demanding account access hours before his death. 

And Michael McKee, a vascular surgeon, has pleaded not guilty to killing his ex-wife Monique Tepe and her husband Dr. Spencer Tepe in Columbus. Police call it a "targeted" domestic violence attack, with ballistic evidence allegedly linking McKee's gun to the scene. Former FBI behavioral analyst Robin Dreeke joins us to examine what the escalation patterns in these cases reveal—and what families should watch for when love and accommodation are no longer enough.

#NickReiner #PaulCaneiro #MichaelMcKee #RobReiner #KeithCaneiro #MoniqueTepe #FamilyMurder #BehavioralAnalysis #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers

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Breaking developments in the Aaron Spencer case. The Arkansas Supreme Court has removed Judge Barbara Elmore from the murder trial of the father who killed the man charged with raping his daughter. This is the second time the state's highest court had to intervene because of this judge.

In May 2025, they struck down her gag order and called it "a plain, manifest, clear, and gross abuse of discretion." They warned her not to restrict public access without constitutional basis. Seven months later, she did it again — limiting courtroom attendance to 55 people with no overflow and no livestream.

She refused to recuse. The Supreme Court removed her anyway.

Now 14 Arkansas state legislators have filed a formal complaint with the Judicial Discipline Commission. Critical dashcam evidence has gone missing. The detective's testimony doesn't match how the camera actually works. And prosecutors want to use bodycam footage from three months before the shooting to argue premeditation.

Aaron Spencer remains charged with second-degree murder. He's running for Lonoke County Sheriff against the man whose department arrested him. The primary is March 3rd.

Judge Barbara Elmore faces no consequences. She's back on the bench Monday. The only person who's faced real accountability is the father who protected his daughter.

#AaronSpencer #JudgeElmore #ArkansasSupremeCourt #LonokCounty #MichaelFosler #TrueCrime #JudicialAccountability #MurderTrial #Arkansas #HiddenKillers

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The warning signs in the Nick Reiner case stretch back decades. A yoga instructor who worked with the family described childhood tantrums she'd "never seen" anything like. At fifteen, Nick was physically aggressive with a rehab roommate. As an adult, he destroyed his parents' guesthouse on meth—multiple times—with what he later described as "no logic." He was in and out of rehab eighteen times by 2016. He was placed under a mental health conservatorship in 2020 for schizoaffective disorder. And hours before Rob and Michele Reiner were found stabbed to death in their Brentwood home, Nick attended a Christmas party at Conan O'Brien's house, where witnesses say he approached guests with repetitive questions—"What's your name? Are you famous?"—stood and stared when asked to leave conversations, and wore a hoodie while everyone else was in formal attire. 

Sources say Nick had recently switched psychiatric medications due to weight gain, and the new medication made him more erratic. His arraignment has been delayed until February 23rd after defense attorney Alan Jackson withdrew from the case, insisting Nick is "not guilty of murder" under California law. Legal analysts expect a not guilty by reason of insanity plea. Nick faces life without parole or the death penalty if convicted.

#NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleSingerReiner #ReinerMurders #MentalIllness #Schizoaffective #BrentwoodMurder #HollywoodTragedy #BehavioralAnalysis #HiddenKillers

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Michael McKee entered his not guilty plea Friday. Silent. Stoic. His attorney did the talking. And if you want to understand what's coming in this case, you need to understand who that attorney is.

Diane Menashe defended Dr. William Husel — the Mount Carmel physician accused of murdering fourteen ICU patients with lethal fentanyl doses. She called one witness. One. Husel walked on all fourteen counts. That's the playbook. That's who McKee hired.

The prosecution team includes Franklin County Prosecutor Shayla Favor, who has never tried a felony case in her career. She's third chair behind experienced prosecutors, but the optics are impossible to ignore. The heavyweight versus the newcomer. The doctor-defender versus the property code attorney.

This episode goes deep on the legal chess match ahead. We break down Menashe's philosophy — why she believes presenting a defense shifts the burden to prove innocence. We examine what the suppressor allegation means for premeditation charges. And we dig into McKee's pattern of vanishing: fake addresses, expired licenses, process servers who couldn't find him for months before the murders.

The evidence police have described sounds substantial. But Diane Menashe has beaten substantial before. The question now is whether she can do it again.

#MichaelMcKee #SpencerTepe #MoniqueTepe #HiddenKillers #DianeMenushe #TrueCrimePodcast #ColumbusOhio #DomesticViolenceMurder #WilliamHusel #MountCarmel

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The testimony in Paul Caneiro's quadruple murder trial has turned graphic. A Colts Neck detective told jurors that when eight-year-old Sophia Caneiro's body was removed from the burned mansion, he noticed she had stab wounds—including one to her left eye. Sophia's father Keith, mother Jennifer, and 11-year-old brother Jesse were also found dead inside the home on November 20, 2018. Paul Caneiro, Keith's older brother, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder. Prosecutors say Paul shot Keith multiple times outside the mansion, then went inside and stabbed Jennifer and both children before setting the house on fire. Hours earlier, Paul allegedly set fire to his own Ocean Township home while his wife and daughters slept inside—a move prosecutors say was designed to make it look like the entire Caneiro family was being targeted. 

The motive, according to prosecutors: Keith had discovered Paul was stealing from their shared businesses and was preparing to cut him off from a $225,000 salary. Jurors heard the final phone calls between the brothers, including Keith demanding login credentials for a trust account. Paul's defense attorney says he's innocent and claims investigators never looked into a third Caneiro brother. Paul has been in jail without bail since his arrest the day after the murders—more than seven years ago.

#CaneirioTrial #PaulCaneiro #KeithCaneiro #SophiaCaneiro #ColtsNeckMurders #MansionMurders #JenniferCaneiro #MonmouthCounty #TrueCrimePodcast #HiddenKillers

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Jesse Butler thought he got away with it. The Stillwater, Oklahoma teen pled no contest to 11 felony charges — attempted rape, rape by instrumentation, strangulation, violating a protective order — and avoided prison entirely. But attorney Rachel Bussett just filed a motion that could blow the whole thing up.

Her argument: the plea was void from the start. According to court documents, victims weren't consulted before the deal was struck. Orders were filed without signatures. One victim was in surgery when the youthful offender certification was entered. The DA allegedly told a minor victim about the plea — and then told her not to tell her mother.

On February 3rd, 2026, a Payne County court will decide whether this Marsy's Law challenge moves forward. If Bussett wins, Jesse Butler's plea deal could be thrown out and the case could restart as an adult prosecution.

And that's not all. A federal lawsuit now names Stillwater Public Schools, Principal Walter Howell, the school resource officer, and Butler's own parents — including his father Mack Butler, former Oklahoma State football operations director — as defendants. The allegations include Title IX violations, civil rights violations, and claims the school refused to enter a protective order into their database because they didn't want to interfere with Butler's education.

The system failed these girls. Now the families are fighting back on every front.

#JesseButler #StillwaterOklahoma #MarsysLaw #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers #PayneCounty #JusticeForSurvivors #OklahomaState #YouthfulOffender #RachelBussett

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