Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski | True Crime News & Commentary

Lt. David Giaccio, Fairfax Police Department, testified today in the Brendan Banfield murder trial. Banfield, a former IRS agent, is charged with four counts of aggravated murder in the February 2023 deaths of his wife Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan at their Herndon, Virginia home.
Prosecutors allege Banfield plotted the killings with the family's Brazilian au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, with whom he was having an affair. Magalhães has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and is expected to testify against Banfield. The defense maintains digital evidence does not support the state's catfishing theory.

#BrendanBanfield #AuPairAffair #MurderTrial #TrueCrime #Testimony #ChristineBanfield #JosephRyan #FairfaxCounty #HiddenKillers #Breaking

Join 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/@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

This 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.

Michael McKee was a vascular surgeon trained at Ohio State, Virginia Tech, and the University of Maryland. He held medical licenses in multiple states. He worked at respected surgical practices. And according to two separate lawsuits filed in Nevada, he allegedly left destruction in his wake—then vanished before anyone could make him answer for it.

The first lawsuit claims McKee's team left over eight inches of catheter inside a patient's body during a 2023 procedure, requiring emergency surgery. The complaint alleges the defendants concealed what happened and failed to provide truthful medical records. The second lawsuit is federal—a civil rights case claiming McKee sat on a prison medical panel and deliberately delayed an inmate's care until the man suffered permanent injury, including the loss of a testicle.

McKee denies the federal allegations. In the state case, no attorney has even appeared on his behalf. And that's because when lawyers came looking for him, Michael McKee had already disappeared. Process servers documented fake addresses, a fax number instead of a phone, and colleagues who said he simply vanished. A judge had to grant permission to serve him by newspaper publication—a rare last resort.

Six months after his Nevada medical license expired, McKee allegedly drove from Illinois to Ohio and shot his ex-wife Monique Tepe and her husband Spencer Tepe to death in their home. Their two young children were inside. He's been charged with aggravated murder and has indicated he'll plead not guilty.

This is the story of a surgeon who couldn't be found—until he was arrested for double homicide.

#HiddenKillers #MichaelMcKee #TepeFamily #SpencerTepe #MoniqueTepe #ColumbusOhio #TrueCrimePodcast #MedicalMalpractice #DomesticViolenceAwareness #JusticeForMonique

Join 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/@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

This 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.

John Brusch, Former Dept. Chief of the Administrative Support Bureau, testified today in the Brendan Banfield murder trial. Banfield, a former IRS agent, is charged with four counts of aggravated murder in the February 2023 deaths of his wife Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan at their Herndon, Virginia home.
Prosecutors allege Banfield plotted the killings with the family's Brazilian au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, with whom he was having an affair. Magalhães has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and is expected to testify against Banfield. The defense maintains digital evidence does not support the state's catfishing theory.

#BrendanBanfield #AuPairAffair #MurderTrial #TrueCrime #Testimony #ChristineBanfield #JosephRyan #FairfaxCounty #HiddenKillers #Breaking

Join 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/@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

This 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.

Leah Smith, Detective with the Fairfax Co. Police Department, testified today in the Brendan Banfield murder trial. Banfield, a former IRS agent, is charged with four counts of aggravated murder in the February 2023 deaths of his wife Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan at their Herndon, Virginia home.
Prosecutors allege Banfield plotted the killings with the family's Brazilian au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, with whom he was having an affair. Magalhães has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and is expected to testify against Banfield. The defense maintains digital evidence does not support the state's catfishing theory.

#BrendanBanfield #AuPairAffair #MurderTrial #TrueCrime #Testimony #ChristineBanfield #JosephRyan #FairfaxCounty #HiddenKillers #Breaking

Join 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/@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

This 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.

Brian Ames, Sgt. with the Fairfax Co. Police Department, testified today in the Brendan Banfield murder trial. Banfield, a former IRS agent, is charged with four counts of aggravated murder in the February 2023 deaths of his wife Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan at their Herndon, Virginia home.
Prosecutors allege Banfield plotted the killings with the family's Brazilian au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, with whom he was having an affair. Magalhães has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and is expected to testify against Banfield. The defense maintains digital evidence does not support the state's catfishing theory.

#BrendanBanfield #AuPairAffair #MurderTrial #TrueCrime #Testimony #ChristineBanfield #JosephRyan #FairfaxCounty #HiddenKillers #Breaking

Join 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/@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

This 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.

Monique Tepe allegedly knew she was in danger. She talked about it for eight years. And she never called the police.

Family members say Monique described Michael McKee as emotionally abusive. She told them about death threats during their brief marriage. She said she was terrified. She warned people. But when Police Chief Bryant was asked about prior reports of threats or concerns, she confirmed there were none.

Why don't victims report? Why do women who clearly understand the danger stay silent when it comes to the system?

In Part 2 of our three-part interview series, psychotherapist Shavaun Scott explores the victim experience. Shavaun has over thirty years working in domestic violence shelters and trauma recovery — and she's a survivor herself. Her ex-husband died by revenge suicide after she asked for divorce. She understands what Monique may have been carrying in ways most people never will.

We examine coercive control — the psychological abuse that leaves no bruises. We explore why victims hope distance and time will be enough protection. We ask what it does to someone to live in fear for years while building what looks like a happy life. And we dig into the heartbreak of Monique's wedding vows, where she talked about "waterfalls of tears" from her past.

She told people. She just didn't tell the system.

#MichaelMcKee #MoniqueTepe #SpencerTepe #CoerciveControl #ShavaunScott #TrueCrime #DomesticViolence #VictimSilence #HiddenKillers #WhyVictimsDontReport

Link to Shavaun Scott's Substack Discussing Dangerous Ex's:
https://open.substack.com/pub/shavaun/p/when-leaving-is-the-most-dangerous?r=1fklc&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Join 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/@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

This 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.

The defense is fighting back in the Brendan Banfield double murder trial, and today they brought the receipts.

Day 6 opened with police body camera footage from the morning Christine Banfield died. The jury watched Brendan Banfield at the hospital, heard him ask about his daughter, heard the doctor tell him his wife's wounds were unsurvivable. And they watched him cry — both on the footage and again in the courtroom watching it back.

But before any of that, defense attorney John Carroll tried to get Juliana Peres Magalhães' entire testimony thrown out. The judge shut it down cold. The au pair's words stay in the record.

Then came the counter-attack. Defense blood spatter expert LeeAnn Singley disputed the prosecution's crime scene analysis and dropped a loaded statement: perpetrators sometimes self-inflict wounds. The implication hangs in the air. Digital forensics experts followed, building the case that Christine Banfield — not Brendan — may have been the one using FetLife.

Child endangerment charges move forward. A snowstorm threatens to compress the trial timeline. And the jury has to decide whether Brendan Banfield's tears are evidence of innocence or the performance of a lifetime.

We break down every moment from Day 6.

#BrendanBanfield #HiddenKillers #AuPairMurder #ChristineBanfield #TrueCrimePodcast #FairfaxTrial #BloodEvidence #DefenseStrategy #JulianaPerezMagalhaes #DoubleHomicide

Join 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/@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

This 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.

She called him "my ex." Never said his name. According to her family, Monique Tepe hated Michael McKee with the kind of intensity that only comes from real terror.

But the woman who dated him right after the divorce? She called him "boring." Nice. Kind. Surface level. She said he had a wall she couldn't get past — and after a year, she walked away because something felt empty.

Same man. Two completely different experiences. That's the split screen at the center of this case.

In this episode, we go deep into the psychology of Michael McKee — the surgeon now charged with allegedly murdering his ex-wife Monique and her husband Spencer Tepe while their children slept down the hall. We examine what his ex-girlfriend observed, what his coworkers reported, and what Monique's family says she experienced during their seven-month marriage.

The behavioral pattern that emerges maps onto what forensic psychologists call dark triad traits: narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism. The charm that disarms. The wall that conceals. The wound that never heals.

According to family, Monique told people McKee threatened her life multiple times during their marriage. She fled so fast she took everything. And for eight years, she never stopped looking over her shoulder.

This is the psychology of the hidden killer. The one who passes every test. The one who fools everyone — except the person who gets close enough to see what's really there.

#HiddenKillers #MichaelMcKee #MoniqueTepe #SpencerTepe #PsychologyOfMurder #DarkTriad #NarcissisticAbuse #DomesticViolence #TrueCrimePodcast #CoerciveControl

Join 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/@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

This 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.

What happens inside a mind that allegedly can't let go for eight years?

Michael McKee and Monique Tepe were married for two years on paper but lived together for roughly seven months before she fled. Family members describe emotional abuse and death threats during those brief months together. Eight years later, prosecutors allege McKee drove six hours to Columbus, entered the Tepe home without forced entry, and shot Monique and her husband Spencer to death while their children slept nearby.

In this episode — Part 1 of our three-part interview series — psychotherapist Shavaun Scott breaks down the psychology of the alleged obsessive ex-partner. With over thirty years of experience working with perpetrators and victims of violence, and as the author of "The Minds of Mass Killers," Shavaun brings clinical expertise to the questions this case raises.

Why does someone allegedly nurse a grievance for nearly a decade over a relationship that lasted less than a year? How does a successful surgeon allegedly compartmentalize obsession while maintaining a high-functioning career? What role does the victim's visible happiness — a new marriage, children, a thriving life — play in allegedly triggering violence? And what's the internal narrative that allegedly justifies years of fixation?

This is the psychology behind the headlines.

#MichaelMcKee #MoniqueTepe #SpencerTepe #WoundCollector #ShavaunScott #TrueCrime #DomesticViolence #HiddenKillers #PerpPsychology #Columbus

Link to Shavaun Scott's Substack Discussing Dangerous Ex's:
https://open.substack.com/pub/shavaun/p/when-leaving-is-the-most-dangerous?r=1fklc&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Join 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/@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

This 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.

Brendan Miller, Detective with the Fairfax Co. Police Department, testified today in the Brendan Banfield murder trial. Banfield, a former IRS agent, is charged with four counts of aggravated murder in the February 2023 deaths of his wife Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan at their Herndon, Virginia home.
Prosecutors allege Banfield plotted the killings with the family's Brazilian au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, with whom he was having an affair. Magalhães has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and is expected to testify against Banfield. The defense maintains digital evidence does not support the state's catfishing theory.

#BrendanBanfield #AuPairAffair #MurderTrial #TrueCrime #Testimony #ChristineBanfield #JosephRyan #FairfaxCounty #HiddenKillers #Breaking

Join 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/@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

This 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.