True Crime Today | Daily True Crime News & Interviews

Three weeks of testimony. Two days of the defendant on the stand. Brendan Banfield testified that he heard "moaning" from the bedroom, went upstairs with his gun, and shot Joseph Ryan after finding him kneeling over his naked wife with a knife. He called the murder accusation "absolutely crazy." But his own IRS supervisor came forward to say there was no important meeting scheduled that morning — contradicting his alibi. Prosecutors showed jail letters where Banfield professed love to Juliana and discussed baby names. They showed a framed photo of him and the au pair on his nightstand months after Christine's death. Robin Dreeke, former FBI special agent and behavioral analysis expert, breaks down what dismissive language reveals about a defendant's psychology, how blood evidence suggesting staging aligns with behavioral patterns, and whether the prosecution's complex conspiracy theory or the defense's simple alternative better explains what happened on February 24th, 2023.

#BrendanBanfield #AuPairAffair #ChristineBanfield #JosephRyan #RobinDreeke #TrueCrimeToday #FBI #FairfaxCounty #DoubleMurder #CatfishingMurder

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 Nick Reiner case has sparked a national conversation about mental health, addiction, and what happens when families run out of options. But lost in the debate about system failures is a harder question: What do you do when someone refuses to be saved?

Today we examine Nick Reiner's documented history — not through tabloid speculation, but through his own words in interviews spanning nearly a decade. From telling NPR he was a "spoiled, white, rich kid" to choosing homelessness over rehab rules to admitting on a podcast that he destroyed his parents' guest house while high on uppers — the pattern is consistent and chilling.

We break down the 2015 film Being Charlie, where Nick co-wrote scenes depicting his father as complicit in his suffering — and got Rob Reiner to direct it. We examine how Michele Reiner publicly apologized for believing professionals who warned her that Nick was manipulating them. And we trace the conservatorship that expired in 2021, leaving the family with no legal mechanism to intervene.

Nick Reiner has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder. He has not been convicted, and all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty. But the documented record of his own statements raises questions that every family dealing with addiction and mental illness needs to hear.

This is True Crime Today's editorial analysis of what the evidence reveals.

#NickReiner #RobReiner #TrueCrimeToday #BrentwoodMurder #Addiction #MentalHealth #BeingCharlie #Hollywood #FamilyViolence #TrueCrime

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.

Fifteen years after Ellen Greenberg was found with 20 stab wounds and ruled a suicide, the federal government is asking questions — not about how she died, but about who decided to call it suicide and why. Robin Dreeke, former FBI special agent and behavioral analysis expert, explains the federal methodology: how investigators build corruption cases against institutions, what makes people in the orbit of an investigation decide to cooperate, and what the medical examiner's sworn recantation of his own ruling means for everyone else who touched this case. The crime scene was professionally cleaned before homicide detectives could return. Electronic devices were removed by a politically connected family member. The ruling changed from homicide to suicide after police publicly disputed it. And Josh Shapiro's office held the case for four years before suddenly discovering a "conflict of interest" with connected families. Robin breaks down what federal investigators are looking for, who's most vulnerable to pressure, and why the complete institutional silence tells us more than any press conference could.

#EllenGreenberg #FederalInvestigation #RobinDreeke #FBI #Philadelphia #TrueCrimeToday #JusticeForEllen #CoverUp #SamGoldberg #20StabWounds

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 probable cause affidavit in the Michael McKee case has been unsealed, and the details are damning. According to court documents filed in Franklin County, McKee allegedly stalked his ex-wife Monique Tepe and her husband Spencer for weeks before their December 30th murders—and drove 900 miles round trip in just 17 hours to carry out the killings.

Here's what we now know from the affidavit:

McKee allegedly entered the Tepe property on December 6th while the couple was at the Big Ten Championship game in Indianapolis. Surveillance video captured him on the property for several hours. Monique left the game at halftime, reportedly upset about something involving her ex-husband.

Witnesses told investigators McKee had threatened Monique for years, allegedly telling her he could "kill her at any time" and that she would "always be his wife." At least one witness reported allegations of strangulation and forced sex during their marriage.

On December 29th, McKee allegedly left his cell phone at the hospital where he worked in Rockford, Illinois. That phone showed no activity for 17 hours—the exact window needed to drive 450 miles to Columbus, commit the murders at approximately 3:50 a.m., and return.

Investigators tracked a silver SUV with a distinctive window sticker to McKee. After the murders, fresh scrape marks appeared where the sticker had been. A firearm found at his Chicago condo was matched through ballistics to the crime scene.

McKee was arrested 11 days later at a Chick-fil-A near his workplace. He has pleaded not guilty to four counts of aggravated murder and one count of aggravated burglary.

#TrueCrimeToday #MichaelMcKee #TepeCase #BreakingNews #ColumbusOhio #AffidavitUnsealed #AggravatedMurder #SpencerTepe #MoniqueTepe #DomesticViolence

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.

Eight years after their divorce, Michael McKee allegedly told Monique Tepe he could kill her at any time. Now he's charged with her murder — and the murder of her husband Spencer. Robin Dreeke, former FBI special agent and behavioral analysis expert, breaks down the unsealed affidavit in the case against the Illinois vascular surgeon accused of driving 900 miles to execute the couple in their Weinland Park home on December 30th. The documents reveal alleged strangulation and sexual assault during the marriage, years of threatening statements reported by witnesses, and a surveillance trip to their property while they were at a football game three weeks before the killings. 

McKee faces four counts of aggravated murder with firearm specifications including the use of a suppressor. Robin explains what the behavioral pattern tells us about obsession that doesn't fade, why high professional intelligence doesn't translate to criminal sophistication, and what Monique's gut reaction at halftime of that Big Ten Championship game tells us about how victims sense danger before they can prove it.

#MichaelMcKee #MoniqueTepe #SpencerTepe #TepeMurders #RobinDreeke #TrueCrimeToday #ColumbusOhio #FBI #DomesticViolence #AggravatedMurder

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.

When Kouri Richins was arrested in May 2023 for allegedly poisoning her husband Eric with a fentanyl-laced Moscow Mule, the case against her seemed overwhelming. Financial desperation. Life insurance policies. A housekeeper who said she sold Kouri the drugs. A drug dealer who confirmed the fentanyl. Nearly three years later, as jury selection approaches for her February 2026 trial, the prosecution's case has been carved up by defense wins and judicial rulings. The drug dealer, Robert Crozier, has recanted — now claiming under oath he sold OxyContin, not fentanyl. Judge Mrazik severed 26 financial felony charges from the murder trial, meaning the jury won't hear about Kouri's alleged mortgage fraud, money laundering, or the nearly $5 million her business owed the day after Eric died. The prosecution's domestic violence expert was blocked. Their FBI behavioral profiler was limited to rebuttal-only testimony and cannot be used to suggest guilt. Statements Kouri made during a 2022 search were suppressed because detectives didn't Mirandize her. What prosecutors still have: Carmen Lauber's testimony, Eric's toxicology showing five times the lethal dose of fentanyl, an orange notebook allegedly detailing the night of his death, and the infamous "Walk the Dog" letter found in Kouri's jail cell that prosecutors call witness tampering. The defense says it was fiction. The Utah Supreme Court refused to move the trial out of Summit County despite surveys showing nearly 80% of residents recognize the case. Eight jurors will decide if what's left is enough to convict.

#KouriRichins #TrueCrimeToday #EricRichins #UtahMurder #FentanylPoisoning #MurderTrial #WalkTheDogLetter #DefenseWins #TrueCrimePodcast #KouriRichinsTrial

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.

Former FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer joins True Crime Today to analyze two cases defined by alleged institutional failure.

The McKee investigation: surveillance footage, ballistics databases, and the eleven-day forensic trail that led to a surgeon's arrest for allegedly murdering his ex-wife and her husband. Plus the behavioral red flags — death threats, strangulation allegations, pre-offense stalking — that allegedly went unaddressed for eight years.

The WSU lawsuit: the families of the Idaho Four have taken Washington State University to federal court, alleging 13 formal complaints about Bryan Kohberger were ignored while he kept his position, housing, and access to students.

Coffindaffer breaks down what happens when the people we trust to intervene don't.

#MichaelMcKee #BryanKohberger #WSULawsuit #JenniferCoffindaffer #FBI #TrueCrimeToday #DomesticViolence #IdahoMurders #MoniqueTepe #TitleIX

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 Slayer Statute is supposed to be simple. You kill someone, you don't inherit from them. But California law has language that creates an exception — and a 1979 case proves it works.

Estate of Ladd involved a mother who killed her two sons. She was found not guilty by reason of insanity. Her ex-husband argued she should be barred from inheriting under the Slayer Statute. The California Court of Appeal disagreed. The ruling: an NGRI verdict does not constitute a conviction, and insanity negates the "intentional" requirement in Probate Code Section 250. She inherited from the children she killed.

That precedent has never been overturned. And it applies directly to Nick Reiner.

Rob and Michele Reiner's estate is worth an estimated $200 million. Castle Rock Entertainment. Seinfeld royalties. Malibu real estate. Four children stand to inherit. If the estate is divided equally, Nick's share could be around $50 million.

A conviction automatically bars him. But if Nick gets an NGRI verdict — which legal analysts say is the most likely defense strategy — he may still be entitled to that inheritance under existing California law.

His siblings Jake and Romy would have the option to challenge it in probate court. But they'd have to initiate the lawsuit themselves. They'd carry the burden of proving intent. And they'd be arguing against a criminal verdict that already found Nick lacked the mental capacity to act intentionally.

This is the financial reality behind the Reiner case. The loophole. The precedent. And the incentive structure nobody's discussing.

#NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleReiner #SlayerStatute #InsanityDefense #Inheritance #TrueCrimeToday #CaliforniaLaw #EstateOfLadd #LegalLoophole

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 verdict is in. Brendan Banfield has been found guilty of aggravated murder in Fairfax County, Virginia. The former IRS special agent was convicted Monday in the February 2023 deaths of his wife Christine Banfield, 37, and Joseph Ryan, 39 — a man prosecutors say was catfished on a fetish website and lured to the family home as part of an elaborate murder plot.

The jury of five men and seven women deliberated nearly nine hours over two days. They heard from 34 witnesses across three weeks of testimony, including the most damning account of all: Juliana Peres Magalhães, the family's au pair and Banfield's mistress, who told jurors she helped execute the plan and watched Banfield stab his wife.

Magalhães originally faced second-degree murder charges. She struck a deal — plead to manslaughter, testify against Banfield, walk out with time served. The defense called her "bought and paid for" and attacked her credibility at every turn. They pointed out Banfield's DNA wasn't on the knife. They challenged the investigation as biased and the digital evidence as flawed.

None of it worked. The jury believed the au pair.

Under Virginia law, aggravated murder carries mandatory life without parole. Banfield, 40, will never leave prison. His four-year-old daughter — who was in the basement of the house during the killings — is now seven. She'll grow up visiting her father behind bars, if she visits at all.

Today we cover the verdict, the key evidence, and what comes next as Banfield's team prepares the inevitable appeal.

#TrueCrimeToday #BrendanBanfield #ChristineBanfield #AuPairMurder #GuiltyVerdict #JulianaMagalhaes #FairfaxCounty #MurderTrial #JosephRyan #LifeInPrison

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.

Washington State University allegedly received 13 formal complaints about Bryan Kohberger in one semester. Stalking. Harassment. Predatory behavior toward female students. A professor who reportedly predicted he would become dangerous. Female students who developed their own warning systems because the institution wouldn't protect them.

The families of the four murdered Idaho students have taken their lawsuit to federal court, alleging WSU had threat assessment protocols and didn't use them — allowing Kohberger to keep his teaching position, university housing, and access to students right up until the killings.

Former FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer breaks down the Title IX claims, the "deliberate indifference" standard, and what federal discovery might reveal about how badly this institution failed.

#BryanKohberger #WSULawsuit #IdahoMurders #TitleIX #KayleeGoncalves #MadisonMogen #XanaKernodle #EthanChapin #JenniferCoffindaffer #TrueCrimeToday

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.