Anna Kepner's Stepbrother Claims He "Can't Remember" the Night She Was Killed | FBI Silent 8 Weeks Later

The Alex Murdaugh case is entering one of its most explosive phases yet. South Carolina prosecutors have filed a massive 182-page brief urging the state supreme court to deny Murdaugh’s push for a new trial — even as jury-tampering allegations against former court clerk Becky Hill continue to shake public confidence. In this episode of Hidden Killers, Tony Brueski breaks down how the State is framing Hill’s alleged misconduct as “foolish and fleeting,” not something that could overturn a double-murder conviction. The prosecution argues that the evidence — the kennel video, the timeline, the lies — was so overwhelming that nothing Hill said could have changed the verdict. But the courtroom battle is only half the story. Tony, Stacy Cole, and Todd Michaels take listeners deep into Murdaugh’s original trial performance, analyzing the psychological theater behind his testimony. From his emphatic denial — “I did not shoot my wife and son” — to the unconscious body language that contradicted him, Murdaugh’s time on the stand revealed a man waging a desperate internal war. Nodding while denying guilt. Shifting explanations. A sudden admission he lied about being at the kennels. His “snot-cry” apology to Buster. His attempt to reframe decades of manipulation as addiction-driven paranoia. Was this grief? Guilt? Or the collapse of a lifelong pattern of control? We examine how his financial crimes, betrayals, and compulsive deceit shaped juror perception — and why prosecutors now insist that even if Hill crossed a line, Murdaugh crossed many more. With oral arguments expected this fall and a ruling likely in 2026, the South Carolina Supreme Court must now decide: was Hill’s comment a harmless slip… or a judicial crack big enough to break the foundation of a historic conviction? #AlexMurdaugh #MurdaughTrial #MurdaughAppeal #JuryTampering #CourtroomDrama #TrueCrimeAnalysis #HiddenKillers #LegalUpdate #ForensicPsychology  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

He looked like the guy next door — the dependable architect in a button-down shirt, the dad carrying groceries, the man waving from the driveway. But prosecutors say Rex Heuermann was also living a second life beneath that suburban shell: the man behind the Gilgo Beach murders, one of the most disturbing serial-killer cases in modern history. In this psychological deep dive, Hidden Killers host Tony Brueski exposes the mental architecture of control, deception, and compartmentalization that behavioral experts say may allow someone to construct two worlds that never touch. From high-functioning psychopathy to strict operational secrecy, Tony explores how a person can design blueprints by day and allegedly engineer terror by night — all while maintaining a façade so ordinary that no one close to him ever sees the cracks forming. Heuermann’s environment reflected his pathology: the soundproof basement, the meticulously organized tools, the rigid routines that enabled a double life to thrive. This episode breaks down how predators weaponize normalcy — and why the people closest to them often become the last to know. But there’s another layer: the family. As the case moves toward trial, questions loom about whether his ex-wife Asa Ellerup or his daughter could be called to testify. Tony is joined by defense attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis to unpack the emotional and legal stakes of family testimony, jury bias, and the impact of years of media coverage on a case already carved into the public consciousness. This episode blends behavioral profiling with legal strategy to show how monsters hide in plain sight — and how the justice system tries to reveal what the façade so carefully concealed. Because evil doesn’t always lurk in shadows. Sometimes, it stands at the front door smiling. #RexHeuermann #GilgoBeach #SerialKillerPsychology #HiddenKillers #TonyBrueski #BehavioralAnalysis #TrueCrimePodcast #AsaEllerup #FamilyTestimony #CriminalMind 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

In this gripping episode, we unravel one of the most controversial threads in the Delphi murders investigation: the digital trail leading straight to Kegan Kline and the “anthony_shots” account. For years, the focus remained on the man seen on the Monon High Bridge — but behind the scenes, investigators were digging into something far more alarming. Liberty German was communicating with the fake “anthony_shots” profile in the hours before she vanished, and that profile was linked directly to Kegan Kline, a convicted child predator with a long pattern of online grooming. Yet despite the urgency of that connection, law enforcement waited three years before questioning Kline about the murders. When they finally did, Kline allegedly lied, deflected, and immediately began deleting accounts and wiping devices after walking out of the interview. The FBI raided the Kline home just twelve days after the girls were found, interrogated him, polygraphed him, and documented disturbing inconsistencies — all before the public even knew his name. Then, in 2022, investigators quietly searched the Wabash River near Kline’s home. Weeks later, they arrested Richard Allen, a man with no known digital link to Libby or Abby. Meanwhile, questions surrounding Kline’s involvement, timeline, and online activity remain unresolved. This episode breaks down the probable cause affidavit, the gaps in the public timeline, and the long, unexplained delay in bringing charges against Kline. We examine how someone with a full confession to unrelated crimes, multiple devices containing illicit material, and a detailed digital footprint connected to Liberty German managed to avoid charges for years — and what that means for the integrity of the Delphi investigation today. If you’ve ever wondered whether the digital angle held the key all along, this is the breakdown you can’t afford to miss. #DelphiMurders #KeganKline #AnthonyShots #DigitalForensics #RichardAllen #LibbyAndAbby #IndianaCrime #HiddenKillers #TrueCrimeAnalysis #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

In this 2025 Year-in-Review Hidden Killers special, we break down one of the most significant moments to emerge from the Donna Adelson trial: the testimony of Jeffrey LaCasse, Wendi Adelson’s former boyfriend, whose words added a new layer of depth — and danger — to the State’s narrative. LaCasse took the stand with a calm, steady presence, recounting conversations he had with Wendi in the months leading up to Dan Markel’s murder. His testimony struck the courtroom when he recalled Wendi telling him that Charlie Adelson had “looked into all options” to fix the family’s custody frustrations. In 2014, it sounded cryptic. In 2025, inside a courtroom where three co-conspirators have already been convicted, those words land like a thunderclap. LaCasse also addressed the infamous “TV repair story,” which prosecutors say was a pre-planned narrative used by members of the Adelson family after the murder. According to LaCasse, Wendi relayed the story to him in a way that felt strangely packaged — a detail prosecutors argue suggests the family crafted alibis and talking points before suspicion even existed. What makes LaCasse’s testimony so powerful isn’t just what he said — it’s how it fits into the broader family pattern prosecutors have spent all of 2025 laying out. His recollections connect personal moments to the alleged conspiracy:  • Wendi sharing unsettling comments about relocation.  • Charlie floating “options” to solve the conflict.  • Donna’s influence echoing behind the scenes.  • The family aligning on explanations before anyone asked questions. LaCasse’s testimony doesn’t point fingers — it illuminates the conversations and dynamics prosecutors say reveal the motive behind Dan Markel’s murder. It gives jurors a candid glimpse into how the Adelson family discussed their problems behind closed doors — and how those conversations may tie directly to Donna’s role at the center of this case. This testimony wasn’t just impactful — it was foundational. #DonnaAdelson #WendiAdelson #JeffreyLaCasse #DanMarkel #TrialCoverage #TVRepairStory #CharlieAdelson #CourtroomDrama #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime 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

🔍 Pull back the veil on Bryan Kohberger's frantic guilty plea machinations and the raw fury from betrayed victims' families – in this searing exposé from Hidden Killers 2025 Year in Review – a look back at the biggest cases of the year. Dive into defense attorney Anne Taylor's high-stakes chess with prosecutors, where a 48-hour whirlwind deal in July 2025 swapped death row for four life sentences, but at what cost? Leaked insights reveal Taylor's calculated push for no capital trial, citing Kohberger's "complex" psyche and flimsy autism angles, while the DA's office steamrolled family input – leaving the Goncalves and others screaming "dismissed" in court echoes. This Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski: True Crime Today fusion unpacks the gut-wrench: Why ignore the #Idaho4 kin's pleas for full accountability? From sheath DNA crushers to Amazon premed bombs, the evidence was ironclad, yet the rush to closure sidelined survivor scars and justice demands. Echoes hit hard in November 2025 – the Goncalves' WSU lawsuit filed just yesterday on the 19th torches university blind eyes to Kohberger's WSU stalking, amplifying cries for reform amid $30K fund and urn restitution snarls from the November 5 hearing. True crime truth-seekers, this is the unvarnished reckoning: A killer's legal lifeline vs. families' shattered trust, probing if mercy masked mishandling. Essential rewind on the plea that silenced screams and sparked systemic firestorms in the Idaho abyss. #BryanKohberger #IdahoMurders #PleaDealBetrayal #AnneTaylor #TrueCrime #KohbergerGuilty #Idaho4 #HiddenKillers2025 #CrimeYearInReview #WSULawsuit #TrueCrimePodcast #VictimFamilies 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

On December 3rd, 2025, Charity Beallis and her six-year-old twins were found dead from gunshot wounds in their Bonanza, Arkansas home. It happened one day after she lost a custody battle to the husband she'd accused of strangling her. The national media drew a straight line: abusive doctor kills wife and children. But the documented record tells a different story. According to a 2021 police report, Charity's own father told investigators that she confessed to shooting her husband's previous wife—a woman who died from a gunshot wound to the forehead in 2012 in a case ruled suicide. That same father is now on national television demanding justice for his daughter. He's also the man who once went to court claiming Charity was too dangerous to have custody of her own son. In 2013, Charity was arrested for pointing a firearm at a man at the same address where that previous wife died. In 2020, both she and her husband slashed their teenage son's tires while holding infant twins—and she caught the aggravated assault charge, not him. Her son sued for emancipation from both parents. This isn't a simple case. This is two people with documented histories of violence locked in a fight over two children. One of them allegedly confessed to a previous killing. The other had a wife who also died by gunfire under disputed circumstances. And we still don't have a cause of death. No arrests. No named suspects. Autopsy results pending. Law enforcement says there's no ongoing threat to the public. The only innocent people in this story are Eliana and Maverick Beallis. They were six years old. They didn't choose any of this. #CharityBeallis #BonanzaArkansas #TrueCrime #RandallBeallis #ShawnaBeallis #ArkansasCrime #TrueCrimeNews #JusticeForTheChildren #ColdCase #UnsolvedMystery 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

In this powerful Hidden Killers episode, we examine two sides of the same story: the forensic reality that dismantled Bryan Kohberger’s image of intelligence — and the viral victim impact statement that attacked the last thing he had left: his ego. Host Tony Brueski and retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke take you inside the psychology, behavior, and unraveling facade of a man who once believed he could outsmart everyone. First, we break down Alivea Goncalves’ extraordinary statement — a surgical strike aimed directly at Kohberger’s psychological pressure points. Her words didn’t just describe loss. They deconstructed him. She went after his academic identity, his obsession with control, his need to be seen as superior. For someone built entirely around ego, this was a rare moment where the mask slipped. His rigid posture, clenched jaw, and fixed stare became their own confession. Then we turn to the evidence — the facts that exposed just how fragile Kohberger’s “perfect plan” really was. The knife sheath with his DNA. The vehicle match. Cellphone data placing him near the home. Surveillance footage. The failed cover-up attempts. His unusual behavior in the days after the crime. Even Xana Kernodle’s fight back, which may have left critical traces that sealed the case. Together, Tony and Robin show how both the emotional truth and the forensic truth converge: Kohberger wasn’t the criminal mastermind he imagined. He wasn’t in control. And on sentencing day, he couldn’t hide from the families, the evidence, or himself. This episode isn’t just commentary — it’s behavioral and forensic analysis at full depth. If you want to understand why the case collapsed and why Alivea’s statement hit him so hard, this is the breakdown you’ve been waiting for. #HiddenKillers #BryanKohberger #IdahoMurders #AliveaGoncalves #VictimImpactStatement #BehavioralAnalysis #TrueCrimePodcast #KohbergerSentencing #ForensicEvidence 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

The woman who announced Alex Murdaugh’s guilty verdict is now wearing handcuffs herself. In one of the most shocking reversals in recent courtroom history, former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill has been charged with obstruction of justice, misconduct in office, and perjury—casting a dark cloud over one of America’s most watched murder trials. In this explosive Hidden Killers breakdown, Tony Brueski unpacks how Hill allegedly allowed sealed trial evidence to be photographed, violated multiple court orders, and used her powerful role in the Murdaugh trial to promote her own book, Behind the Doors of Justice. Prosecutors say she lied under oath about leaking evidence. Investigators say she broke the rules she was sworn to uphold. And Murdaugh’s defense says this validates everything they’ve been arguing for a year: the trial wasn’t fair. But that’s only half the story. Murdaugh’s 132-page appeal to the South Carolina Supreme Court claims his double-murder trial was fundamentally compromised—citing Hill’s alleged juror influence, flawed forensics, and the admission of six days of unrelated financial-crimes testimony. The defense also points to newly discovered text messages from Curtis “Eddie” Smith that were never turned over. Hill’s arrest doesn’t prove jury tampering — but it raises enough questions to destabilize confidence in the verdict. The State insists that while Hill’s actions were inappropriate, they don’t warrant a new trial. The defense says the integrity of the justice system is already shattered. Oral arguments could come this fall, but a ruling may not land until 2026. One thing is certain: Becky Hill’s arrest didn’t just ignite a scandal—it may have opened the door for Alex Murdaugh’s last and most powerful shot at a retrial. #BeckyHill #AlexMurdaugh #MurdaughTrial #MurdaughAppeal #TrueCrimeNews #CourtroomDrama #ObstructionOfJustice #LegalScandal #HiddenKillers #TonyBrueski 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

He was in the room. He was off his medication. And now he says he doesn't remember anything. Newly released court documents reveal that the 16-year-old stepbrother suspected in Anna Kepner's death has reportedly told his parents he has no memory of the night she was strangled aboard the Carnival Horizon cruise ship. Text messages entered into evidence show his mother writing to her ex-husband: "He just keeps repeating over and over he can't remember anything." The teen had been prescribed medication for insomnia — medication his mother testified he hadn't taken for two consecutive nights on the cruise, including the night before Anna's body was found hidden under a bed, wrapped in a blanket and covered with life vests. Anna Kepner, 18, was a cheerleader from Titusville, Florida, who dreamed of joining the Navy. Her death has been ruled a homicide by mechanical asphyxiation. Eight weeks later, the FBI has made no arrest and released no public statement. The stepbrother was sent to a psychiatric facility immediately after the ship docked and is now living with relatives while undergoing evaluation. In this breakdown, we examine the memory loss claims, the troubling text messages between his parents focused on keeping things quiet, allegations that Anna was scared of her stepbrother before the cruise, and what the FBI may be waiting for. When a teenage girl is found dead and the only suspect says he can't remember — what happens next? #AnnaKepner #CarnivalCruise #MemoryLoss #TrueCrime #CruiseShipDeath #FBI #CarnivalHorizon #JusticeForAnna #HomicideCase #TrueCrimeUpdate 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

In this powerful breakdown of the Gilgo Beach case, Tony Brueski and retired FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer take listeners inside the evidence story prosecutors will present to a single jury—now that a judge has ruled all seven murder charges against Rex Heuermann will be tried together. This ruling reshapes the entire strategy on both sides of the courtroom, giving the state a sweeping narrative arc while handing the defense the ammunition to argue prejudice, jury overload, and unfair consolidation. We begin with the evidence tour: the infamous large doll, the cage, the secret room, the basement storage vault, and the forensic haul investigators collected during the search warrant execution. Coffindaffer walks through how prosecutors will try to connect these items to time, transfer, and intent—and why the defense will insist none of it is meaningful unless tied to scientifically grounded timelines and corroboration. The rule is simple: seized items aren’t guilt until they’re connected to the crime. Then we dive into the science. Whole genome hair sequencing may be “new to this courtroom,” but it’s not new to forensic research. The state will rely on validation studies and conservative conclusions; the defense will call it junk science. This battle could determine whether key DNA evidence even makes it to the jury box. We also explore the family factor: could Heuermann’s daughter testify? Would Asa Ellerup take the stand? And how would their emotional presence—or absence—shape juror perception? Finally, former prosecutor and defense attorney Eric Faddis breaks down the legal stakes of joinder: seven counts, one jury, decades of alleged conduct, and a trial timeline stretching realistically toward 2027. This isn’t just strategy—it’s a marathon requiring clean science, disciplined storytelling, and a jury willing to follow every step. This is the full picture: the evidence, the science, the strategy, and the stakes. #RexHeuermann #GilgoBeach #HiddenKillers #DNAEvidence #ForensicScience #JenniferCoffindaffer #EricFaddis #TrueCrimeNews #SerialKillerTrial #TonyBrueski 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