Matthew Farwell’s Note Asked His Friend to Do WHAT?!

In testimony at the Chad Daybell trial, Melani Pawlowski described meeting Chad in November 2018. He was presented as someone who could identify light and darkness in people. Brandon told jurors Melani began attending religious gatherings without him and said he was not welcome. Melani testified she eventually began referring to Lori and Chad as Mom and Dad. It is one thing to follow an aunt's advice. It is another when that aunt and her new husband become the people defining what reality looks like.Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott and retired FBI behavioral expert Robin Dreeke help Tony Brueski examine the influence, the changing boundaries, and how a familiar family relationship can make extraordinary claims feel trustworthy. That is behavioral analysis, not a diagnosis or proof of criminal involvement. Melani has denied involvement in the shooting at her former husband, Brandon, and has not been charged in that shooting.Meanwhile Lori's own Idaho murder convictions are now before the state Supreme Court. Her appeal argues that the trial judge improperly removed Mark Means, the lawyer she wanted, after a conflict involving Means's earlier work for Chad Daybell. The state argues the removal was proper. Former prosecutor and defense attorney Eric Faddis joins Robin Dreeke to explain why attorney choice matters, why conflicts matter too, and what a court must decide before any retrial could occur. Oral arguments are scheduled for November 2, 2026. There is no appellate ruling yet.Brandon Boudreaux testified that Melani looked to her aunt Lori Vallow as a mother figure. That matters because this story starts long before a court argument about an attorney. Melani had lost her mother as a child, and Lori occupied an enormous place in the family. When beliefs around Lori began changing, Melani's marriage and her sense of who to trust changed with them.The contrast is striking: inside the family, the problem was who was allowed to define truth. Inside the courtroom, the problem is who was allowed to act as counsel. The guests examine both without pretending the behavioral history decides a constitutional appeal.Listen Anywhere You Get Podcasts: https://pod.link/1655749292Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod?sub_confirmation=1Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodThis 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.#LoriVallow #MelaniPawlowski #ChadDaybell #ShavaunScott #RobinDreeke #EricFaddis #LoriVallowAppeal #MarkMeans #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime

Matthew Farwell allegedly asked a close friend to help raise his children in a note dated June 24, 2024. According to prosecutors, he also asked that his wife not be forgotten and said he would see his friend “on the other side.” That was the day news reports detailed a forensic pathologist's conclusion that Sandra Birchmore died by homicide. The note later became an argument over whether Farwell should remain in federal custody before trial.Prosecutors presented the note as evidence that the new publicity changed Farwell's thinking. They acknowledged that he did not flee in 2024, a limitation that matters when interpreting the note. It is not an admission of killing Birchmore. A juror still has to assess the medical evidence, forensic testimony, and credibility of the witnesses alongside his words.The prosecution also called William Farwell, Matthew's twin, who testified under immunity that Matthew had said he wiped phone data following Birchmore's death. The defense challenged the government's interpretation of the larger case and maintains that Birchmore died by suicide. Matthew has pleaded not guilty to federal charges related to her death and that of her unborn child.The government rested its case on October 28, 2026, after 38 witnesses. That turns attention to what the defense can establish and how the jury evaluates disputed evidence. If convicted, the former Stoughton police officer could face life in federal prison. The question of protective housing for a former police officer arises only if a prison sentence follows; it is not a prediction of his fate.Former prosecutor and defense attorney Eric Faddis joins retired FBI behavioral expert Robin Dreeke and Tony Brueski to discuss what a note like this can show, how prosecutors use post-event conduct, and how corrections officials might assess the safety of a convicted former officer.Listen Anywhere You Get Podcasts: https://pod.link/1655749292Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod?sub_confirmation=1Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodThis 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.#SandraBirchmore #MatthewFarwell #HiddenKillers #FarwellTrial #EricFaddis #RobinDreeke #StoughtonPolice #FederalTrial #TrueCrime #JusticeForSandra

Melani Boudreaux was trying to remake her life when she moved near her aunt Lori Vallow in Rexburg, Idaho, in November 2019. Within days of meeting Ian Pawlowski, she married him in Las Vegas. Her uncle Alex Cox reportedly stood as a witness. At that point JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan had vanished, and the people closest to Lori were giving very different accounts of what they believed and feared.Ian later testified that Lori and Chad Daybell held an extraordinary position of trust in Melani’s world. According to a written account attributed to him, she expressed fears tied to claims that Brandon Boudreaux and the missing children could be viewed as possessed or dangerous. Those statements are important because they show what was being reported inside the family, but they do not establish that Melani participated in a crime.Her ex-husband Brandon alleged she had information about the October 2019 attack on him and about JJ and Tylee. When Lori was arrested in February 2020, Melani was simultaneously battling for custody of their four children in Arizona. Through her attorneys, she challenged Brandon’s claims and said she did not know where the missing children were. She has never been charged in the shooting.Later, Melani testified for the state at Chad Daybell’s trial. Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott and retired FBI behavioral expert Robin Dreeke join Tony Brueski to look at the long path between the whirlwind wedding and the custody courtroom: relationships, influence, fear, and what it takes to disentangle one’s own decisions from a powerful family narrative.Listen Anywhere You Get Podcasts: https://pod.link/1655749292Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod?sub_confirmation=1Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodThis 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.#LoriVallow #MelaniPawlowski #MelaniBoudreaux #ChadDaybell #BrandonBoudreaux #ShavaunScott #RobinDreeke #HiddenKillers #JJAndTylee #TrueCrime

Sandra Birchmore’s death was called a suicide before the medical examiner had a full picture of what investigators would eventually find. At Matthew Farwell’s federal trial, Dr. María del Mar Capó-Martínez testified that her office was not summoned to the apartment and that police reports presented suicide and no foul play as the working explanation.She performed the February 5, 2021 autopsy and initially classified Sandra’s manner of death as suicide. On April 30, 2026, the office revised the manner to undetermined and shortened the cause from asphyxia by hanging to asphyxia. Prosecutors argue the original determination was undermined by missing context. Farwell’s defense challenges the revision and continues to argue that Sandra took her own life.Then William Farwell, Matthew’s twin and another former Stoughton officer, took the stand under immunity. William acknowledged an intimate relationship with Sandra while he was on police duty, dating their relationship to 2018. Jurors were also shown a message about Sandra being 15 when her involvement with Matthew began. William further described a conversation in which Matthew said he had wiped phone information. His account is testimony, not a separate conviction or a verdict against Matthew.Matthew Farwell has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges alleging that he killed Sandra and her unborn child.Tony Brueski is joined by defense attorney Bob Motta, former FBI special agent Robin Dreeke, and psychotherapist Shavaun Scott. Together they examine the gap between what the first officers told the examiner, what William said on the witness stand, and what jurors must still decide without confusing suspicion with proof.Listen Anywhere You Get Podcasts: https://pod.link/1655749292Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod?sub_confirmation=1Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodThis 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.#SandraBirchmore #MatthewFarwell #HiddenKillers #WilliamFarwell #MedicalExaminer #BobMotta #RobinDreeke #ShavaunScott #StoughtonPolice #FarwellTrial

Lindsay Clancy's case has moved from an eleven-to-one mistrial into a fight about the one juror who would not vote to acquit. Kevin Reddington asked the court to examine the holdout juror's questionnaire, review phone records, and investigate whether he obeyed the court's instructions. The judge has now rejected the requested post-trial investigation.That juror, Michael Desronvil, has been publicly identified and has retained counsel. His past legal and financial matters have drawn attention, including a dismissed domestic violence charge and a restraining order reported to have been in effect during the trial. Those details raise questions about jury selection, but they do not prove that he violated a judge's order or concealed information. The foreperson claimed Desronvil expressed doubt and still held out for conviction. Desronvil has said he had no doubts at all.Judge William Sullivan declined to remove him while the jury was deliberating. After the panel deadlocked, Sullivan declared a mistrial on September 4. He later ruled, on October 21, that the information discovered after the trial could not be used to attack his earlier mistrial decision, denying the defense bid for an evidentiary hearing.The next fight is about double jeopardy. Clancy's lawyers argue the judge should have done more before declaring a mistrial and say another trial would be unconstitutional. The November 2 hearing addresses that dismissal motion and other outstanding questions. Prosecutors have not announced a retrial decision. Clancy has pleaded not guilty, and the original trial centered on whether postpartum psychosis left her not criminally responsible for the deaths of her children. The legal stakes now reach beyond one verdict: the protection owed to jurors who disagree.Listen Anywhere You Get Podcasts: https://pod.link/1655749292Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod?sub_confirmation=1Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodThis 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.#LindsayClancy #KevinReddington #HiddenKillers #MichaelDesronvil #JurorRights #Mistrial #PostpartumPsychosis #DoubleJeopardy #TrueCrimePodcast #Duxbury

Anna Kepner’s death aboard the Carnival Horizon led to a federal murder prosecution against her teenage stepbrother, Timothy Hudson. Now the lawyers representing him say there is one pending issue they must resolve before advising him on whether to plead guilty or take his case to trial. They have not publicly identified the issue.Hudson was 16 when Anna, 18, died during the family cruise in November 2025. He is being tried as an adult and has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse. Anna’s body was found beneath a bed in the cabin she had shared with Hudson and another teenager. The federal indictment sets out the government’s accusations; it is not a verdict.The trial had already moved from September to November. In October, U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom approved another continuance, setting January 25, 2027, for jury selection and trial proceedings. The court made January 15 the deadline for any guilty plea. Prosecutors did not oppose the latest postponement.The defense previously described a difficult family dynamic that complicated its investigation and access to certain family members. Those problems matter because juvenile sentencing calls for a different analysis than an ordinary adult murder case. Hudson could face life if convicted, but reporting about a possible 24-to-30-year resolution has not established that a binding offer exists.Bob Motta and Robin Dreeke join me for the practical questions behind these filings. What is a defense team weighing when the difference between a negotiated term and a potential life sentence is so enormous? And how much can the public responsibly conclude when the very issue holding up a decision has not been disclosed?Listen Anywhere You Get Podcasts: https://pod.link/1655749292Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod?sub_confirmation=1Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodThis 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.#AnnaKepner #TimothyHudson #HiddenKillers #CarnivalHorizon #FederalTrial #PleaDecision #BobMotta #RobinDreeke #TrueCrimePodcast #JusticeForAnna

Sandra Birchmore was introduced to Stoughton police officers through a youth Explorers program. The program was supposed to offer mentorship. Instead, a departmental investigation later found inappropriate relationships involving three officers connected to her, and one of those men is now on trial for her murder.Matthew Farwell is accused in federal court of killing Sandra and her unborn child in February 2021 and staging her death to resemble suicide. He has pleaded not guilty; his lawyers maintain Sandra took her own life. The government alleges Matthew exploited access he gained when Sandra was a teenager. The department’s internal inquiry also examined conduct involving his twin William Farwell and former deputy chief Robert Devine.Now William has given the jury testimony that makes the institutional question impossible to dismiss. On October 26, he acknowledged sexual contact with Sandra while on duty as a Stoughton officer. He testified under federal immunity and said their relationship started in 2018, when Sandra was an adult. His account does not establish that he participated in Matthew’s alleged crime. It does establish what William himself admitted about his conduct in uniform.Criminal defense attorney Bob Motta and retired FBI agent Robin Dreeke join me to separate the evidence in Matthew’s murder case from the larger failure-of-oversight questions. How did officers connected with a youth program retain access to Sandra for years? What should investigators and department leadership have recognized sooner? And how will jurors assess the twin brother’s admission without treating family ties as proof of guilt? That distinction is the heart of this combined conversation.Listen Anywhere You Get Podcasts: https://pod.link/1655749292Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod?sub_confirmation=1Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodThis 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.#SandraBirchmore #MatthewFarwell #HiddenKillers #WilliamFarwell #StoughtonPD #PoliceExplorers #FarwellTrial #BobMotta #RobinDreeke #TrueCrimePodcast

In October 2019, someone fired at Brandon Boudreaux outside his home in Gilbert, Arizona. Investigators identified Lori Vallow Daybell’s brother, Alex Cox, as the suspected gunman. A jury convicted Lori in June 2025 of conspiring to kill Brandon, and she received a life sentence in Arizona. But this combined episode turns to someone who was much closer to Brandon: his then-wife, Lori’s niece Melani Pawlowski. Melani has not been charged in the shooting and has denied any involvement.Then there is a custody-case document attributed to Melani’s later husband, Ian Pawlowski. It describes Melani recounting a belief that Brandon was no longer himself and might need to die as part of a religious plan. The filing also says she did not expect anyone to act. Melani’s representatives disputed accusations in the custody proceedings. Ian later testified about the influence Lori and Chad Daybell had over Melani, describing what he came to see as manipulation.At Lori’s trial, prosecutors pointed to Melani’s connections and questions about the timing of communications. An FBI agent testified, according to the episode’s reporting, that Lori’s phone and Melani’s were connected in a 35-minute call around the time of the shooting. The content of that call has not been publicly established. We also examine the address Melani reportedly sought before the attack, the morning park handoff, and phone activity involving Cox. Each detail calls for context; none on its own proves Melani participated in a conspiracy.Retired FBI agent Robin Dreeke and I compare the phone evidence, the custody filing, and the statements given to investigators. The distinction matters: Lori’s conviction is established; Melani’s alleged knowledge and involvement remain disputed. Gilbert police have said their investigation is active, and Melani has not been charged in the attempted killing. What can the available record actually show about what she knew before Brandon was shot at?Listen Anywhere You Get Podcasts: https://pod.link/1655749292Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod?sub_confirmation=1Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodThis 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.#LoriVallow #MelaniPawlowski #HiddenKillers #BrandonBoudreaux #LoriVallowDaybell #ChadDaybell #AlexCox #TrueCrimePodcast #GilbertArizona #RobinDreeke

Sandra Birchmore’s messages about Matthew Farwell entering her apartment have taken on new meaning in his federal murder trial. Eight days before her death, she described him asking for a key and looking inside her closet and bathroom. A friend testified that Birchmore found the behavior strange. Prosecutors argue the visit fits a plan to kill her and make her death look self-inflicted. The defense has offered a different possibility: Farwell may have been checking whether another man was there.That exchange is only one part of the dispute. Independent forensic experts have pointed to Birchmore’s fractured hyoid bone and the position of her body as evidence supporting strangulation rather than hanging. Her glasses were reportedly found on the bed, and the apartment appeared locked. Farwell’s lawyers contest the prosecution’s interpretation of the scene. A forensic scientist testified that Farwell’s DNA was found on the strap prosecutors identify as the ligature.Then we turn to the October 23 courtroom testimony. Birchmore’s therapist, Diala Alkhalil, described a woman who was dealing with anxiety and grief but looking forward to her baby. She told the jury Birchmore did not report suicidal thinking during their sessions. Defense questions focused on earlier troubling messages, her mental health history, and Zoloft, which can carry a warning about suicidal thoughts.One claim from earlier coverage needs the proper correction: DNA identified Jason Pickard, not Farwell, as the biological father of Birchmore’s unborn child. Robin Dreeke joins me to separate the prosecutor’s theory, the defense’s response, and the testimony that jurors actually heard. The closet visit and the neck injury are different categories of evidence, but both now sit at the center of the same contested death.Listen Anywhere You Get Podcasts: https://pod.link/1655749292Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod?sub_confirmation=1Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodThis 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.#SandraBirchmore #MatthewFarwell #HiddenKillers #FarwellTrial #RobinDreeke #HyoidFracture #CantonMassachusetts #StoughtonPD #TrueCrimePodcast #FederalCourt

Gypsy Rose Blanchard, Dee Dee Blanchard, and Ken Urker are connected here by two moments when the public record and the story being told did not line up. Years before Dee Dee’s death, a neurologist examining Gypsy documented his belief that Dee Dee had Munchausen by proxy after finding no support for major diagnoses she had reported.Dr. Bernardo Flasterstein later said he did not think he had enough information to contact child protection. Dee Dee stopped seeing him and took Gypsy elsewhere for care. By then, Gypsy had been presented as seriously ill for years. She used a wheelchair and feeding tube, underwent salivary-gland surgery, and benefited from charitable assistance. Dee Dee also said Hurricane Katrina had destroyed earlier medical records, leaving later doctors without the paper trail that could have challenged her account.More than a decade after Dee Dee’s 2015 death, Ken Urker was found dead at his Raceland, Louisiana home on October 1, 2026. Deputies documented drug paraphernalia, a brown powdery substance, two shot glasses, and a holstered handgun. The coroner said no definitive cause of death had been determined and toxicology was still pending.Gypsy told People she believed Ken overdosed and said she did not know whether it was intentional. Weeks later, her updated Kenan’s Law petition said she was “100 percent” certain it was not suicide. Retired FBI agent Robin Dreeke and I examine that shift against what authorities had actually released. The question running through both chapters is painfully familiar: what happens when a strong claim gets ahead of the evidence that is supposed to support it?Listen Anywhere You Get Podcasts: https://pod.link/1655749292Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod?sub_confirmation=1Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodThis 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.#GypsyRose #DeeDeeBlanchard #HiddenKillers #KenUrker #GypsyRoseBlanchard #MunchausenByProxy #KenansLaw #RobinDreeke #TrueCrimePodcast #Louisiana