From Refugee to DA: Thien Ho’s Fight to Bring the Golden State Killer to Justice

 Two girls nearly lost their lives.  Eleven felonies were filed.  And yet, 18-year-old Jesse Mack Butler will never spend a day in prison. In this explosive episode, Hidden Killers host Tony Brueski and retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke break down how Oklahoma’s Youthful Offender loophole turned a brutal sexual-assault case into a year of “rehabilitation.” Court records show Butler was accused of rape, attempted rape, sexual battery, and strangulation — one victim choked to the point of unconsciousness, another requiring neck surgery. Investigators recovered phone video evidence supporting the assaults. Despite this, prosecutors and the judge approved Youthful Offender status because Butler was 17 at the time. He pled no contest — not admitting guilt, but accepting conviction — and received supervised freedom instead of prison. Tony and Robin unpack the psychological, legal, and cultural forces behind the ruling: How community influence bends justice in small towns. Why parental protection turns into moral blindness. How empathy for offenders replaces compassion for survivors. And most importantly — what this means for future victims in Oklahoma and beyond. This is not mercy. It’s the breakdown of accountability — live on the record. #HiddenKillers #JesseButler #StillwaterScandal #YouthfulOffender #TrueCrimePodcast #OklahomaJustice #RobinDreeke #TonyBrueski #JusticeSystem #PredatorProtection 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

For more than 40 years, the man now known as the Golden State Killer stalked California — breaking into homes, raping, murdering, and then vanishing into the night. He was a ghost who terrorized families from Sacramento to Santa Barbara — until one relentless prosecutor finally helped end his reign of fear. In this episode, Tony Brueski sits down with Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho, the man who personally led the prosecution that put Joseph James DeAngelo behind bars for life. Ho’s new book, The People vs. The Golden State Killer, pulls back the curtain on the real investigation — from the DNA breakthrough that cracked the case wide open to the survivors who refused to stay silent. This isn’t a retelling of old headlines. It’s the first inside account of what really happened in the courtroom, the strategies behind the scenes, and the human cost of justice decades in the making. You’ll hear how DeAngelo faked insanity to manipulate investigators, the haunting promise Ho made to a survivor, and the moment victims stood up in court and told their attacker they weren’t afraid anymore. This is the story of justice, perseverance, and the team that never stopped hunting a monster hiding in plain sight. #HiddenKillers #GoldenStateKiller #JosephDeAngelo #ThienHo #TrueCrimeToday #ColdCase #DNAJustice #EastAreaRapist #OriginalNightstalker #JusticeServed 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

Dan Markel wasn’t just a brilliant legal scholar — he was a father fighting to protect his sons from a world he saw as dangerous, manipulative, and morally bankrupt. Before his murder in 2014, Markel was locked in an emotional and legal battle with his ex-wife Wendi Adelson’s family — a fight over where their children would live and, more importantly, what kind of people they would become. In this episode of Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski, we step into Dan Markel’s shoes and see the story from his perspective. Why did he fight so hard to keep his boys in Tallahassee? What did he see in Donna Adelson’s control, in Charlie Adelson’s arrogance, and in Wendi’s divided loyalties that terrified him? And how did a custody dispute fueled by ego and entitlement turn into one of the most shocking murder-for-hire cases in American history? Through verified court records, witness testimony, and public filings, we trace the emotional timeline of a man who believed that morality could stand up to manipulation — until the system failed him. This is the story of a father who refused to let money and power define right and wrong, and of the family who couldn’t handle the word “no.” Join Tony Brueski as he unpacks the psychological and moral dimensions of the Markel-Adelson saga — a cautionary tale about control, obsession, and the cost of doing the right thing in a world where truth isn’t enough. ⚖️ All commentary is based on publicly available testimony and court filings. Opinions expressed are analysis only; no implication of uncharged criminal conduct is intended. #DanMarkel #AdelsonFamily #WendiAdelson #DonnaAdelson #CharlieAdelson #HiddenKillers #TrueCrimeToday #JusticeForDanMarkel #CustodyBattle #MurderForHire #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

Fourteen-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez was found dead inside the front trunk of a Tesla registered to chart-topping singer D4vd — but what happened between the day she disappeared and the moment that car was opened has remained one of the most disturbing mysteries of 2025. In this new Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski breakdown, we go through everything the private investigator on the case, Steve Fischer, has revealed so far — what’s confirmed, what’s speculation, and what could change everything. From the Build-A-Bear certificate dated just days after Celeste was first reported missing… to a Six Flags roller-coaster video filmed the very same day… to items discovered inside a Hollywood Hills rental home that Fischer says “had no place being there,” this episode lays out the timeline of red flags and unanswered questions piece by piece. We separate what’s officially verified by police from what’s alleged by the investigator — and explore Fischer’s working theory that Celeste’s death may have been an accidental overdose followed by a devastating cover-up. No arrests. No suspects. No final cause of death. Just a 14-year-old girl, a celebrity’s Tesla, and a silence that keeps getting louder. If you care about truth, accountability, and the systems that fail vulnerable kids, this is the one you need to hear. 🎧 Subscribe on YouTube and Apple Podcasts for continuing coverage as the toxicology report and LAPD findings come in. #HiddenKillers #TonyBrueski #CelesteRivasHernandez #D4vd #TrueCrime #Investigation #PrivateInvestigator #Hollywood #JusticeForCeleste #SixFlags #BuildABear #LAPD #TrueCrimeToday #Podcast 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

 How does someone charged with eleven felonies — including rape and strangulation — walk away with a single year of supervision? In Stillwater, Oklahoma, 17-year-old Jesse Mack Butler attacked two teenage girls so brutally one nearly died. Police had video evidence. Doctors confirmed near-fatal injuries. Yet the court called it “rehabilitation.” In this episode, Tony Brueski and psychotherapist Shavaun Scott unpack the psychology of protection — the denial, privilege, and misplaced empathy that let predators slip through the cracks. From family complicity to small-town bias, this is a case study in how justice fails survivors — and what it says about our collective moral blindness. Watch the full discussion and join the conversation about what true accountability should look like. #JesseButler #HiddenKillers #TrueCrimePodcast #JusticeForSurvivors #ShavaunScott #TrueCrimeDiscussion #PredatorPsychology #RapeCulture #TraumaInformedJustice #SystemicFailure 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

Imagine fleeing a war as a child, arriving in America unable to speak the language — and decades later, becoming the prosecutor who takes down one of the nation’s most infamous serial killers. That’s the real-life journey of Thien Ho, Sacramento County’s District Attorney and author of The People vs. The Golden State Killer. In this Hidden Killers exclusive, Tony Brueski sits down with Ho to unpack the extraordinary story behind both the man and the case: the trauma that drove him, the promise he made to a survivor, and the moment he finally saw justice done. Ho shares never-before-heard insights into Joseph James DeAngelo’s double life — a police officer by day, a sadistic predator by night — and explains how the prosecution dismantled his decades-long facade of control. He also opens up about his personal mission to shift true crime’s focus away from the monster and toward the heroes: the survivors and investigators who never stopped fighting. It’s a conversation about justice, redemption, and the moral courage it takes to stand in the face of real evil — and win. #ThienHo #GoldenStateKiller #JosephDeAngelo #HiddenKillers #TrueCrimeToday #JusticeServed #ColdCase #SurvivorVoices #DNAJustice #EastAreaRapist 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 episode features continuing coverage from inside the civil trial of Abby Zwerner v. Ebony Parker — the case that’s forcing a Virginia courtroom to confront how many warnings were ignored before a teacher was shot by her six-year-old student. Each day’s proceedings bring new testimony, evidence, and revelations about what happened inside Richneck Elementary School on January 6, 2023 — and the administrative failures that followed. You’ll hear unfiltered courtroom audio, direct from the trial, as attorneys for Abby Zwerner seek $40 million in damages against former assistant principal Ebony Parker, accused of negligence so severe it nearly cost a teacher her life. Hidden Killers brings you the voices, the arguments, and the raw sound of justice in progress — as a jury decides whether silence and inaction inside a public school can rise to the level of legal accountability. 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 episode features continuing coverage from inside the civil trial of Abby Zwerner v. Ebony Parker — the case that’s forcing a Virginia courtroom to confront how many warnings were ignored before a teacher was shot by her six-year-old student. Each day’s proceedings bring new testimony, evidence, and revelations about what happened inside Richneck Elementary School on January 6, 2023 — and the administrative failures that followed. You’ll hear unfiltered courtroom audio, direct from the trial, as attorneys for Abby Zwerner seek $40 million in damages against former assistant principal Ebony Parker, accused of negligence so severe it nearly cost a teacher her life. Hidden Killers brings you the voices, the arguments, and the raw sound of justice in progress — as a jury decides whether silence and inaction inside a public school can rise to the level of legal accountability. 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 episode features continuing coverage from inside the civil trial of Abby Zwerner v. Ebony Parker — the case that’s forcing a Virginia courtroom to confront how many warnings were ignored before a teacher was shot by her six-year-old student. Each day’s proceedings bring new testimony, evidence, and revelations about what happened inside Richneck Elementary School on January 6, 2023 — and the administrative failures that followed. You’ll hear unfiltered courtroom audio, direct from the trial, as attorneys for Abby Zwerner seek $40 million in damages against former assistant principal Ebony Parker, accused of negligence so severe it nearly cost a teacher her life. Hidden Killers brings you the voices, the arguments, and the raw sound of justice in progress — as a jury decides whether silence and inaction inside a public school can rise to the level of legal accountability. 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 the murder-for-hire case of Florida State law professor Dan Markel, one name still divides the public — Wendi Adelson. She was his ex-wife. The mother of his children. The woman whose family — Donna and Charlie Adelson — now sit behind bars for orchestrating his killing. And yet, Wendi remains free. In this episode, Tony Brueski breaks down the exact words Wendi spoke under oath and what her immunity deal really protects her from. This isn’t speculation — it’s straight from the courtroom. Wendi testified that her mother called her life in Tallahassee a “hostage situation.”  She admitted that Donna floated a $1 million bribe to get Markel to agree to a relocation. She confirmed her brother Charlie’s “TV vs. hitman” joke, acknowledged that “someone did hire a hitman,” but denied knowing anything about it. She denied giving information, denied involvement, denied any “plausible deniability” pact in her family. So why can’t prosecutors charge her — at least not yet?  Because Wendi testified under a grant of use and derivative-use immunity. That means the State can’t use her words, or any evidence directly derived from those words, to prosecute her later. But the protection has limits: it doesn’t cover lying, it doesn’t cover new evidence found independently, and it only applies when the State compels her testimony. This episode exposes how that deal works — and why it might one day collapse if prosecutors find the right evidence. 🎧 Listen to Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski for full courtroom analysis, expert insight, and exclusive updates on the Adelson family fallout. Editor’s Note: This episode discusses publicly reported testimony and legal proceedings in the State of Florida v. Donna Adelson. Wendi Adelson has not been accused or charged with any crime. The analysis presented reflects legal commentary and opinion based on the public record. #WendiAdelson #DanMarkel #DonnaAdelson #CharlieAdelson #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #FloridaJustice #CourtTV #ImmunityDeal #MurderForHire 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