Bryan Kohberger’s Amazon Cart of Death: The Knife, The Selfie & The Psychology of Control | 2025 Year in Review

As part of our Hidden Killers 2025 Year in Review series, we revisit one of the most jaw-dropping chapters in the ongoing Bryan Kohberger case — the digital trail that may have done what he allegedly couldn’t avoid in person: exposing him completely. Investigators say Kohberger, the Ph.D. criminology student accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022, may have left behind more than DNA on a knife sheath — he may have left a shopping list. A damning set of online purchases allegedly includes a K-Bar knife, matching sheath, and sharpening tool — all conveniently ordered from Amazon. In this Hidden Killers breakdown, Tony Brueski teams up with retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke and defense attorney Bob Motta (Defense Diaries) to dissect the chilling implications of the so-called “Amazon Evidence.” If true, this isn’t just forensic coincidence — it’s a psychological signature. Dreeke dives into what these purchases reveal about a possible obsessive, methodical mindset: someone fascinated by control, process, and precision. But in his precision, perhaps also arrogant — believing intellect could outsmart technology. Then, Motta joins Tony to examine how this alleged evidence fits into the broader defense battle. Could the prosecution argue that Kohberger’s shopping habits show premeditation? Or can the defense spin it as circumstantial — just a “collector’s curiosity” in military blades? And yes — that infamous thumbs-up shower selfie allegedly taken hours after the murders makes its appearance. Motta and Brueski unpack the surreal combination of vanity, detachment, and potential trophy-taking behavior. It’s the kind of moment that would be laughable, if it weren’t so horrifying. Together, they explore the haunting question that lingers behind every piece of evidence: Was this a one-time act of obsession, or a rehearsal for something darker? 🎙️ Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski — 2025 Year in Review: The Crimes That Defined the Year in Evidence, Psychology, and Pure Audacity. #BryanKohberger #HiddenKillers #TonyBrueski #RobinDreeke #BobMotta #TrueCrimePodcast #AmazonEvidence #KnifeSheath #IdahoFour #CriminalPsychology #MurderTrial #CourtroomDrama #YearInReview #TrueCrimeToday #DefenseDiaries #JusticeForVictims 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 Thanksgiving, three of the most talked-about defendants in America are experiencing the holiday in a way most people never imagine: behind the walls of three very different prison systems. Bryan Kohberger. Sean “Diddy” Combs. Donna Adelson. Three names dominating headlines — now sharing the same institutional reality when the rest of the world gathers around family tables. In this episode, we take you inside what Thanksgiving actually looks like in prison. Not the fantasy version, not the movie version — the real, stripped-down version served on plastic trays under fluorescent lights. Idaho, federal, and Florida prisons all have their own rhythms, but the holiday formula barely changes: turkey, potatoes, vegetables, a roll, something resembling cranberry sauce, and a pumpkin-style dessert. It’s the kind of “holiday cheer” that reminds you you’re not home. For Bryan Kohberger, the man accused in the Idaho student murders, Thanksgiving happens alone in a maximum-security cell. No dining hall. No noise. No human contact. Just the vegan holiday tray delivered straight through a door — the same way every day does, only with slightly more starch. For Sean “Diddy” Combs, once the king of lavish parties and over-the-top holiday spreads, Thanksgiving unfolds in a massive federal chow hall at Fort Dix. Hundreds of men. Metal tables. Guards barking orders. And a government-issued turkey entrée that’s about as far from a celebrity feast as it gets. And for Donna Adelson — the former matriarch now serving life in Florida for her role in the Dan Markel murder plot — Thanksgiving is the Florida DOC classic: turkey slices, potatoes, corn, stuffing, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce. A tray identical to the women on her left and right, many of whom lost far more than she ever imagined. Three people. Three scandal-ridden cases. One holiday that brings them all to the same reality: prison doesn’t stop for Thanksgiving… it just serves it on a tray. 👉 Subscribe for more true-crime breakdowns, expert insights, and the stories behind the headlines — only on Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski. #bryankohberger #diddy #donnaadelson #truecrime #hiddenkillers #prisonlife #thanksgiving #crimeanalysis #justice #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

In tonight’s Hidden Killers Live, we’re unpacking one of the most uncomfortable realities about modern institutions: people show concerning behavior long before they cross a legal line — and institutions rarely know what to do with that space in between. Joining us is retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke, who has spent his career studying that gap. Washington State University found itself exactly in that space. Multiple women reported disturbing interactions. Faculty documented repeated issues. A mandatory meeting was held because of one TA. And yet, without a criminal act, the system froze. This is where human behavior, risk-assessment, civil liberties, and collective avoidance all collide. Robin walks us through the difference between awkward behavior, socially atypical behavior, and genuine threat indicators. We dig into pattern recognition — the difference between one strange moment and a pattern that should raise alarms. We explore why people inside institutions often sense danger before they can justify it, and why ignoring intuition is not only dismissive but dangerous. Stacy joins with insights from The Gift of Fear, explaining why women’s nervous systems often pick up on danger faster than conscious thought. We examine how that instinct was repeatedly ignored at WSU — and why “he’s never been violent” is not proof of safety but a misunderstanding of how violence escalates. Finally, we go deep into the civil liberties paradox. How do you assess risk when the person hasn’t done anything illegal? How do you avoid mistaking neurodivergence for danger? And what should real threat-assessment training look like on a modern college campus? If you want a clearer understanding of what WSU missed — and what every institution should learn from this — this episode is essential. Subscribe for more real-time analysis and expert insight. #HiddenKillers #RobinDreeke #WSU #ThreatAssessment #BryanKohberger #CampusSafety #BehavioralScience #TonyBrueski #CivilLiberties #TrueCrimeAnalysis 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

Before the murders ever happened… long before the headlines, the courtroom footage, and the national spotlight… there was Washington State University. And inside that department, there was a trail. A documented pattern of complaints, warnings, meetings, and uncomfortable conversations all centered around one graduate student: Bryan Kohberger. Tonight on Hidden Killers, we walk through that trail — not with speculation, but with the actual documented behavior that students and faculty reported in real time. The staring. The boundary violations. The gender-based hostility. The “creepy” interactions people whispered about in hallways. The emails students sent with “911” in the subject line. The faculty members who openly worried about his escalating conduct. The office where grad students started keeping a tally board just to track his outbursts. And the mandatory behavioral training the department held, which insiders say was triggered by one person. This episode isn’t about assigning responsibility for the Idaho murders to a university. It’s about the uncomfortable, unavoidable question raised by Kaylee Goncalves’ family: How many red flags does it take before an institution says, “This is not just a behavioral problem — this is a safety problem”? We break down the full timeline of disciplinary actions WSU took, the warnings they issued, and the gradual escalation that eventually led to Kohberger’s removal as a TA — weeks after the murders. We also examine what universities can realistically do, what their limits are, and why so many institutions downplay patterned behavior right up until it becomes catastrophic. This is the conversation no one wants to have, but every victim’s family is forced to confront: when the warning signs were documented, discussed, and recognized… why didn’t they change anything? Join us as we follow the red flags to their uncomfortable conclusion. #HiddenKillers #BryanKohberger #WSU #TrueCrimeNews #IdahoCase #KayleeGoncalves #CrimeAnalysis #LegalDebate #SafetyFailures #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

Tonight on Hidden Killers Live, we’re cutting straight through the fog that has surrounded Washington State University’s handling of Bryan Kohberger’s behavioral complaints — and we’re doing it with retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke, one of the most respected behavioral experts in the country. This isn’t about blaming people who didn’t have a crystal ball. This is about understanding what behavioral red flags actually are. Before a single crime is committed, before there’s a police report, before anyone can articulate what’s wrong — humans pick up patterns. They feel unsafe. They sense boundary-violating behavior. They feel instincts firing long before the conscious mind can put language to it. And that’s not “overreacting.” It’s evolution. WSU had multiple complaints, private warnings between women, faculty concerns, documentation, meetings, and a mandatory behavioral intervention. Yet the university treated it all like an HR issue instead of a threat-assessment problem. Tonight, Robin breaks down why that distinction matters — and how institutions all over the country make this same mistake. We explore why academia is uniquely vulnerable to minimizing threat indicators, why “but he’s never been violent” is a meaningless metric when evaluating patterned behavior, and why institutions often freeze instead of act. Stacy brings in insights from The Gift of Fear, examining the neuroscience behind the “gut feeling” that so many women reported. And then we tackle the paradox: how do you protect a community when the person at the center hasn’t committed a crime? Where’s the line between rights and risk? And what should universities be trained to recognize that they currently aren’t? This is one of the most important conversations we’ve had — not about predicting crime, but about seeing what institutions are terrified to acknowledge. Subscribe for more deep-dive analysis — only on Hidden Killers. #HiddenKillers #RobinDreeke #WSU #BryanKohberger #BehavioralAnalysis #ThreatAssessment #CampusSafety #TrueCrimeLive #TonyBrueski #RedFlags 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

Tonight on Hidden Killers Live, we’re taking on the uncomfortable truth institutions hate facing: sometimes the danger is right in front of them, but the structure, culture, and psychology of the environment keep anyone from calling it what it is. Retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke joins us to break down how those blind spots cost Washington State University crucial opportunities to intervene. This episode digs into the behavioral complaints that circulated inside WSU long before any crime occurred: the staring, the hovering, the boundary-breaking, the fear expressed by women in the department. These weren’t isolated incidents. They were a pattern. And patterns matter. Robin explains why institutions tend to frame patterned discomfort as a paperwork problem instead of a risk-behavior problem — and why that distinction is everything. Graduate programs rely heavily on autonomy, hierarchy, and informal power dynamics. When the person generating concern holds influence over students, especially women, the risk isn’t hypothetical. It’s structural. We examine why institutions minimize threat signals: fear of liability, fear of mislabeling someone, fear of overreacting, fear of confronting what they don’t want to acknowledge. Stacy joins with psychological insight into why women's instincts responded before anyone had the “official language” to describe what was wrong. Then we explore what was missing at WSU — not actions, but training. Why were faculty unprepared to identify patterned risk? Why did warnings get siloed instead of escalated? Why did a mandatory meeting produce no meaningful change? And what could have been done differently from the moment the first complaints surfaced? This isn’t about hindsight. It’s about understanding systemic blind spots so they aren’t repeated. For anyone trying to understand the line between unusual behavior and genuine threat, this conversation is a must-watch. #HiddenKillers #WSU #RobinDreeke #ThreatAssessment #CampusWarnings #BehavioralPatterns #TrueCrimeLivestream #TonyBrueski #RedFlags #InstitutionalFailure 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

Tonight on Hidden Killers Live, we’re taking on the uncomfortable truth institutions hate facing: sometimes the danger is right in front of them, but the structure, culture, and psychology of the environment keep anyone from calling it what it is. Retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke joins us to break down how those blind spots cost Washington State University crucial opportunities to intervene. This episode digs into the behavioral complaints that circulated inside WSU long before any crime occurred: the staring, the hovering, the boundary-breaking, the fear expressed by women in the department. These weren’t isolated incidents. They were a pattern. And patterns matter. Robin explains why institutions tend to frame patterned discomfort as a paperwork problem instead of a risk-behavior problem — and why that distinction is everything. Graduate programs rely heavily on autonomy, hierarchy, and informal power dynamics. When the person generating concern holds influence over students, especially women, the risk isn’t hypothetical. It’s structural. We examine why institutions minimize threat signals: fear of liability, fear of mislabeling someone, fear of overreacting, fear of confronting what they don’t want to acknowledge. Stacy joins with psychological insight into why women's instincts responded before anyone had the “official language” to describe what was wrong. Then we explore what was missing at WSU — not actions, but training. Why were faculty unprepared to identify patterned risk? Why did warnings get siloed instead of escalated? Why did a mandatory meeting produce no meaningful change? And what could have been done differently from the moment the first complaints surfaced? This isn’t about hindsight. It’s about understanding systemic blind spots so they aren’t repeated. For anyone trying to understand the line between unusual behavior and genuine threat, this conversation is a must-watch. #HiddenKillers #WSU #RobinDreeke #ThreatAssessment #CampusWarnings #BehavioralPatterns #TrueCrimeLivestream #TonyBrueski #RedFlags #InstitutionalFailure 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

Tonight on Hidden Killers, we’re diving into the lawsuit that could finally crack open the one part of the Bryan Kohberger story that’s been sealed tight: what Washington State University actually knew about his behavior before the Idaho killings — and what they did or didn’t do with it. The Goncalves family has officially taken the first major step toward suing WSU, and the claims are explosive. They’re arguing that the university wasn’t just a backdrop in Kohberger’s life — it was an institution with warnings stacking up in its hallways, complaints piling on desks, and a growing chorus of women saying the same thing: this man made them feel unsafe. We now know multiple WSU faculty and graduate students reported Kohberger for intimidating conduct, blocking doorways, staring silently at women, hovering over desks, following people to their cars, and violating boundaries over and over. Some were so scared they asked for escorts at the end of the day. Others filed formal discrimination and harassment complaints. One professor even told colleagues she feared he’d go on to harm students someday. And still — he remained in the program. Still teaching. Still representing the university. Still in university housing. Still collecting a paycheck. The lawsuit argues that WSU had enough information to intervene long before Kohberger ever crossed into Idaho. Not because anyone predicted the crime — but because institutions have a duty to respond to patterns of harassment, intimidation, and escalating hostility. The families want answers, and they want every internal document: every HR complaint, every faculty meeting, every email where someone said, “Something is wrong with this guy.” This case could reshape how universities handle red-flag students and employees. It could expose just how close institutions sometimes get to danger without ever stepping in. And it could finally tell these families whether the system that surrounded Kohberger ever tried to stop what so many people felt happening right in front of them. Join me as we break down what this lawsuit means, what the families are fighting for, and why the truth matters now more than ever. #HiddenKillers #BryanKohberger #WSU #KohbergerCase #TrueCrime #IdahoCase #KayleeGoncalves #MoscowMurders #JusticeForTheVictims #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

Two major true-crime cases just took sharp, unexpected turns — one in the courtroom, one in the civil arena. First, Brian Walshe blindsided the court by pleading guilty to disposing of Ana Walshe’s remains and misleading investigators — but still maintaining he didn’t kill her. It’s a move that redefines the entire murder trial and forces huge strategic shifts for both sides. Then, across the country, Washington State University is facing legal heat. The Goncalves family has filed a civil claim arguing WSU ignored repeated warnings about Brian Kohberger before the Moscow murders. More than a dozen complaints. A professor calling him a future predator. Students saying they felt trapped and unsafe. The question now is simple: Does the law say the university should have done more? On today’s episode of Hidden Killers, Tony Brueski sits down with legal analyst Eric Faddis to break down both cases: • Why did Walshe plead guilty to these charges but not murder? • Does this strengthen the prosecution’s theory — or hand the defense a new angle? • What does the jury hear now, and how will it shape perception? • And in the WSU civil case — what duty does a university owe? • What evidence matters most? • Does foreseeability apply when the crime occurred off-campus at another school? • And is the real goal here discovery — forcing WSU’s internal files out into the light? Two cases. Two seismic shifts. One conversation that lays out the stakes, the law, and the fallout. #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #BrianWalshe #BryanKohberger #WSU 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 Goncalves family has taken the next step — not criminal, but civil. They’ve filed claims against Washington State University, arguing the school ignored repeated red flags about Brian Kohberger before the murders in Moscow. And now the question becomes: Does the law agree? In this deep-dive episode of Hidden Killers, Tony Brueski sits down with former prosecutor and defense attorney Eric Faddis to unpack the legal claims, the duty-of-care standards, the foreseeability argument, and the staggering list of complaints that WSU allegedly received long before the killings. Tony and Eric break down the core issues: • What duty does a university have when a graduate student — and teaching assistant — has multiple formal complaints?  • Do warnings like “He’s a predator in the making” create legal exposure?  • Do stalking-adjacent behaviors — blocking doorways, following students — meet the threshold for negligent supervision?  • Does the fact that the murders occurred off-campus, in another state, change the legal calculus?  • Could WSU actually be found liable for failing to remove or restrict him?  • Or will the university argue: “We couldn’t have seen this coming”?  • And is this lawsuit partly about discovery — forcing WSU to release internal emails, HR files, and Title IX records? Eric walks us through what plaintiffs need to prove, what defenses WSU will likely mount, and why this case could have massive implications for universities nationwide if a court allows it to move forward. This is one of the most legally significant developments to emerge from the Moscow murders — and it could reshape university policies around reporting, supervision, and risk. #HiddenKillers #BryanKohberger #WSU #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