The Hidden Birth: The Laken Snelling Case & The Psychology of Denial

He called himself “Vanguard.” He branded women as his property, built a corporate-cult empire around control, and promised enlightenment while destroying lives. Now—five years and one hundred and twenty years into his prison sentence—Keith Raniere still believes he’s the smartest man in the room. In this episode, we dive into Raniere’s latest desperate attempt to overturn his NXIVM conviction, a last-ditch appeal built on claims that the FBI falsified digital evidence. His lawyers say key metadata on photos was altered. Judges say it’s nonsense. And what’s really on trial now isn’t the evidence—it’s Raniere’s own ego. We break down how a man who once convinced Ivy-League grads and Hollywood actresses to worship him has spent the last decade trying to convince anyone who’ll listen that he’s the victim.  You’ll hear how NXIVM started as a self-help “success program,” morphed into a secret society of obedience and branding, and ended with Raniere shackled in federal prison still proclaiming innocence. The court has heard it all before. The victims have lived through enough. And the narcissist at the center of it still can’t accept that the spotlight’s gone. This is the final chapter of a cult that mistook cruelty for enlightenment—and of a man who can’t stop performing, even when his audience has left the theater. If you think justice ends when the verdict is read, think again. #KeithRaniere #NXIVM #TrueCrime #CultLeaders #HiddenKillers #Narcissism #CrimePodcast #TrueCrimeCommunity #Justice #CourtCase 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

When the Florida Department of Corrections locked the door on Donna Adelson, it didn’t just end a chapter in the Dan Markel murder case — it ended a dynasty built on money, manipulation, and control. For years, the Adelsons operated like a family above the law — insulated by privilege, convinced they could script reality itself. But that illusion shattered when a Tallahassee jury saw through the act and convicted 75-year-old Donna Adelson of orchestrating the murder of her former son-in-law, FSU law professor Dan Markel. Now, the woman who once ruled her family with an iron will faces her ultimate punishment: life behind concrete and steel, where her status means nothing and her name earns only whispers. In this episode, Tony Brueski breaks down what Donna’s life will actually look like inside Florida’s women’s prison system — from intake and strip searches to social hierarchies and survival strategies. Drawing on verified reporting and first-hand inmate accounts, we explore what happens when a narcissist who’s lived for power loses every ounce of it. There’s no staff to command. No family to manipulate. No control. Just noise, confinement, and a slow psychological unraveling known as narcissistic collapse. We examine the psychology behind her downfall, the sociology of aging inmates, and the poetic justice of watching a lifelong manipulator become invisible in a world she can’t dominate. Donna Adelson will never walk free again. Her son Charlie sits in his own cage. Her daughter Wendy waits for her turn in the spotlight. And the woman who thought she could bend reality is now learning what reality really feels like — cold, loud, and merciless. This is the fall of Donna Adelson — and the silence of a cell she can never escape. 👉 Subscribe for more true-crime breakdowns, psychological analysis, and real-world justice stories from Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski. #DonnaAdelson #DanMarkel #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #FloridaJustice #PrisonLife #PsychologicalBreakdown #NarcissisticCollapse #JusticeServed #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

When Bryan Kohberger suddenly took a plea deal, the courtroom went silent — and with it, hundreds of pieces of evidence, witness testimony, and forensic detail that were set to define one of the most watched murder trials in America. Now, newly unsealed documents are giving us a chilling glimpse at what the jury would have seen: the DNA on the knife sheath, the phone data that tracked Kohberger’s movements, and the professors at Washington State University who were ready to testify about his behavior and his disturbing fascination with Ted Bundy. In this episode, we dive deep into the evidence that never reached the courtroom. From autopsy findings showing skull fractures and defensive wounds — to the Bundy-inspired patterns prosecutors were prepared to lay out — this is the inside story of the case that ended before it began. We’ll also look at what’s happening inside Idaho’s maximum-security prison right now. Records show Kohberger filing grievances, clashing with staff, and trying to control his world through paperwork — the same obsessive behavior that defined him long before his arrest. What did the public lose when this case never went to trial? What truths are still buried in sealed exhibits and redacted reports? And what does the newly unsealed evidence tell us about the mind of the man behind the Idaho student murders? Join Tony Brueski as Hidden Killers pulls back the curtain on the evidence the world was never meant to see — and the haunting parallels between Bryan Kohberger and the killers he studied. Subscribe for more in-depth true-crime analysis, expert interviews, and psychological deep dives into the nation’s most disturbing cases. #BryanKohberger #IdahoMurders #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers #CrimeAnalysis #TedBundy #CourtDocuments #UnsealedEvidence #BryanKohbergerTrial #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

Virginia Giuffre refused to stay silent — even when the cost was her peace. In this Hidden Killers special, Tony Brueski dives into the explosive story behind Giuffre’s posthumous memoir Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice — a book that’s shaking the foundations of power, exposing how predators thrive when the world looks away. At just sixteen, Virginia was working at Mar-a-Lago when Ghislaine Maxwell approached her with promises of opportunity. Those promises led her into Jeffrey Epstein’s orbit — a network of billionaires, politicians, and global elites who treated girls like currency. Epstein’s homes were wired for sound and video, his leverage built on blackmail, and his power maintained through silence. In Nobody’s Girl, Giuffre details the unimaginable: being “lent out” to the powerful, threatened into obedience, and watched by a system that protected wealth over humanity. She fought back anyway — naming names in court, taking on Prince Andrew, and building an advocacy movement for survivors of trafficking worldwide. Months after her death in 2025, her words live on. Through this episode, we examine not only her courage but the machinery that kept her abusers safe — from sealed FBI files to the culture of complicity that lets predators in power walk free. Because this isn’t just a story about Epstein. It’s about the institutions that enable him — and the people still hiding behind their influence today. Subscribe for more investigative true-crime analysis from Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski. #VirginiaGiuffre #Epstein #HiddenKillers #TonyBrueski #TrueCrime #PredatorsInPower #GhislaineMaxwell #PrinceAndrew #Nobodysgirl #JusticeForSurvivors 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

When 21-year-old University of Kentucky cheerleader Laken Snelling gave birth alone in her apartment, what happened next stunned investigators. She wrapped her newborn in a towel, placed the body in a trash bag inside her closet — and then, according to court documents, ordered McDonald’s through an app and tried to go about her day. This episode digs into that impossible contradiction: how someone can experience the most traumatic moment of their life and immediately act as though nothing happened. Tony Brueski, Stacy Cole, and psychotherapist Shavaun Scott explore the psychological mechanics of shock, shame, and denial — and why the young brain, overwhelmed by fear and isolation, can make devastating choices it can’t comprehend. Is this a story of pure evil? Or of panic, immaturity, and a desperate attempt to keep life “normal” when everything has already collapsed? We’ll look at how identity, reputation, and fear of judgment can override rational thought, and why concealment often feels like the only option to a terrified young adult. This isn’t a story about excuses — it’s about understanding how fear rewires the human mind. #HiddenKillers #LakenSnelling #TrueCrime #PsychologyOfDenial #ShavaunScott #TonyBrueski #UniversityOfKentucky #ImpulseControl #CrimeAndPsychology #HiddenBirth 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

There are stories that make you question your faith in the system — and then there’s Aaron Spencer’s story. In October 2024, a decorated Army veteran from Lonoke County, Arkansas, woke to find his 14-year-old daughter gone. Her bed was staged with a decoy hoodie, her dog was barking, and every instinct in his body told him the unthinkable had happened. The man charged with stalking and assaulting her — 67-year-old Michael Fosler — had taken her again. Here’s the part that will make your blood boil: Fosler was already facing 43 felony charges for child exploitation, grooming, and sexual indecency with a minor — this same child. He’d been arrested, charged, and then released by Judge Barbara Elmore on just $5,000 bond. The prosecutor of record, John Huggins, agreed to the terms. There was no ankle monitor, no high-risk supervision, no meaningful enforcement of the “no contact” order. That decision almost cost a girl her life. When Aaron Spencer found Fosler’s truck on a dark Arkansas highway, his daughter was inside. He confronted the man, who refused to comply, grabbed for her again, and lunged. Aaron fired — ending the threat and saving his child. The next day, he was charged with second-degree murder and a firearm enhancement, facing up to 45 years. The same officials who freed the predator are now trying to bury the father. This episode exposes a catastrophic failure of the justice system — a prosecutor and judge whose decisions directly led to a child’s kidnapping, a gag order that silenced the truth for months, and a father who did what they refused to do: protect his family. Now, Spencer is fighting back — not just in court, but on the ballot. He’s running for sheriff of Lonoke County to fix the system that failed his daughter. It’s not just a case. It’s a referendum on justice itself. #AaronSpencer #ArkansasJustice #ChildProtection #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #JusticeSystemFailure #BarbaraElmore #JohnHuggins #FreeAaronSpencer #SystemAccountability 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

When police found the body of 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez inside the front trunk of a Tesla registered to the musician known as D4vd, it didn’t just expose a horrifying crime scene — it exposed a psychological collapse. A moment where fear, immaturity, and denial replaced logic. In this episode, Tony Brueski sits down with psychotherapist Shavaun Scott to examine the psychology of impulsive concealment — why young people in crisis make catastrophic, irrational choices that they somehow believe will “fix” the problem. Why would anyone think a body in a frunk wouldn’t be found? Why do young adults underestimate consequences, even when the evidence is literally sitting in plain sight? And what does this say about a generation raised on instant validation and social-media performance? This isn’t a story about criminal genius. It’s about panic. About the under-developed prefrontal cortex that governs judgment and foresight — and how, when terror strikes, it simply shuts down. Together, Tony and Shavaun unpack what neuroscience, fear, and shame can do to the human mind when reality feels too big to face. If you’ve ever wondered why some people make the worst decisions imaginable under pressure, this conversation will change how you think about crime, youth, and consequence. #HiddenKillers #D4vd #CelesteRivasHernandez #TrueCrimePodcast #PsychologyOfCrime #ImpulsiveCrimes #ShavaunScott #TonyBrueski #BrainDevelopment #CrimeAndPsychology 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 a powerful new conversation, Alivia Goncalves — sister of Kaylee Goncalves, one of the victims in the University of Idaho murders — is breaking her silence about her private meeting with prosecutors and investigators in Lewiston, Idaho in an interview with Brian Entin. We discuss what she revealed to him. For the first time, Alivia shares what really happened behind closed doors on October 6th, when she sat alone across from members of the prosecution team, Idaho State Police, and Moscow PD — determined to learn everything she could about her sister’s murder and the evidence against Bryan Kohberger. In this emotional, revealing discussion, Alivia describes the meeting as “traumatizing but necessary.” She opens up about what it was like to see key evidence firsthand — including the full surveillance timeline tracking Kohberger’s movements from 3:00 to 4:20 a.m., the cell tower CAST data showing 23 visits to the victims’ home, and even one carefully redacted crime scene photo. She also talks about the moment prosecutor Bill Thompson admitted he couldn’t guarantee that sensitive images would never leak — a moment that pushed her to face the unthinkable rather than risk being blindsided online later. Alivia reveals new context about Kohberger’s Amazon knife purchase, the witness list including one of his sisters, and her reaction to recently unsealed Washington State University reports detailing multiple complaints from women who said Kohberger made them feel unsafe. But the heart of this story isn’t just the evidence — it’s Alivia’s ongoing mission. She’s building a digital archive to preserve the full truth of what happened to Kaylee, Maddie, Xana, and Ethan — to protect their legacy from conspiracy theories and online distortion. This is a story about strength, truth, and the fight to keep reality intact. #BryanKohberger #KayleeGoncalves #IdahoMurders #MoscowIdaho #AliviaGoncalves #HiddenKillers #TrueCrimePodcast #UniversityOfIdaho #JusticeForKaylee #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

Two crimes. Two young lives. Two moments of sheer panic that turned fatal. A musician whose Tesla held the body of a missing 15-year-old.  A college cheerleader who hid her newborn in a closet, then went out for fast food. In this extended Hidden Killers episode, Tony Brueski and psychotherapist Shavaun Scott dissect the chilling psychology behind both the D4vd / Celeste Rivas Hernandez and Laken Snelling cases — revealing how fear, shame, and an underdeveloped brain can twist reality into delusion. Why do young people believe they can hide what can’t be hidden? What happens in the mind when panic flips the switch from reason to denial? And what does neuroscience tell us about the prefrontal cortex — the part of the brain that’s supposed to see the bigger picture — simply not being ready yet? This isn’t about monsters. It’s about immaturity, fear, and the illusion of control. It’s about how a single impulsive act — followed by a catastrophic cover-up — can change everything. Raw, honest, and psychologically deep, this episode shows that the scariest thing about these crimes isn’t the violence. It’s how human the decisions behind them really are. #HiddenKillers #D4vd #LakenSnelling #TrueCrime #PsychologyOfCrime #ShavaunScott #TonyBrueski #ImpulseControl #BrainDevelopment #FearAndDenial 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

When the gavel came down and the jury pronounced Donna Adelson guilty of first-degree murder, it should’ve been the end of the story. But for Donna—the matriarch at the center of Florida’s most infamous murder-for-hire plot—it was only the beginning of a new obsession: the appeal. In this episode of Hidden Killers, Tony Brueski breaks down the cold, technical road Donna faces as she fights for a retrial, dissecting the difference between emotional theater and the unforgiving machinery of Florida appellate law. From her denied motion for a new trial to the looming question of whether juror misconduct or “cumulative error” could rescue her case, we dig into what it really takes to overturn a conviction this airtight. You’ll hear how appellate judges view claims of insufficient evidence, how Florida courts handle high-profile conspiracy verdicts, and why the odds are stacked against her. But beyond the courtroom filings lies something deeper—the psychology of control. Even behind bars, Donna’s need to dominate every narrative lives on through her legal maneuvers. What happens when a lifetime narcissist finally meets a system she can’t manipulate? Is her appeal a fight for justice—or just another performance from someone who’s never accepted accountability? Tony unpacks not only the legal mechanics of her appeal but the psychology driving it—the collapse of control, the rewriting of reality, and the quiet delusion that still fuels her belief she can bend the system to her will. If you think the story ended with a verdict, think again. This is what happens when narcissistic power collides with the rule of law—and loses. #DonnaAdelson #DanMarkel #AdelsonFamily #TrueCrime #Appeal #Narcissism #HiddenKillers #FloridaJustice #LegalAnalysis #PsychologicalBreakdown 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