Hidden Killers Live! Daily True Crime News & Breakdowns

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

Two cases. Two different outcomes. One shared question the system still can’t answer. In California, police say they moved quickly after Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were found stabbed to death — confident they had enough evidence to arrest their son, Nick Reiner, within hours. The legal fight now centers on schizophrenia, medication changes, and whether mental illness excuses violence. In Kentucky, the opposite happened. Everyone saw Mickey Stines unravel — law enforcement, attorneys, medical professionals. But because he was an elected sheriff, no one had the legal authority to stop him. No red flag law. No suspension power. No override. Judge Kevin Mullins paid the price. In this full episode, retired FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer connects the dots between these cases and exposes the dangerous gaps in how the system handles mental illness when violence intersects with power, family, and authority. We explore how investigations unfold, how insanity defenses are built and challenged, and why prevention often fails not because people didn’t care — but because the law gave them no tools to act. These aren’t isolated tragedies. They’re warnings. And until the system changes, they won’t be the last. #TrueCrime #JenniferCoffindaffer #HiddenKillers #MentalHealthAndCrime #SystemFailure #NickReiner #MickeyStines #FBIAnalysis #TrueCrimeNews 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

Court filings in the Mickey Stines case reveal a chilling reality: everyone saw the breakdown coming — and no one had the power to stop it. An elected Kentucky sheriff spiraled publicly. He called dead relatives on his phone. Lost weight rapidly. Stopped sleeping. Displayed paranoia. His own staff pushed him to see a doctor. The diagnosis? Acute stress reaction. The response? Send him home — with his badge, his gun, and his authority untouched. Twenty-four hours later, Judge Kevin Mullins was shot nine times in his own chambers. In this deep-dive, retired FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer exposes the structural failures that allowed this to happen. Kentucky has no red flag law. An elected sheriff cannot be suspended by subordinates. There was no mechanism to disarm him — even as multiple people recognized he was in crisis. We examine the civil lawsuit accusing sheriff’s office employees of failing to warn Judge Mullins, and their defense that Kentucky law imposed no duty to act. Is that legally sound? Is it morally defensible? This isn’t just a tragedy — it’s a systems failure. One that raises terrifying questions about authority, mental health, and what happens when the person in crisis sits at the very top of the chain of command. #MickeyStines #JudgeMullins #JenniferCoffindaffer #TrueCrime #SystemicFailure #MentalHealthCrisis #HiddenKillers #FBIAnalysis #KentuckyCase 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

Nick Reiner was diagnosed with schizophrenia years ago. He was in treatment. Expensive treatment. According to multiple reports, his medication was changed just weeks before his parents were stabbed to death. His defense attorney, Alan Jackson — fresh off a major acquittal in another high-profile case — is already calling this case “very complex.” Translation: the insanity defense is coming. But insanity is not a diagnosis — it’s a legal standard. In California, the question is narrow and brutal: did the defendant understand what he was doing, and did he know it was wrong? In this episode, we walk through what an insanity defense actually requires, and why it’s far harder to prove than many people assume. We examine how being actively in treatment can cut both ways, how medication changes factor into legal responsibility, and why post-crime behavior — hotel stays, travel, attempts to clean up evidence, calm public behavior — creates serious hurdles for the defense. We also discuss Nick’s court appearance in a suicide prevention smock, the delayed arraignments, and a sealed medical order signed by the judge. What’s happening behind closed doors? Competency evaluations? Psychiatric holds? Strategic positioning? Finally, we explore the most painful layer of all: when the victims and the defendant are part of the same family. How does accountability work when mental illness is real — but so is violence? This isn’t about sympathy versus punishment. It’s about where the law draws the line. #NickReiner #InsanityDefense #Schizophrenia #TrueCrimeAnalysis #JenniferCoffindaffer #HiddenKillers #MentalHealthAndCrime #LegalBreakdown #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

By the time Romy Reiner walked into her parents’ Brentwood home Sunday afternoon, it was already over. Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner had been stabbed multiple times in their master bedroom. Their son, Nick Reiner, was gone. Investigators believe the killings happened hours earlier — giving Nick time to leave the house, check into a Santa Monica hotel, and eventually wander near USC, where he was arrested calmly at a gas station that night. The murder weapon hasn’t been recovered. The hotel room Nick reportedly stayed in was partially cleaned before police arrived. And yet law enforcement says the weapon itself is of “limited investigative value.” That statement alone tells you how confident investigators already are. In this segment, retired FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer breaks down how cases like this are built when the suspect is gone and the clock is already ticking. We examine what matters most in those first hours, how investigators reconstruct movement and intent, and what Nick’s post-offense behavior — from hotel activity to his calm demeanor on surveillance footage — could signal legally. We also look at witness accounts from the night before, including reports of a tense argument between Nick and his father at a holiday party, and concerns from Rob and Michele that they couldn’t safely leave their son alone. These details aren’t side notes — they’re puzzle pieces. This is about what the evidence says now, before the defense narrative takes over. And why police believe they already have enough to move forward with first-degree murder charges. #NickReiner #RobReiner #TrueCrime #CrimeSceneAnalysis #JenniferCoffindaffer #HiddenKillers #BrentwoodCase #FBIAnalysis #TrueCrimeNews 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

Retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke, who ran the Bureau's Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program, joins us to analyze two cases that expose how predatory and crisis behavior escalates inside families while the people closest to it feel powerless to intervene. First, the Nick Reiner case. The son of legendary director Rob Reiner now faces two counts of first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of both his parents at their Brentwood home. Dreeke examines the disturbing timeline that emerged in the hours before the killings: erratic behavior at Conan O'Brien's holiday party, repetitive questioning of celebrities like Bill Hader and Jane Fonda, an explosive public argument between father and son, and Nick's reported four a.m. check-in to a Santa Monica hotel where staff later discovered blood-soaked sheets and a shower full of blood. We discuss what these behavioral patterns reveal about escalation and crisis states, and what this tragedy exposes about the limits of intervention even when families see catastrophe coming. Then we turn to the JP Miller indictment. A federal grand jury just charged the Myrtle Beach pastor with cyberstalking and making false statements to investigators in connection with his wife Mica Miller, who died in April 2024. According to the indictment, Miller posted intimate photos of her online without consent, placed tracking devices on her vehicle, contacted her over fifty times in a single day, and lied to federal investigators about sabotaging her car. Sworn affidavits describe years of coercive control, isolation, and surveillance. Two civil lawsuits now accuse Miller of sexually assaulting minors in the late 1990s. And another death looms over the case: Chris Skinner, a quadriplegic veteran who drowned in 2021 after allegedly confronting Miller about an affair. Dreeke breaks down the manipulation tactics, the warning signs, and what it takes to stop predators who hide behind family and faith. #NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleReiner #JPMiller #MicaMiller #RobinDreeke #FBI #TrueCrime #BehavioralAnalysis #BrentwoodMurders #JusticeForMica #CoerciveControl #HollywoodTragedy #MentalHealthCrisis #CriminalPsychology #SolidRockChurch #FBIExpert #TrueCrimePodcast #FamilyViolence #PredatorBehavior 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

Former FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke — who ran the Bureau's Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program — joins me to break down the psychology behind the JP Miller case and what the federal indictment reveals about predatory behavior and coercive control. A federal grand jury just indicted Myrtle Beach pastor JP Miller on charges of cyberstalking and making false statements to investigators. The charges stem from a documented pattern of harassment against his wife Mica Miller in the months before her death in April 2024. According to the indictment, Miller posted intimate photos of her online without consent, placed tracking devices on her vehicle, contacted her over fifty times in a single day, and lied to federal investigators about sabotaging her car. But the indictment only scratches the surface. Sworn affidavits describe years of coercive control — isolation, financial manipulation, threats, surveillance. Mica told police JP had "groomed" her since she was a child. His first wife says she went to police in 2015 after he confessed to being inappropriate with underage church members. She says they told her no one would believe her. Two civil lawsuits now accuse Miller of sexually assaulting minors in the late 1990s. Both name his father as a co-defendant and allege their churches enabled abuse for decades. And then there's the other death. Chris Skinner — a quadriplegic Army veteran — drowned in 2021, two weeks after allegedly confronting Miller about an affair with his wife. That wife is now married to JP Miller. Robin Dreeke has spent his career studying manipulation, deception, and how predators operate. In this interview, he analyzes the behavioral patterns in this case — the pulpit announcement, the documented control tactics, the lies that caught Miller, and what it takes to stop someone like this. #MicaMiller #JPMiller #RobinDreeke #FBI #JusticeForMica #CoerciveControl #TrueCrime #BehavioralAnalysis #SolidRockChurch #CrimePsych 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

Retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke joins us to analyze the behavioral red flags in the Nick Reiner case—the son of legendary director Rob Reiner who now faces two counts of first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of both his parents. In this exclusive interview, Dreeke examines the disturbing timeline that emerged in the hours before Rob and Michele Reiner were found dead in their Brentwood home: the erratic behavior at Conan O'Brien's star-studded holiday party, the repetitive questioning of celebrities like Bill Hader and Jane Fonda, the explosive public argument between father and son, and Nick's reported 4 a.m. check-in to a Santa Monica hotel where staff later discovered blood-soaked sheets and a shower full of blood. Dreeke explains what these behavioral patterns reveal about escalation, crisis states, and why families often see catastrophe coming but feel powerless to intervene. We discuss what Nick's calm courtroom demeanor might indicate, what defense attorney Alan Jackson's careful language could be signaling, and what this tragedy exposes about the limits of what even wealthy, well-connected families can do when an adult child refuses help. This case has shaken Hollywood and sparked a national conversation about mental health, addiction, and the impossible choices parents face. Dreeke brings decades of experience reading human behavior under pressure—and his analysis cuts through the noise to help us understand what went wrong and why. If you're following the Reiner case, this is essential viewing. Subscribe for continuing coverage as this case moves through the legal system. #NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleReiner #TrueCrime #FBIBehavioralAnalysis #RobinDreeke #BrentwoodMurders #HollywoodTragedy #MentalHealthCrisis #CriminalPsychology 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

Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were stabbed to death in their Brentwood home on December 14th, 2025. Their 32-year-old son Nick has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances — charges that carry the death penalty in California. Defense attorney Alan Jackson says there are "very complex and serious issues" in this case. The DA's office is asking the public not to rush to judgment. So what's really going on here? In this interview, defense attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis breaks down both sides of this case — how prosecutors will try to secure a first-degree conviction and possibly the death penalty, and how the defense will fight back using Nick Reiner's documented history of severe addiction and mental health crises. We examine the special circumstances allegation, the knife enhancement, and the reported argument between Nick and his father at Conan O'Brien's Christmas party the night before the killings. The coroner still hasn't confirmed time of death — and that matters. Nick Reiner entered rehab at 15. By 22, he'd cycled through 17 treatment programs. He's spoken publicly about methamphetamine, heroin, homelessness, and psychotic episodes while using. His father Rob directed a film about his addiction called "Being Charlie" and once said: "I'd rather you hate me than be dead in the street." A family friend who saw Nick ten days before the murders described him as healthy and "on the upswing." So what happened? Can addiction and mental illness reduce first-degree murder charges? What does it mean that Nick wasn't medically cleared for his arraignment? And if the death penalty is on the table, what mitigating factors will the defense present? This is the complete legal breakdown from both perspectives — prosecution and defense — so you understand what's actually at stake and how this case will unfold. #NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleReiner #ReinerMurder #TrueCrime #MurderTrial #DeathPenalty #CriminalDefense #LosAngeles #BreakingNews 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

Rob and Michele Reiner spent nearly two decades trying to save their son. Seventeen rehab stays. Constant supervision. A guest house on their property so they could keep him close and try to manage the chaos. Every possible resource love, money, access, and opportunity could provide. And still, on December 15, 2025, they were found stabbed to death in their Brentwood home. Their son, Nick Reiner, now faces charges in their killings. This is not a story about parents who missed the warning signs. It’s about parents who lived with those signs for eighteen years and had no legal way to act on them. In this in-depth conversation, psychotherapist Shavaun Scott examines what was likely unfolding inside the Reiner family long before that final night. She breaks down why Nick Reiner’s own words — that drugs were never about getting high but about “killing the noise” — point to deeper psychological distress that traditional rehab often fails to address. We explore what happens to parents psychologically when they’ve exhausted every option yet remain trapped in proximity to a volatile adult child, and why wealth and access offered no real protection. The discussion then widens to a second chilling case: the Mickey Stines tragedy in Kentucky, where a sheriff fatally shot a judge inside his own courthouse after weeks of visible psychological unraveling. Witnesses described paranoia, severe sleep deprivation, rapid weight loss, delusional beliefs, and an alarming phone call to a deceased relative on the day of the incident. Coworkers saw it. Friends saw it. Authorities saw it. And still, no intervention stopped what followed. Together, these cases expose a painful reality: in the United States, families and communities often recognize danger long before the law allows action. Competent adults cannot be forced into treatment. Intervention requires “imminent danger,” a threshold that frequently isn’t crossed until lives are already lost. This conversation isn’t about excusing violence or assigning blame. It’s about confronting the limits of love, the failures baked into mental-health and commitment laws, and the impossible position families are placed in when respecting autonomy means risking their own safety. If you’ve ever wondered how people can do everything right and still end up here, this episode offers uncomfortable — but necessary — answers. #ReinerMurders #NickReiner #MickeyStines #JudgeKevinMullins #TrueCrime #MentalHealthCrisis #SystemicFailure #CrimePsychology #FamilyViolence #ShavaunScott #HiddenKillers 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 cases this week that expose exactly how broken the American legal system is — in completely opposite directions. In Arkansas, Aaron Spencer is heading to trial for stopping Michael Fosler, a 67-year-old man with 43 felony charges who was out on bond and actively taking Spencer's 13-year-old daughter in the middle of the night. Fosler had already assaulted her once. A no-contact order was in place. The system knew he was dangerous and let him walk anyway. When Spencer's daughter ended up in Fosler's truck heading toward Fosler's house, Spencer did what the system refused to do — he protected his child. Now prosecutors want to use body cam footage from three months earlier to argue premeditation. They want a jury to believe a father in shock, processing his daughter's disclosure, was actually planning something. The defense says this was a kidnapping in progress and Arkansas law justified every action Spencer took. In California, Rob Reiner's son Nick is accused of taking both of his parents' lives after years of addiction and mental illness that the family publicly tried to address. They had money. They had access. They had every resource available. But California law doesn't let you force an adult into treatment — no matter how sick they are, no matter how many times they've been hospitalized, no matter how obvious the trajectory is. You just wait. The Reiners waited. And now they're gone. One father acted because the system let a predator walk. One father couldn't act because the system tied his hands. Both families deserved better. This episode breaks down the legal fights in both cases and what they reveal about a system that fails victims at every turn. #AaronSpencer #RobReiner #SystemFailed #TrueCrime #FathersRights #MentalHealthLaw #ChildProtection #JusticeSystem #DefenseOfOthers #HiddenKillers 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

Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were stabbed to death in their Brentwood home on December 14th, 2025. Their 32-year-old son Nick has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances — charges that carry the death penalty in California. Defense attorney Alan Jackson says there are "very complex and serious issues" in this case. The DA's office is asking the public not to rush to judgment. So what's really going on here? In this interview, defense attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis breaks down both sides of this case — how prosecutors will try to secure a first-degree conviction and possibly the death penalty, and how the defense will fight back using Nick Reiner's documented history of severe addiction and mental health crises. We examine the special circumstances allegation, the knife enhancement, and the reported argument between Nick and his father at Conan O'Brien's Christmas party the night before the killings. The coroner still hasn't confirmed time of death — and that matters. Nick Reiner entered rehab at 15. By 22, he'd cycled through 17 treatment programs. He's spoken publicly about methamphetamine, heroin, homelessness, and psychotic episodes while using. His father Rob directed a film about his addiction called "Being Charlie" and once said: "I'd rather you hate me than be dead in the street." A family friend who saw Nick ten days before the murders described him as healthy and "on the upswing." So what happened? Can addiction and mental illness reduce first-degree murder charges? What does it mean that Nick wasn't medically cleared for his arraignment? And if the death penalty is on the table, what mitigating factors will the defense present? This is the complete legal breakdown from both perspectives — prosecution and defense — so you understand what's actually at stake and how this case will unfold. #NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleReiner #ReinerMurder #TrueCrime #MurderTrial #DeathPenalty #CriminalDefense #LosAngeles #BreakingNews 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

Nick Reiner's defense attorney Alan Jackson told reporters there are "very complex and serious issues" in this case and urged the public not to rush to judgment. That's not a throwaway line — it's a signal. But a signal of what? In this interview, defense attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis breaks down the defense strategies most likely being developed right now behind closed doors. Nick Reiner has a documented, decades-long history of severe drug addiction. He entered rehab at 15. By 22, he'd been through 17 treatment programs. He's spoken publicly about methamphetamine, heroin, homelessness, and violent episodes while using — including destroying everything in his parents' guest house during a drug-fueled breakdown. His father Rob Reiner directed a semi-autobiographical film about Nick's addiction called "Being Charlie." In interviews promoting the film, Rob said he told his son: "I'd rather you hate me than be dead in the street." The family's struggle with Nick's addiction was painfully public for years. So how does the defense use that history without appearing to blame the victims? Can a documented pattern of addiction and mental health crises reduce first-degree murder to second-degree — or even manslaughter? What does it mean that Nick wasn't medically cleared to appear at his initial arraignment? We also examine what happens if prosecutors pursue the death penalty. What mitigating factors will the defense present? And how effective are addiction and mental illness arguments in California capital cases? This is Part 2 of a two-part series. Watch Part 1: The Prosecution's Case for the full picture. #NickReiner #RobReiner #ReinerCase #TrueCrime #CriminalDefense #MentalHealth #Addiction #CaliforniaLaw #MurderTrial #BreakingNews 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

Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were found stabbed to death in their Brentwood home on December 14th, 2025. Their son Nick Reiner has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances — charges that carry the possibility of the death penalty in California. In this interview, defense attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis breaks down exactly how the Los Angeles District Attorney's office will build their case against Nick Reiner. We examine the special circumstances allegation, the deadly weapon enhancement, and what prosecutors need to prove to secure a first-degree conviction. We also discuss the reported argument between Nick and his father at Conan O'Brien's Christmas party the night before the killings — and whether that incident helps or hurts the prosecution's timeline. The coroner still hasn't confirmed time of death, and that gap matters more than most people realize. DA Nathan Hochman made an unusual statement asking the public to rely only on official sources and wait for evidence to come out in court. Eric explains what that restraint signals about how this case is being handled at the highest levels — and why the death penalty decision will involve input from the surviving Reiner family members. Nick was arrested without incident near USC hours after the bodies were discovered and reportedly checked into a Santa Monica hotel that same night. Does that suggest consciousness of guilt? Or does it complicate the narrative prosecutors want to tell? This is the first of a two-part series examining both sides of this case. Subscribe and turn on notifications for Part 2: The Defense's Case. #NickReiner #RobReiner #MicheleReiner #ReinerMurder #TrueCrime #MurderCharges #DeathPenalty #LosAngeles #CriminalJustice #BreakingNews 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

Rob and Michele Reiner spent nearly two decades trying to save their son. Seventeen rehab stays. Constant supervision. A guest house on their property so they could keep him close and try to manage the chaos. Every possible resource love, money, access, and opportunity could provide. And still, on December 15, 2025, they were found stabbed to death in their Brentwood home. Their son, Nick Reiner, now faces charges in their killings. This is not a story about parents who missed the warning signs. It’s about parents who lived with those signs for eighteen years and had no legal way to act on them. In this in-depth conversation, psychotherapist Shavaun Scott examines what was likely unfolding inside the Reiner family long before that final night. She breaks down why Nick Reiner’s own words — that drugs were never about getting high but about “killing the noise” — point to deeper psychological distress that traditional rehab often fails to address. We explore what happens to parents psychologically when they’ve exhausted every option yet remain trapped in proximity to a volatile adult child, and why wealth and access offered no real protection. The discussion then widens to a second chilling case: the Mickey Stines tragedy in Kentucky, where a sheriff fatally shot a judge inside his own courthouse after weeks of visible psychological unraveling. Witnesses described paranoia, severe sleep deprivation, rapid weight loss, delusional beliefs, and an alarming phone call to a deceased relative on the day of the incident. Coworkers saw it. Friends saw it. Authorities saw it. And still, no intervention stopped what followed. Together, these cases expose a painful reality: in the United States, families and communities often recognize danger long before the law allows action. Competent adults cannot be forced into treatment. Intervention requires “imminent danger,” a threshold that frequently isn’t crossed until lives are already lost. This conversation isn’t about excusing violence or assigning blame. It’s about confronting the limits of love, the failures baked into mental-health and commitment laws, and the impossible position families are placed in when respecting autonomy means risking their own safety. If you’ve ever wondered how people can do everything right and still end up here, this episode offers uncomfortable — but necessary — answers. #ReinerMurders #NickReiner #MickeyStines #JudgeKevinMullins #TrueCrime #MentalHealthCrisis #SystemicFailure #CrimePsychology #FamilyViolence #ShavaunScott #HiddenKillers 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

A Kentucky sheriff shot and killed a judge inside his own courthouse chambers — and according to court documents, the warning signs were everywhere. Witnesses say Mickey Stines hadn't slept in days. He'd lost a massive amount of weight. He was convinced unnamed people were going to kill his wife and daughter. He woke his wife up at night to whisper because he believed their home was bugged. And on the day of the shooting, he reportedly tried calling his grandmother — who had been dead for three years. Coworkers saw it. An attorney saw it.  The local police chief said "that son of a bitch has lost his mind." His friends even took him to the doctor the day before. And still, nobody stopped what was coming. In this segment, psychotherapist Shavaun Scott breaks down what these behaviors actually mean clinically — what paranoid psychosis looks like, why people miss or dismiss the warning signs, and what Stines' insanity defense might actually hold up to. We're not here to excuse what happened. We're here to understand it. Because this case is a brutal lesson in what happens when someone falls apart in plain sight and no one knows what to do about it. #MickeyStines #JudgeKevinMullins #TrueCrime #KentuckySheriff #CourthouseShooting #MentalHealthCrisis #InsanityDefense #WarningSigns #Psychosis #ShavaunScott 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

Here's what no one wants to say out loud: Rob and Michele Reiner probably knew they were in danger. Friends say Michele had been confiding for months that Nick's mental health was deteriorating. Neighbors say there had been violent incidents before. The night before their deaths, Nick got into a screaming argument with his father at a Christmas party. Everyone saw the signs. No one could legally do anything about it. In the United States, you cannot force a competent adult into treatment. You cannot commit someone because you believe they're dangerous. You have to wait until the danger becomes imminent — which usually means you have to wait until someone gets hurt. Rob and Michele Reiner lived inside that impossible gap for eighteen years. And then the gap killed them. Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott joins us to examine the systemic failures that leave families like the Reiners without options. We discuss what parents can actually do legally when an adult child is spiraling — and where their authority ends. We look at why the threshold for involuntary commitment is so high that families often recognize danger years before the law will act. We ask hard questions about whether the rehab industry itself can make certain patients worse. And we talk honestly about what would need to change for cases like this to have different outcomes. This isn't about assigning blame to a grieving family. It's about understanding why our system forces parents to choose between respecting autonomy and protecting themselves — and why that choice shouldn't exist. #RobReiner #MentalHealthLaw #TrueCrime #SystemicFailure #InvoluntaryCommitment #FamilyViolence #ShavaunScott #MentalHealthReform #AddictionCrisis #CrimePsychology 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

Rob and Michele Reiner spent eighteen years trying to save their son. Seventeen rehab facilities. A feature film about his addiction. A guest house on their property so they could watch over him. And still, on December 15th, 2025, they were found stabbed to death in their Brentwood home. Nick Reiner, 32, has been charged with their murders. This isn't a case about parents who didn't see it coming. It's about parents who saw it coming for nearly two decades and couldn't stop it. Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott has spent thirty years working with families in crisis, perpetrators of violence, and people trapped in cycles of addiction and mental illness. She's the author of "Nightbird" and "The Minds of Mass Killers," and in this interview, she breaks down what was likely happening inside the Reiner family long before that final night. We discuss why Nick's own words — that his drug use was never about the drugs, but about "killing the noise" — reveal something critical about what treatment was missing. We examine what happens to parents psychologically when they've exhausted every resource and still live in proximity to a volatile adult child. We look at why wealth and access to the best facilities offered essentially no protection. And we explore the warning signs that families often see but can't bring themselves to act on — because acting means treating your own child as a threat. If you've ever wondered how a family can do everything right and still end up here, this conversation offers uncomfortable answers. The Reiners aren't a cautionary tale about neglect. They're a cautionary tale about the limits of love when you're up against something love can't fix. #RobReiner #NickReiner #TrueCrime #FamilyViolence #AddictionRecovery #MentalHealthCrisis #ShavaunScott #Parricide #CrimePsychology #HollywoodTragedy 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 cases this week that expose exactly how broken the American legal system is — in completely opposite directions. In Arkansas, Aaron Spencer is heading to trial for stopping Michael Fosler, a 67-year-old man with 43 felony charges who was out on bond and actively taking Spencer's 13-year-old daughter in the middle of the night. Fosler had already assaulted her once. A no-contact order was in place. The system knew he was dangerous and let him walk anyway. When Spencer's daughter ended up in Fosler's truck heading toward Fosler's house, Spencer did what the system refused to do — he protected his child. Now prosecutors want to use body cam footage from three months earlier to argue premeditation. They want a jury to believe a father in shock, processing his daughter's disclosure, was actually planning something. The defense says this was a kidnapping in progress and Arkansas law justified every action Spencer took. In California, Rob Reiner's son Nick is accused of taking both of his parents' lives after years of addiction and mental illness that the family publicly tried to address. They had money. They had access. They had every resource available. But California law doesn't let you force an adult into treatment — no matter how sick they are, no matter how many times they've been hospitalized, no matter how obvious the trajectory is. You just wait. The Reiners waited. And now they're gone. One father acted because the system let a predator walk. One father couldn't act because the system tied his hands. Both families deserved better. This episode breaks down the legal fights in both cases and what they reveal about a system that fails victims at every turn. #AaronSpencer #RobReiner #SystemFailed #TrueCrime #FathersRights #MentalHealthLaw #ChildProtection #JusticeSystem #DefenseOfOthers #HiddenKillers

Nick Reiner is in custody right now, accused of taking the lives of both of his parents inside their Brentwood home. The night before, witnesses say he got into a screaming confrontation with his father Rob Reiner at a holiday party. By Sunday afternoon, Rob and Michele Reiner were gone — reportedly discovered by their own daughter Romy. Nick Reiner is 32 years old. He has been in and out of treatment programs since he was fifteen. He's experienced homelessness. He's struggled publicly with addiction and severe mental health issues for most of his adult life. His parents talked about it openly. They made a documentary about their attempts to help him. Michele Reiner reportedly told friends recently that they had tried everything. And here's the part that should infuriate every family watching this — in California, "everything" doesn't include the one thing that might have actually made a difference. You cannot force an adult into treatment. Not even when they're clearly in crisis. Not even when they're deteriorating in front of you. Not even when you have unlimited resources and access to the best care in the country. You have to wait until something terrible happens. California has 5150 psychiatric holds. It has a new program called CARE Court. None of it works the way families need it to. The holds are too short. The programs have no enforcement. Meanwhile, people in crisis cycle through emergency rooms and back onto the street while their families watch helplessly. This episode breaks down what options families actually have under current law, why those options consistently fail, and what's likely coming next in this case. #RobReiner #NickReiner #MentalHealthCrisis #CaliforniaLaw #FamilyTragedy #5150Hold #CARECourt #MentalHealthReform #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers 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