We begin with Bryan Kohberger’s reported self-harm threats inside Idaho Maximum Security Institution. He’s allegedly telling staff he’ll “harm himself” if they don’t move him out of J-Block — a threat strategically worded, attached to conditions, and deployed after earlier complaints didn’t get traction. Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott breaks down the psychology behind conditional threats, escalation patterns, and why institutions must take every claim seriously even when manipulation is suspected.
From there, we move into Kohberger’s serial-killer outreach — his attempts to connect with high-profile offenders rather than family or supporters. Shavaun helps us understand what this reveals about identity, belonging, status, and the collapse of the image he expected to maintain inside prison. When inmates respond with contempt instead of fascination, the psychological fallout can be profound.
Finally, we shift to the Anna Kepner cruise-ship case, where conflicting accounts from adults and teens highlight the distance between family myth and emotional reality. Parents describe harmony; teens describe aggression. Shavaun walks us through why teenagers often perceive danger more clearly than adults, how aggression becomes normalized, and why blended families are especially vulnerable to maintaining a narrative that doesn’t match the truth.
Across all three segments, one theme emerges: when reality doesn’t match the story someone needs to believe, the mind works overtime to bridge the gap — sometimes through manipulation, sometimes through denial, and sometimes through sheer grandiosity.
#HiddenKillers #BryanKohberger #AnnaKepner #ShavaunScott #TrueCrimePodcast #PrisonPsychology #FamilyDynamics #SerialOffenders #TonyBrueski #CriminalMindset
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
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
The Brothers Ortiz
The Brothers Ortiz is the story of two brothers–both successful, but in very different ways. Gabe Ortiz becomes a third-highest ranking officer in all of Texas while his younger brother Larry climbs the ranks in Puro Tango Blast, a notorious Texas Prison gang. Gabe doesn’t know all the details of his brother’s nefarious dealings, and he’s made a point not to ask, to protect their relationship. But when Larry is murdered during a home invasion in a rented beach house, Gabe has no choice but to look into what happened that night. To solve Larry’s murder, Gabe, and the whole Ortiz family, must ask each other tough questions.