Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski | True Crime News & Commentary

Ten days before jury selection begins in her aggravated murder trial, Kouri Richins' case appeared in a Department of Homeland Security intelligence bulletin warning law enforcement that domestic partners are increasingly using chemical and biological toxins to kill. The January 2026 bulletin documented seventeen cases since 2014 with at least eleven deaths, identifying substances like cyanide, antifreeze, fentanyl, and common eye drops — all chosen because they mimic natural illness. DHS specifically cited Richins' upcoming trial as part of this accelerating national pattern.
Richins is charged with aggravated murder in the 2022 fentanyl death of her husband Eric in Kamas, Utah. Prosecutors allege she spiked his cocktail with a fatal dose — five times the lethal amount found in his blood — after a failed attempt on Valentine's Day two weeks earlier. The alleged motive is financial, with prosecutors claiming her realty company owed at least $1.8 million while Eric's estate was worth roughly $5 million. She has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent. Trial begins February 23, 2026.
But the DHS warning isn't just about the Richins case. It's about what we're missing. America's autopsy rate has collapsed to 8.5%, with natural-looking deaths autopsied just 4.3% of the time. Death certificates are wrong roughly a third of the time. Tony examines three convicted spousal poisoners — James Craig, Lana Clayton, and Stacey Castor — who each nearly escaped detection, and connects their cases to the Richins trial and the systemic blind spots that let poisoners walk free. The system didn't catch any of them. A person did every time.
#KouriRichins #DHSPoisoningWarning #SpousalPoisoning #JamesCraig #LanaClayton #StaceyCastor #AutopsyCrisis #EricRichins #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers
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Two massive investigations. One retired FBI Special Agent. Jennifer Coffindaffer — twenty-two years with the Bureau — analyzes both.
In Tucson, Nancy Guthrie has been missing for five days. The FBI is jointly running the case. Ransom notes went to media outlets, not the family. No proof of life. No follow-up. The sheriff denied forced entry and contradicted media reports. The next day, investigators returned to the crime scene with canine units and evidence bags. The doorbell camera is empty.
In Los Angeles, the D4VD grand jury is escalating. A close friend was arrested and compelled to testify. The label head was grilled for days. Outside forensic experts were brought in. The Tesla where Celeste Rivas Hernandez's remains were found was held for forty-eight hours. No charges filed.
Coffindaffer reads between the lines on both — what the silence means in Guthrie, what the pressure means in D4VD, and where each investigation actually stands right now.
#NancyGuthrie #D4VD #CelesteRivasHernandez #FBI #GrandJury #JenniferCoffindaffer #RansomNotes #LAPD #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime
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What does an autopsy really say about motive when the victims never get to speak?
In the McKee/Tepe case, the autopsy paints a brutal, almost surgical picture. Monique Tepe was shot nine times, including a close-range gunshot to the face. Spencer Tepe was shot seven times, with defensive wounds to his hand and arm suggesting he tried to shield his wife in their final moments. Both likely died within seconds to minutes. A full magazine was emptied. Two children slept just feet away. Former FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke breaks down what these wound patterns can reveal about the shooter’s psychological state, and whether Michael McKee’s alleged eight-year fixation made this outcome feel inevitable. Why was Monique shot more times, and at closer range? Does a facial gunshot point to something personal, rage-driven, or symbolic?
What do Spencer’s defensive injuries tell us about the sequence of events and his last attempt to intervene? Sixteen rounds fired into two people isn’t impulsive.
Robin explains what that volume of fire suggests about mental rehearsal versus explosive emotion, and how professional conditioning may shape how violence is carried out. According to the affidavit, McKee allegedly told Monique over the years that he could “kill her at any time” and that “she will always be his wife.” Robin explores the so-called wound collector profile, someone who stockpiles perceived slights for years, feeding revenge fantasies until a final trigger pulls everything into motion. With a phone that allegedly went dark during the murder window, stolen plates on the SUV, and post-arrest attempts to alter identifying details, investigators point to counter-forensic behavior and operational awareness. But can anything crack someone who may have planned this for nearly a decade, and does the autopsy itself hold the key to breaking through that psychological armor?
#MichaelMcKee #TepeAutopsy #MoniqueTepe #SpencerTepe #RobinDreeke #FBIBehavioralAnalysis #WoundCollector #16Gunshots #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers
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This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.

The D4VD grand jury investigation is ramping up. Neo Langston — a close friend of D4VD — was arrested by seven officers in Montana on an LAPD Robbery-Homicide warrant and compelled to testify as a witness. He was in front of the grand jury for roughly thirty to forty minutes. Label head Robert Morgenroth testified for multiple days and was allegedly grilled about why he never called police. Outside forensic experts have reportedly been brought in because of conflict between the DA's office and the LA County Medical Examiner.
Five months after Celeste Rivas Hernandez's dismembered remains were found in D4VD's Tesla, no charges have been filed. But multiple sources say an indictment is likely. Investigators have reportedly reconstructed D4VD's digital footprint down to the minute. The Tesla was held by LAPD for only forty-eight hours.
Retired FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer breaks down what compelled, short-duration witness testimony reveals about what prosecutors already know, how the forensic battles could affect the case, and whether this grand jury timeline signals strength or struggle.
#D4VD #CelesteRivasHernandez #GrandJury #NeoLangston #LAPD #JenniferCoffindaffer #RobberyHomicide #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers #TrueCrimePodcast
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Nine days after Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her Tucson home, the gap between what investigators are saying and what they are doing has never been wider. Officially — no suspects, no persons of interest, no vehicles. On the ground — drone footage of deputies probing a septic tank on Nancy's property. Three hours of forensic work inside Annie Guthrie's home Saturday night with photography flashes through the windows and deputies leaving with evidence bags and latex gloves. Investigators pulling Circle K surveillance footage after an employee said they were looking for "a guy that got away." Topographic search grids photographed at a staging area and carried into headquarters. A crime scene released after one day, re-entered five times, with a rooftop camera missed for five days. The ransom notes that launched a thousand headlines contained no proof of life, no communication channel back to the sender, and produced zero follow-through when the first deadline passed. The family's "we will pay" video was FBI-directed, responding to a second note that asked for nothing. 
Sheriff Chris Nanos was photographed near the front row at a basketball game Saturday evening while his deputies were extracting evidence from a family member's home. His own union revealed he grounded the thermal-imaging Cessna by punishing its pilot and transferred the most experienced Search and Rescue deputy off the unit months before Nancy vanished. Nancy is 84. Her pacemaker went dark at 2:28 AM. She has been without life-sustaining medication for nine days. The investigation just went silent — no scheduled briefings. That is not a department with nothing. That is a department building toward something.
#NancyGuthrie #SavannahGuthrie #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers #FBI #ChrisNanos #PimaCounty #MissingPerson #ForensicSearch #CrimeScene
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