Bryan Kohberger: The Selfie, The School Paper, and The Psychology of a Killer | 2025 Year in Review

As part of our Hidden Killers 2025 Year in Review series, we’re examining two of the most unnerving threads in the case against Bryan Kohberger — the alleged thumbs-up mirror selfie taken hours after the Idaho student murders, and the college paper that prosecutors say reveals the mind of a killer long before the crime. In this special combined episode, Tony Brueski brings together a powerful mix of expert voices — retired FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer , behavioral expert Robin Dreeke , and defense attorney Bob Motta — to unpack how two seemingly separate pieces of evidence might expose the psychology and planning behind one of the most disturbing crimes in modern memory. The selfie, allegedly timestamped 10:31 AM on November 13th, 2022 , shows Kohberger clean-shaven, wearing a white button-up, giving a calm thumbs-up in front of a shower — while the victims still lay undiscovered just miles away. It’s an image that feels ripped from American Psycho , echoing both Patrick Bateman’s narcissism and Norman Bates’ eerie detachment . Was it a subconscious taunt? A digital trophy? Or simply the reflection of a man who couldn’t tell the difference between performance and reality? Then comes the academic paper that prosecutors now want admitted as evidence: “Crime-Scene Scenario Final.” Written in 2020 during Kohberger’s criminology studies, the 12-page essay describes — in chilling detail — how to secure, process, and control a murder scene without leaving trace evidence. He even wrote about wearing “fiber-free protective gear” and checking neighbor alibis — years before a masked intruder allegedly slaughtered four students while leaving behind only one trace: DNA on a knife sheath. The episode breaks down what prosecutors call a pattern of preparation , bolstered by other alleged evidence — a balaclava receipt , phone pings near the crime scene, and the now-infamous Amazon purchase of a knife, sheath, and sharpener. Is the paper proof of intent, or just twisted irony? And could that mirror selfie — equal parts arrogance and emptiness — be the moment his mask slipped for good? 🎙️ Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski — 2025 Year in Review: The Crimes, the Evidence, and the Psychology That Defined the Year. #BryanKohberger #IdahoMurders #HiddenKillers #TonyBrueski #JenniferCoffindaffer #RobinDreeke #BobMotta #TrueCrimePodcast #PapaRodger #AmericanPsycho #CriminalPsychology #CourtroomDrama #Idaho4 #YearInReview #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