What Bryan Kohberger's Own Defense Attorneys Said About the Expert Behind the Idaho Murders Book

True Crime Today

11 May 2026

The criminologist behind the biggest new book on the Idaho murders has been publicly disavowed by the defense team that hired him. Ann Taylor, Elisa Massoth, and Bicka Barlow said they are "appalled" by Brent Turvey's media appearances and that he is violating his confidentiality agreement. They said he was hired solely for crime scene analysis and is now speaking on topics outside his expertise. Meanwhile, the book's author told NewsNation there is "no smoking gun" and "no secret evidence" in the Kohberger case. This Hidden Killers Week in Review brings together two episodes pulling apart both the book's claims and the psychological portrait of Bryan Kohberger emerging from his own writings. Tony Brueski fact-checked every major claim in "Broken Plea" against on-the-record responses from Idaho prosecutors, defense attorneys, and forensic professionals. The chain of custody allegation that Turvey calls "fabricated"? Moscow's police chief says the department uses electronic barcodes, not handwritten logs. The Othram DNA lab story? A standard step in genetic genealogy, not a cover-up. The second-attacker theory? Contradicted by Kohberger himself, who pled guilty as a sole actor with zero incentive to protect an accomplice. The overriding question: Kohberger had every argument in this book and a trial date weeks away. He still said guilty. Then there are the jail letters — never before published, now surfaced in the book itself. Kohberger wrote to his dog claiming they communicated telepathically. He wrote his family about "triumphantly ascending" and "clarity and serenity." He wrote his sister a letter so clinical it reads like a dissertation. Across all of it, not a single mention of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, or Ethan Chapin. Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott analyzes the writings alongside inmate reports of obsessive handwashing until his skin bled and a man who watched his own coverage on every channel but changed it the moment his family appeared onscreen. Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePod 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. #BryanKohberger #IdahoMurders #BrokenPlea #KayleeGoncalves #MadisonMogen #XanaKernodle #EthanChapin #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #CriminalPsychology