This is Hidden Killers with Tony Brewski. Before a single opening statement in a courtroom, everyone is

already pulling harder on the steering wheel than ever, either the prosecution or the defense.

In the case against Brian Coburger, the judge isn't just keeping order. He's directing traffic.

Whole swaths of evidence are getting clipped out. Words like murder, psychopath, and even the term

touch DNA are being treated like they're radioactive. Meanwhile, evidence like the K-bar knife

and the order from Amazon and DNA on the sheath are left at the scene.

It's all in.

Game on!

It begs a question, what's more important in a trial like this?

The evidence itself or the legal scaffolding that tells the jury what to even pay attention to?

Joining us is someone who knows the rules, has enforced them, and has even worked

with evidence that can make or break a federal case. Jennifer Coffendaffer, retired FBI special

agent, host of the Break the Case podcast. She's here. Let's not tiptoe at this. When you see a judge

toss out words like psychopath and clamp down on forensic

lingo while allowing the heavily curated Amazon history. And what's your first instinct here?

Is this all on track? Is a judge doing a good job thus far into the case? Or is he boxing things in a bit too much?

Where do you stand?

I think the judge,

Judge Hippler is doing a great job.

I don't think you should be able to say psychopath,

and there was another word.

He's actually allowing murder and murder.

...