The Psychology of a Manipulator; Robin Dreeke on How Stephan Sterns Groomed Trust
Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski | True Crime News & Commentary
True Crime Today
3.3 • 907 Ratings
🗓️ 21 February 2025
⏱️ 15 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What kind of person can look you in the eye, swear they’ve done nothing wrong, and actually believe it? Welcome to the twisted world of Stefan Stearns, the man at the center of the horrifying case of 13-year-old Madeline Soto. Investigators didn’t have to work too hard to follow his trail—it was practically lit up with neon signs, from self-incriminating digital evidence to surveillance footage that paints a grim picture. But what really makes this case stand out isn’t just the heinous crimes—it’s the chilling way Stearns seemingly rationalizes his actions.
Retired FBI Special Agent and behavioral expert Robin Dreeke breaks down the mind of a manipulator, diving into how predators like Stearns justify the unthinkable. From disturbing interrogation tactics to the unsettling way he deflects responsibility, we explore how investigators crack the mindset of a man who truly believes his own lies. But here’s the real question: Can someone like this even recognize that what they’re doing is evil, or are they just playing a different game altogether?
#MadelineSoto #StefanStearns #TrueCrime #FBI #BehavioralAnalysis #HiddenKillers #CrimeInvestigation
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | There are two types of drive you can have on the motorway, one that feels like this. |
| 0:04.7 | Oh, one that feels... |
| 0:06.4 | Like this. |
| 0:10.2 | The difference is just a few little changes, like giving more space to the car in front, or not hogging the middle lane. |
| 0:16.6 | Because being a little more considerate on the road actually reduces congestion and collisions, |
| 0:22.1 | which transforms everyone's journey, so we all feel a little less and a lot more national highways. |
| 0:31.0 | This is Hidden Killers with Tony Brewski. |
| 0:35.7 | Murder, lies and a trail of digital breadcrumbs. |
| 0:41.6 | Sometimes real life plays out like a crime thriller. |
| 0:44.1 | Except there's no Hollywood ending in the case that we're about to talk about. |
| 0:50.5 | Diving into the chilling case of 13-year-old Madeline Soto, whose disappearance led investigators |
| 0:56.5 | down a rabbit hole of disturbing secrets. At the center of it all, Stefan Stern, a man once |
| 1:01.9 | trusted by Maddie's family, now facing not just murder charges, but also a staggering 60 sex-related |
| 1:08.6 | offenses which were uncovered in the investigation. With so much |
| 1:12.8 | evidence, digital footprints, forensic findings, and the web of deceit, or I kind of left asking |
| 1:18.8 | what really happened to Maddie and how does someone like Stearns rationalize these crimes? |
| 1:25.1 | Joining us today, retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreek, and I'm really curious to get |
| 1:32.4 | your thoughts on some of this, since we dive into the mind here of Stefan Stearns. When you look at this |
| 1:38.4 | case, all the alleged double life of him, the way he reportedly manipulated trust and hid in plain sight. |
| 1:46.0 | What stands out to you the most from a behavioral analysis perspective? |
| 1:49.4 | And how do investigators piece together the truth when a suspect like this is basically, |
| 1:55.3 | you know, a known experienced liar? |
... |
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