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Podcast: Mind Behind The Crime | The Psychology Of Killers
Episode: Kevin Franke: Manipulated Victim or Willing Bystander? The Psychology Behind ‘Devil in the Family’ | 2025 True Crime
Description: Was Kevin Franke a victim of psychological manipulation — or a bystander who found it easier not to look too closely? In this gripping Hidden Killers deep dive, Tony Brueski and psychotherapist Shavaun Scott analyze one of the most troubling dynamics explored in Hulu’s Devil in the Family: a father who insists he never recognized the abuse happening under his own roof.
The episode begins with the psychology of Kevin’s denial. How does a spouse convince themselves that extreme parenting is “discipline” rather than danger? Shavaun Scott breaks down the mechanisms of thought-reform, coercive influence, and the slow erosi...