Criminal Lawyer Reacts to Teen Killer Thinks He's Going Home After Murdering His Mother 

I'm so glad Bruce is still Beard Certified

For your son to hear you publicly gush about how much you love him and how much you value your relationship has got to make him feel on top of the world.

I used to tell my children not to choose a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Specificallly speaking of suicide, but it applies here, too.

I was adopted from Athens, Greece by a military family stationed in Ankara, Turkey. My parents are in heaven now and I miss them very much. Not all adopted kids are evil!

He just went from 25 years to life to life with no parole in 5 words. "I remember sharpening the axe."

You know what this case reminds me of? The foster kid my parents took in when I was 7. Dad was so desperate for a son & mom so greedy for $ that they knowingly took in a 15 yr old boy who had set 2 of previous foster homes on fire. Sure enough, 2 weeks into him living with us he set our house on fire while we slept. Lit the curtains & bed on fire in his room & lit the curtains & sofa on fire then walked out. He just stood there in the yard watching our house burn. We didn't have smoke detectors either. Luckily, what we did have was a collie that wouldn't stop barking until we got up.

I spat my drink when I saw how deep that axe was, that must've required an unimaginable amount of force, just everything you can muster. To imagine that the guy speaking normally enough in the interview would be able to do such a thing, wow

My husband was adopted, he’s the middle child with an older & younger sibling who weren’t adopted. He is very non-aggressive but doesn’t naturally show much affection, uncomfortable hugging etc but I’m thankful for his steady calmness

As a child of a doctor and nurse, I can appreciate the gallows humor. It helps to get through the serious stuff with your sanity.

The woman we bought our house from was single and had a teenage son. Right after they sold us the house they moved to another state and we learned that her son stabbed her to death while she slept on their sofa because she wouldn’t let him go to a basketball game that night. Just frightening.

“Everything they see [on social media] is a measure against themself.” Brutal truth.

Working as a mental health counselor, I had a teen client that I was very confident was a psychopath. He also was adopted and had good parents. I always thought they got so screwed by the random chance of which baby they adopted.

Im a 66yr old male , l had a very bad childhood, my father knifed my mother twice , threatened one of my sisters with a rife, hit me at the back of my head with a lump of wood ,l need 20 stitches and mum pleading for not to call the police. When l turned 17 and a ha,f l joined the Navy to get away. I had many thoughts of killing my father but never did. What this evil boy did with a axe and the force he did it with is just mind blowing. That evil little lowlife.

I was adopted. When I turned 13, there were a bunch of stories in the Enquirer about adoptees killing their parents. My adopted Mom was not that smart. She took me to a psychiatrist, saying she was worried that I was going to kill her. The Dr talked to me for 5 minutes, said I was fine, and told her he wanted to see her twice a week. She died 35 years later of natural causes.

This case has MUCH MUCH MUCH more than what we hear in this interrogation! I just listened to EWU Crime Storytime on this. There’s SO much to this story. I mean, yikes. And there’s even a little brother who was also later adopted from Guatemala and was either problematic himself or was abused by Denise to lead to problems. There was mention of neighbors having pets chopped in half. Just a bad bad situation all the way around, with some points of okayness sprinkled in.

I know he's young but i can't help but call him UNGRATEFUL!! She gave him a life he would never have had. Those pics are heartbreaking.

"What was in that pie?" That literally killed me 😂

Thank you for speaking briefly on Reactive Attachment Disorder. I adopted my daughter at age 6. She has severe Reactice Attachment Disorder and she has attempted to murder me several times, along with a slew of other violent behaviors. We have participated in extensive therapy, seminars, in-patient hospitalizations, spiritual support and so on. It’s a disorder that defies logic and leaves the entire family traumatized.

Bruce is killing me laughing. He has this wonderful mixture of sympathy towards victims and harshness towards bullies. Yet at the same time wants to defend people. As he always says it has be proven beyond reasonable doubt. I was sexually assaulted and worried myself sick for a year, the old creeps excuse was ‘ I was looking for a lighter.’ The defence was speechless. I was asleep on my couch fully clothed with a blanket on top of me. They found his DNA and if I had not woken up it could have been much worse. Found out later he preyed on people. I find Bruce easier to understand than the people supporting me. They were so harsh, it was awful. Anyway he lost, 5 years in a UK prison, means he served half. However I get why Bruce does it I wonder though how tough it is knowing a rapist or chmo might be back on the streets. ❤❤❤❤

Every time I think you have outdone yourself with your sense of humor, you go and kick it up another notch in your next video. Sir, you are freaking hilarious. Thank you so much for putting a smile on my face. I suffer from depression, and watching your videos helps a ton.

As a teenager I didn’t have the luxury to not think about the consequences of my actions on even things in my far future, like possible future work. Not saying that I didn’t do anything stupid, but whatever I did was far from killing anyone. While regular teens do stupid stuff all the time, I don’t believe that they’re not mature enough to know that killing someone has consequences… this kid clearly has other issues.

Bruce I’m a forensic psych student and have been binging your videos like crazy lately!! You have such a great disposition and sense of humor. Shoutout!!

I adopted a baby boy at 6 months, but when you adopt an older kid, it’s taking a chance, kids have had horrific backgrounds,

“Is there any chance I could get it expunged later?” sent a CHILL up my spine…

It will never cease to amaze me how many of these people actually think they committed the perfect crime. You’ll always get caught: don’t do the big bad thing.

I was adopted at birth (3 days old). My parents (the people who adopted me) raised me as absolutely best as they could and told me that I was adopted as soon as I could begin to understand it. Despite my parents holding me as a baby and doing the best they could I inadvertently developed attachment syndrome which was manifested as being rather emotionless. Not mean or cruel, just overall flatly affected. As a side note our family has a friend who adopted a girl from an orphanage in Siberia. It was reported that the baby girl had never been held and grew up in a crib for the first 4 years of her life. As she grew up in her new American home she would push brother down the stairs and hit sister. Thankfully though the family was able to get her on tract and she is now getting her master's degree from Miami of Ohio!

Boy you sure hit the nail on the head about the impact of social media on our society today.

Bruce, I do think that children can understand consequences. Every action a child does has either a positive reaction or a negative reaction. It basically comes down to parenting children. It doesn’t matter you’re social economic status, or the marital status of a parent. It basically begins at an early stage with a toddler; using the word “no!” is a good beginning. Thanks to you and your son for providing this clip. Stay safe and happy everyone.

I saw this need for his brain to mature happen with my own nephew. He finally grew up around 27 years old but had two felony strikes by then. He’s not been in trouble (legal trouble) in the 20 years since then. He grew up without coping skills that he didn’t develop for a long time. Our young men need more help than they get, really.

His disconnect is actually painful and shows how messed up he is. Sad.The lawyer sees the irony but the fact that this kid doesn't is just so disturbing.

You and your son are the best! Love ALL THE CRAZY stuff you guys cover! I always learn so much from you!

You're closing words about this was a message to anyone watching. No problems are that severe that you can't resolve it with words.. Such wisdom for those listening

Bruce: "there's no problem that can be solved with an axe that can't be solved with words" me: *standing outside having a serious conversation with my logs that refuse to split themselves*

I think we can all quite easily agree with the detective's assessment/diagnosis. Kid didn't show a single iota of emotion until the detective put forth a subtle accusation... to which he very suddenly seemed 10 times more bothered by being labeled a sociopath than the fact that his mother was found with her head damn near cleaved in two by an axe.

As usual very good insight from Counselor Rivers. Thanks for always pointing out what's missing in certain individuals and reaffirming the humanity in the rest of us.

I adopted my daughter at 5 months. She is 25 now, plagued with mental disorders starting at 5 yo. Yes, she hasn’t shown any murderous tendencies but I wouldn’t be surprised….. Fortunately, she doesn’t live with us and has a boyfriend to keep her in line. When the brain is messed up, it is hard to overcome. Very sad life!

The more I watch Bruce the more I realize, he's born showman. Very natural on screen, good for him. Love your stuff Bruce!

I love how Bruce talks about his son. It’s just so touching. Thank you Michael and Bruce for your efforts in providing quality content.

When I worked for probation the worst court report I ever read was a teen couple who stabbed the grandma to death and the grandma's last words were, " You could stop stabbing me, I'm already dead"

I love your message to the teens and all of us! If everyone would live after that rule the world would be a great place!

I was born in Lima Peru and was given an adoption by my Mom when I was a baby. I definitely did and am still working through my attachment & identity issues/disorder as a grown woman. It’s definitely crippling and hurts every fiber of your being but with the right supports and self love you can believe that YOU on your own is lovable and belong! May his mother RIP, all she wanted was to love her baby and bring him here for a better life

As an adopted child myself... I don't think we attach like other people do, no matter how good the family is. Not necessarily to the point of psychopathy, but I notice we can withstand really difficult situations without reacting emotionally as well as tending to cut off relationships that aren't working for us. Not generally with an axe, though.

You are hilarious. I laughed so hard - and then felt horrible for laughing at the cost of such a heinous crime - but then laughed again 🥴 at how dumb this guy was - albeit with minimal guilt.. 😏 Good for you for being able to psychologically distance yourself from some pretty horrible crimes so that you can be effective (and remain sane) - it takes a lot of work to do that.

I had friend in high school, 1965, who told me that he wished his patents "cared enough" about him to set boundaries. He understood what setting limits really means.

"Teens don't understand consequences" That depends on how they were raised. My dad drilled the concept of consequences into my head starting when I was like 8 or 9. I had a solid grasp on consequences when I was a teenager. That kept me out of so much trouble that my friends got into.

I'm a happily married woman in my late-40s, and I gotta say - I'm loving the hell out of the beard. Not every guy can pull it off, but Bruce's got that whole silver fox thing going on, and I'm here for it. 🤘😎

Thank you Michael for all your hard work and of course Bruce! Great video guys!!

Bruce i really respect how much you fully support your son... my father worked his ass off to support our family an i will always be extremely grateful for rasing me to respect my elders he just wasn't the kind of father that gave compliments an never told me he loved me...i know he loves be but it would have been nice to hear your son is a lucky man to have you as a father

I have a friend who had adopted many foster children along with her regular family. Total 11. Husband owned an engineering company so wasn't about money. She adopted another child (adopted) from a couple from their church....Oh my goodness. This young girl had DETACHMENT DISORDER. Within a year (despite counseling, private bedroom (for safety etc), and a lot of intervention, this little girl became more and more dangerous behavior hiding knives, coffee pot, and tools in her bedroom. There was more that wasn't shared with me. But the family didnt feel safe. The parents petitioned the courts to cancel the adoption and the child was surrendered back to the state. She has been institutionalized since.😢 That ax picture was horrid. PS Sorry if this triggered people. There are many varibles. Im certain that foster personalities like these: drug abuse and pre-existing mental health issues in the parents as well as environmental sutuations, the parent's histories/the legacy that gets passed down for generations.

I grew up the daughter of an attorney. There was no getting anything by him. I would be interrogated until I admitted fault. The only advantage of this was a knowledge at a very young age, that I really couldn’t get away with being an idiot. It is idiotic to believe you can get away with murder ever. This seems obvious, but I guess not to everyone.

You’re a great father! I have a special relationship with my two boys(10 & 13) where they are able to speak to me like pals, though they understand that when it’s time to work especially on their schoolwork, dad becomes serious. Your relationship with Michael encourages me to keep going because I’d like that at 26 like him, they should be able to spend time with me and not feel like we can’t relate at any level! I had a strict vertical relationship with my father, and when he turned 60(I was 30 at the time), we had very little in common, we never argued or anything because I was still scared of him, but I never knew what to say to him. He got really hurt on many occasions because he had to hear a lot about me from my mother, eg that I bought myself a car, that I met someone etc etc, but it was hard for me because I was not used to discussing stuff with him like that. We did make progress but it was tough. I’m learning from you BR and MR!!!

Really enjoy these video And this criminal defense lawyer has an amazing personality, open minded and understanding. Thank you for these videos!!

I love that Bruce is so unapologetically himself, and his personality is the type that I get along with pretty easily so this channel is always so refreshing and entertaining to watch.

My mom was verbally abusive and there was no having a conversation with her to work things out, but i never ever contemplated putting an ax thru her head. Not even a fantasy of it. This kid is sick. Thanks for making me laugh thru thus horrible thing, Bruce and Content Genius. Love you guys!

I’m glad I found this channel. It’s rare in this day and age to find a person that just tells it like it is, regardless of how it sounds. It’s so refreshing to hear honest takes.

I love that Infound you. Love the way you process the interviews

A friends daughter adopted 2 boys ages 8 and 6.She had a lengthy introduction time with them. After adoption the older one became difficult to handle. She found out later his birth parents had abused him. As a teen among many other problems he threatened to kill her. He was in and out of trouble in juvenile court. She tried finally to relinquish rights of him but was told she couldn't. The adoption agency lied to them by with holding information that may have changed their mind about the adoption. The younger one had learning disabilities and was beginning to take up the older child's bad behaviors ( lying, petty theft, bad attitude ).It was such a sad mess.

The scariest part of this was when I realized what the picture was. I originally thought it was a skull with a portion blurred out so we couldn’t see the damage. I can’t tell you how long I stared before realizing it’s an X-ray and the big “blurred” portion is actually the axe. Truly terrifying! I don’t want to imagine what she looked like physically.

As an adult who displays very little emotion even, or especially during highly emotional times, even I was struck by this teen’s ability to catalog what he saw without visible reactions.

I always thought it was of the upmost importance to somehow teach my children empathy. With my son , he shot a lizard with his BB gun and I sat down with him and asked him if he thought maybe it’s parents or brother or sister were waiting for it to come home and play. And it would never get to go home and play. He began to try to awaken it and felt bad. With my daughter she loved to catch frogs. And I told her make sure not to hurt them and put them back so they could go back home and play. They both learned empathy. Whether it is just part of their character or taught to them I can only guess. But I get the feeling this boy was never denied until the time he broke her arm. But who knows. I did read an article a few years back that questioned if psychopaths and sociopaths were born that way or made that way. I tend to think it’s somewhat both. This young man was probably doted on and bragged on a lot as a child.

The beauty of a narcissist is that they can't stop talking.

Wow! This story is just heartbreaking. She literally adopted her murderer.

“99.9%.” “So ya say i have a chance?” 😂

OMG! Your laughter brightens😅 and "humor" my day!! Love it, love you! Love the relationship between you and your Michael 💖. You are both so blessed! Thank you for all you both do and bringing so much joy😂 to so many. Much love

Beard certified criminal defense lawyer. Happy 1 million man, I’ll be waiting for that subscriber party in Vegas now that you guys have a million. Well deserved. We appreciate you

Bruce, you crack me up big time! “Sorry we offended you, please, be on your way. Here’s your axe.”

This one really had me in stitches, Bruce had some absolute zingers😂

I'm not a lawyer. I'm trained in forensics, crime scene, evidence, death investigation, and facial reconstruction, as well as a degree in criminal justice. Now I'm earning a degree in psychology. I've worked with lawyers and so has my mother. I enjoy hearing from the lawyer side of the case both prosecution and defense.

Attachment disorder is a terrible thing to witness. My husband and I were in the foster system to adopt because we were not able to have our own kids. One of the babies we had in our care was 2 1/2 and we were her 8 time she had been bounced around and she had attachment disorder terribly. Is was awful to see the impact it had on her. She was in a world of her own and there was no getting through to her. Unfortunately the system would not give us the help we needed to deal with her issues and we could not handle her. It was so very heartbreaking all the way around 😢

No one in the history of ever , who was even remotely normal ,would come upon a murder victim killed by another and say to themselves:"Oh no! A dead person! ! I'd better chop them up/throw away their stuff/ set fire to their house so no one thinks I had anything to do with it!". And yet, "I panicked, and...." is a classic. It's so much more fun to watch this interrogation a second time with your commentary! It's terrible, but I laughed all through this thing. I am a bad, bad person.

I love that bruce is so professional and so strong that we/(i), know he's kicked ass many times in court rooms. U can see he stands up in court and uses his knowledge as an attorney to fight for his clients. I have no doubt how fierce n strong he is on the job.... what i love is the more i watch him on these videos w/his son behind the camera i see he's his authentic self 110% !!! that sometimes...his personality shows... without having to edit the video cuz to most ppl they prob don't notice it... (but i also have the same nervous tic..) hate calling it a tic/habit whatever u want to say. Way we use to feel comfortable or protected...i dunno.or whatever u want to call it, but having a giggle when not sure what to say or a nervous response or just habit. (When nothing funny has happened!l)I absolutely love it soooooooo much u have no idea i was like huh... I'l have2 keep watching n see if it happens again!! Anyway it Proves to me what an amazing human he is when hes just watching something. He's not acting just reacting and if a giggle comes it happens. No biggie!! That's awesome to me makes me love u so much more n ur son. Cuz he sees it as completely natural as well. (Like i said i assume 95% of ppl have no clue what im saying) but i know cuz unfortunately ive had ppl n more recently uber passengers of mine tell me u dont have to be anxious or nervous n i say huh. Im not n they say u just giggled when most ppl wouldnt giggle. Im like oh. Ya sometimes i do that when i am just trying to be natural(but inside I know that its an uncomfortable thing...) but i say im sorry n they say what... its totally fine its cute literally ive had men women n ppl youngerthan me respond that way😂. They say it makes it show them how real of a human i am and makes me even more likeable. So im sorry bruce if u think im wrong. But i believe on the you tube side of ur lawyering u show more of who you r. N To me its not A weakness its authenticity!! And i absolutely love it i happened to notice on 2 or 3 other videos, but decided now that its kinda clear, i will comment on it. But it could be something going on behind the camera or something else coming up on video or retake, i dont know 4 sure but 4 me i hope not. I like that ur softer n not super hardcore and all about business 4 everything esp these videos...i like that i can see genuine personality behind the strong lawyer title!! ❤❤❤ sorrry so long absolutely love ur content I'm fairly new to the channel been watching vigilantly!!😊😊 But i would hire u in a heartbeat because of this tiny thing!! So thanks for being u!!❤❤❤

Watching you save in my bed here in Christchurch new Zealand,you are my favourite channel now, love the witty comments from you and the videos are great watching ..keep up the great work 😊😊

I am always impressed when Attorney Rivers turns to the cameras and directs younger people to be aware of life changing decisions. Possibly Producer Rivers should make an old school reel with Bruce Rivers top five “Don’t fuck up your life - teenager edition”! Of course, a “No Self Snitching” Prolog!

Literally makes my day when I see you posted a video! You and Michael(content genius of course), are doing a great job! Keep doing what you’re doing💯

It is pretty much impossible to describe the intensity of a parent’s love for their child to someone who hasn’t felt it but you, Bruce, do a good job of it.

You are just The Best! Thank you so much for your brilliant narrative alongside some pretty disturbing videos. Love the channel ✨💙✨

The fact that this dummy thought he’d get away with putting an axe in the back of his own mothers head, after he broke her arm and created absolute chaos in her home, is just beyond. New sub here! Gonna go binge now :)

My husband has had a beard on and off for decades. When our youngest was a toddler, he shaved it off after having it for about a year. Youngest walked up to him, placed her hands on his face, and said, “I’m so happy, Daddy! Now I can see your cheeks!” We still say that now every time he shaves off the beard, and that was like sixteen years ago now. ❤

Could listen to you all day.. I found you a few days ago. Love your humor and personality.

Just found this channel, and Bruce is funnier than hell!! Subbed immediately!

I met a John Howard Society worker. She said men either get it together by 20 yrs old or they are in their late 30s or never. Big gap in-between. It's so sad that fathers are portrayed so disrespectfully in media. We desperately need good fathers!!

This was a really sad case. Imagine from her perspective in the years leading up to her death… she must have been noticing strange antisocial behavior from him and getting progressively more scared of him and desperate in her situation. To fear your child, whom you undoubtedly also love, just horrible. And if somehow Bruce reads this, I appreciate your sense of humor and how you balance it with empathy in your videos. You have such a fresh perspective compared to a lot of other true crime content (which I also enjoy), and it’s interesting to hear about cases from your view.

Always enjoy your content!

This makes me so thankful for my daughter, who is a very kind, caring, compassionate and very creative person. I tell her that she's a blessing to me all the time, and I know that you feel the same way about your genius content creator son, Michael Rivers. We have to count our blessings in this world. I'm sure that you're as proud of your son as I am of my daughter.

Asking the child to Leave isn’t just for the safety of the adult, but to protect the child from his own impulsivity and to try to get him help before he ends up in justice system. It’s also a realistic consequence and boundary setting

But, Bruce, he DID have a plan for after her killed his mother. He was going to go to college!😂 That was one of the hardest interviews to watch. I kept having to look away because I was embarrassed for him. Strange, I know. I’m new to your channel. Love it!

I love the beard!! I just found your channel recently and I love it!! I'm so hooked!!

"Fuck! I should never have adopted that kid." - Bruce Rivers CLR... I love it.

Bruce's sense of humor is vicious!😂 I laughed and felt guilty about it...😢

Bruce, great video reaction and advice. You’re so right about cops needing higher education standards or have enough health professionals on the force to intervene when ppl come in with hellacious injuries. You’re a lovely human being ❤❤

I heard about this before but glad we got to review this case with you ! The beard looks good its like a distinguished experienced look . 👍👍

The way to can "spin humor " in grim moments is quite masterful.Thank you for lessons of the law and the smiles on my face.Very much appreciated.

Love can only work if both people involved can actually feel the emotion.

I'M your newest biggest fan! Your reactions are spot on! Love your content! I Will be binge watching all weekend now! 😊

Thank you Bruce and Michael.

Bruce, have a request! There is an interrogation of a kid who was shot in the eye by, I believe, his girlfriend’s brother and father who tried to break into the house. The kid has a huge black eye from being shot, but I guess it obstructs the source of the injury, so the cop doesn’t believe him and essentially tortures the kid for an hour telling him he’s not going anywhere. The kid keeps saying that he just wants to go to sleep and he’s trying to tell the cop that he’s been shot, but the cop doesn’t believe him and is questioning him as a suspect. The kid ended up going to the hospital and had an infection and permanent brain damage because of the delay, and ultimately died of a seizure in 2016. I’ve heard that the detective went to prison for three years, but can’t confirm. Would love to hear your legal take on the detective’s decisions and behavior. Thanks for all the great content!

"I'll give my life for him, but not in this way!" Just have to appreciate the CLR's sense of humour. It is so interesting to watch. Thank you, Mr Rivers.

"Love somebody...and dont put an axe in somebody's head" 😂❤ I love your videos, and your satirical humor and beautiful expressive heart Bruce. Thankyou so much. subscribed!!!! ❤

What a shame bc you at least know she raised him well enough to be an eloquent speaker. If she did that, she probably cared about other aspects of his future & prob wanted the best for him. She was trying to rescue a kid & give him a bright future. Edit: After watching EWU Crime Storytime on this, I now don’t know what to think of Denise as a parent.

This boy really said “can this get expunged, I don’t want it to affect college” lol sir YOU will be expunged before this record gets expunged.😅