Dateline NBC: The Adelson Children Take the Stand, A Missing Woman’s Husband Arrested, and A Deep Dive on DNA

Host: Blaine Alexander (filling in for Andrea Canning)
Date: August 28, 2025

Overview

This episode of Dateline True Crime Weekly delivers three compelling segments:

• Major developments in the Donna Adelson murder trial, with her children Wendy and Rob taking the stand.
• An update and arrest in the case of missing California mother Nikki McCain.
• A thorough exploration of the role and reliability of DNA in criminal investigations.

Guest voices include Dateline producers Brad Davis and Veronica Mazzeca, local reporter Blake Mayfield, and former prosecutor Melba Pearson.

Segment 1: The Adelson Murder Trial — Family on the Stand

00:56 – 10:56

Key Points

• Donna Adelson, 75, is on trial in Florida, accused of orchestrating the 2014 murder of her daughter Wendy’s ex-husband, FSU professor Dan Markel.
• Four people (including Donna’s son, Charlie) have already been convicted. Donna pleads not guilty.
• This week’s bombshell: both Wendy and her estranged brother Rob testified, giving the public their first look into the Adelson family’s internal dynamics.

Notable Testimony and Courtroom Insights

Wendy Adelson’s Testimony

• Poised on the stand: As a lawyer, Wendy “knows what to say and how to be careful” ([04:03], Brad Davis).
• Painted as central to family motive: Prosecution focused on Donna's deep involvement and animosity toward Dan Markel during Wendy's divorce.
  • Direct questioning on disparaging language:
    • Veronica Mazzeca: “Did your mom ever call Dan Markel any disparaging names around this time frame?”
    • Wendy: “She did.”
    • List of insults confirmed: “piece of shit,” “asshole,” “narcissist,” “bully,” “bastard” ([05:00–05:19]).
• Defense counters: Donna as “a very loving mother and mother-in-law.” Noted that Donna babysat and baked Dan's favorite banana bread the week before his death ([05:46–06:06]).
• Complex portrait: Defense leans on Donna’s continued support and acts of kindness to suggest lack of malice.

Rob Adelson’s Testimony (First Appearance)

• Rob’s role: The oldest sibling, an ENT doctor living in New York, estranged from the family. Very “nervous” on the stand, focused on the prosecutor ([06:24–06:54]).
• Describes family as controlled by Donna:
  • Veronica: “Who’s the leader in the family, who tends to run the show?”
  • Rob: “I think my mom.” ([07:28–07:39])
  • Personality: “more on the controlling side.”
• Donna’s relationship with Dan deteriorated: Initially fine, later, “she hated him” ([08:20–08:28]).
• Rob’s shock and Donna’s lack of emotion after Dan’s death:
  • “She had said, you know, I don't care. It doesn't concern me.” ([08:37–08:54])
• Donna discouraged Rob from talking to law enforcement:
  • “She said, oh, well, you don't know anything anyway.” ([09:40–09:44])
• After arrests of the hitmen: Donna avoided discussing it and hung up when Rob broached the subject; that was their last substantive conversation ([09:58–10:43]).

Key Quotes

• Wendy (confirming disparaging names):
  “She did... Yes. Asshole? Yes. A narcissist? Yes. A bully? Yes.” ([05:00–05:17])
• Rob on his mother:
  “I think more on the controlling side.” ([07:47])
• Rob on Donna’s reaction to Dan’s death:
  “She had said, you know, I don't care. It doesn't concern me.” ([08:54])
• Donna’s advice regarding law enforcement:
  “You don't know anything anyway.” ([09:40])

Segment 2: The Arrest of Nikki McCain’s Husband

12:42 – 20:24

Background

• Nikki McCain: 39, mother of four, missing from Redding, CA.
• Husband Tyler McCain: Arrested after months as a person of interest, despite no body being found — “the first time in Shasta county history they're trying to get someone for a murder charge with no body” ([01:36], [19:08]).

Key Discussion Points

• Documented history of domestic violence:
  • In 2023, Nikki reported being beaten and restrained with tape for hours.
  • Tyler denied violence; claimed Nikki’s injuries were from a fight with another woman ([15:10–15:33]).
  • Nikki was pressured by Tyler to recant allegations ([16:01]).
• Physical evidence:
  • Nikki’s truck had the odor of decomposition; a bloody sheet tested positive for her blood, and Tyler’s DNA was found in the vehicle ([17:45]).
  • Nikki’s burned driver’s license was found after Tyler was pulled over ([18:25]).
• Reported confession:
  • DA’s office cites a confidential informant who stated Tyler admitted to murdering Nikki ([18:39]).
• Prosecutors allege motive:
  • Tyler murdered Nikki to prevent her from testifying on domestic violence charges, leading to an enhancement that increases potential sentence to life without parole ([19:24–19:48]).

Notable Quotes

• Blake Mayfield (describing the abuse):
  “He held her down, taped her ankles and wrists together, put tape over her mouth, proceeded to beat and hit her for three hours after that.” ([15:10])
• DA statement:
  “It is our belief that Tyler McCain murdered his wife, Nikki McCain, to prevent her from testifying in the domestic violence case.” ([19:24])

Segment 3: Roundup — Kayaker Fakes Death, Cardi B Trial, and Maxwell/Jeffrey Epstein Updates

22:30 – 28:42

Kayaker Faked Own Death

• Ryan Borgwardt: Faked drowning; resurfaced in Eastern Europe to meet a woman he met online.
• Charged with obstructing an officer for misleading police using a VPN.
• Sentenced to 89 days in jail: One for each day he was missing ([23:49]).
• Marriage ended in divorce upon his return.

Cardi B Civil Trial

• Allegation: Assault on security guard Imani Ellis in Beverly Hills medical building, 2018.
• Ellis’s account: Cardi B accused her of leaking pregnancy news, scratched her cheek, spit on her ([24:36]).
• Cardi B’s defense: Admits a verbal altercation but denies physical contact ([25:30–25:48]).

Ghislaine Maxwell Updates

• Audio/transcript released from Maxwell’s interview with DOJ.
• Maxwell denies existence of a “black book” or client list of people trafficked by Epstein ([26:42]).
• Maxwell admits partly to recruiting masseuses ([27:24]).
• Family of Virginia Roberts Giuffre (vocal Epstein accuser who died by suicide) calls release of tapes “outrageous” and a platform for Maxwell to “rewrite history” ([27:58]).
• Giuffre’s memoir, Nobody’s Girl, to be released posthumously ([28:25]).

Segment 4: A Deep Dive on DNA in Criminal Investigations

28:46 – 33:07

Guest: Melba Pearson, former prosecutor, Chair of ABA Criminal Justice Section

Collection Methods

• Police can ask for DNA (consent), obtain via warrant, or take DNA from discarded items (water bottle, pen, etc.).
• Convicted individuals may be automatically swabbed, depending on state law.
• DNA from genealogy databases can be accessed with a warrant.

Limitations and Misconceptions

• DNA is not infallible: There may be mixed samples (multiple contributors), consensual contact prior to crime, or DNA transfer without involvement in the crime.
• Emphasizes:
  • “DNA cannot be the only thing you're walking into the courtroom with.” ([32:41])

Notable Quotes

• “Once you throw something out, the courts have very clearly said it's no longer yours... Law enforcement can come right behind you... take it to the lab.” ([30:30])
• “While DNA is great in terms of identification purposes, DNA cannot be the only thing...” ([32:41])

Memorable Moments

• The weight of family testimony: Rob Adelson’s estrangement and careful, detailed answers gave unprecedented insight into the Adelson family’s possible motives and dynamics — “You could sort of hear a pin drop” during his testimony ([06:54]).
• DA’s bold step: Shasta County pursues a murder conviction with no body, bolstered by powerful forensic and informant evidence.
• DNA’s double-edged sword: The episode smartly ends with nuance—reminding listeners that DNA, so often the dramatic clincher in true crime, is never the whole story.

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Adelson trial coverage: 01:18 – 10:56
• Nikki McCain update: 12:42 – 20:24
• Roundup (Kayaker, Cardi B, Maxwell/Epstein): 22:30 – 28:42
• Deep Dive on DNA with Melba Pearson: 28:46 – 33:07

Final Thoughts

The August 28, 2025, episode of Dateline True Crime Weekly is a rich, multidimensional look at high-profile crime stories, featuring gripping courtroom revelations, domestic violence advocacy, legal analysis, and cultural commentary. The real-life drama of the Adelson family stands out, as does the cautious optimism and realism around forensics and justice in America’s crime narrative.