EPISODE · Oct 29, 2025 · 27 MIN

Talking Dateline: Deadly Mischief

from Dateline NBC · host NBC News

Blayne Alexander talks with Dennis Murphy and Dateline producer Brad Davis about their episode, “Deadly Mischief.” In 2014, after esteemed FSU law professor Dan Markel was fatally shot, investigators uncovered a murder-for-hire plot orchestrated, according to prosecutors, by Markel’s former mother-in-law, Donna Adelson. Blayne, Dennis, and Brad discuss the circumstantial case against Donna and do a deep dive on the witness testimony of two of her children, Robert and Wendi Adelson, including a podcast-exclusive clip in which Wendi describes her mother’s reaction to the news of the murder. Plus, they answer your social media questions.Have a question for Talking Dateline? DM us a video to @DatelineNBC or leave a voicemail at (212) 413-5252. Your question may be featured in an upcoming episode.Listen to the full episode “Deadly Mischief” on Apple: https://apple.co/4nvYSSuListen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5rQ8PE9UWxPW3W95g2Ihwb Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.