Testimony continues in Tyler McCain’s preliminary hearing, a California man accused of killing his wife, Nikki McCain.
According to the Record Searchlight, Superior Court Judge Thomas L. Bender is tasked with determining if the murder case against Tyler will proceed.
On Wednesday, Tyler McCain’s former friend, Albert Nelson, took the stand and stated that Tyler admitted that he had killed Nikki after wrestling her in bed, then strangling her on May 18, 2024.
Nelson, who has an unrelated felony warrant, arrived at the Redding courthouse in shackles, according to ABC 7.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, the Redding Police Department said Nikki last spoke to her family On May 17, 2024, before someone picked her up from a home in Redding, near the Win-River Casino.
Her truck was also reported missing, but police later found it, a 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche with California license plate DP154UT, on May 25, 2024, in western Tehama County, according to the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office.
Shasta County authorities later reclassified Nikki’s disappearance as a homicide, and charged Tyler McCain with the murder last month.
Shasta County District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett said that Tyler McCain’s motive had been to keep Nikki, a mother of four, from testifying against him in a domestic abuse case.
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Nikki McCain: Testimony Continues Against California Man Accused of Killing Mom of 4
Nelson previously told investigators that he thought Tyler McCain had been taking meth at the time of Nikki’s death, and that Nikki had claimed,”I’m dying.” during the scuffle.
During his testimony, however, Nelson recanted and claimed he fabricated the incident in an attempt to get out of jail. He also admitted he was on drugs when he made the incriminating statements against the defendant.
Nelson also previously said that his sister saw Tyler McCain suspiciously driving the Avalanche during the time Nikki was last seen. Nelson told the court that he lied about the incident.
The preliminary hearing is scheduled to conclude next week. Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Nikki Saelee-McCain/Handout]
