Robert Adelson
Donna Adelson's oldest son, a New York physician who testified for the State at her 2025 trial and was mentioned only in passing at the 2022 Magbanua retrial.
About
Robert Adelson's 2025 testimony is one of the few first-person accounts of the Adelson family from inside it, covering the household's dynamics, Wendi Adelson's divorce, and specific statements attributed to Donna Adelson before and after the murder. Because both the substance of those statements and his opportunity to observe were contested in open court — through cross-examination, a hearsay limiting instruction, and the defense closing — the record captures not only what he said but how each side argued it should be weighed.
Trial Record (9)
KM Magbanua Retrial May 18, 2022 – May 27, 2022
Trial Summary
Named only in passing during trial testimony as a member of the Adelson family, with no appearance or testimony of his own.
Mentioned (2)
DA Donna Adelson Aug 22, 2025 – Sep 4, 2025
Trial Summary
Testified for the State on the trial's second day as Donna Adelson's oldest son, describing his mother's control over family affairs, her hostility during Wendi Adelson's divorce, and post-murder statements he attributed to her; the defense cross and closing argued he lacked the contact to know what he claimed.