When a murder destroys a family, the world often focuses on the killers, the trials, and the endless courtroom drama.
But in the case of
Dan Markel and the
Adelson family, the most important victims aren’t in prison or on TV — they’re two children quietly living in the wreckage.
In this episode, Tony Brueski takes a deep dive into the
psychological trauma faced by the children of Wendi Adelson and Dan Markel — the victims of a murder-for-hire plot that shattered two families and left the kids trapped between love and truth.
Imagine growing up knowing your father was murdered — and the people accused of orchestrating it are your own family.
Your grandmother, your uncle… now convicted.
Your mother… testifying under immunity.
And you, stuck in the middle — surrounded by people trying to convince you that what the world says is true… is actually a lie.
This episode explores how children process trauma in these impossible circumstances:
Loyalty conflicts — the psychological tug-of-war between love for caregivers and love for a lost parent.
Protective dissonance — the brain’s survival mechanism that rewrites reality to preserve attachment.
Ambiguous loss — mourning people who are still alive but emotionally gone.
Identity trauma — how kids in these situations struggle to trust, attach, and build a sense of self.
