Tyler McCain appears in Department 41 of Shasta County Superior Court on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025, for his trial readiness conference. McCain has pleaded not guilty in the murder of his wife, Nikki Saelee McCain. Further court proceedings are set for next week. Photo by Mike Chapman for A News Cafe © All rights reserved.
Thursday’s preliminary hearing for Tyler McCain, accused in the murder of his wife, Nikki Saelee-McCain, will be open to the public and press, a judge decided Wednesday.
McCain’s defense attorney, Michael Borges of Redding, was seeking to close the preliminary hearing, but visiting Judge Thomas Bender denied his motion following a hearing in Shasta County Superior Court.
Meanwhile, Bender also denied a separate motion filed by the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office to have Borges disqualified from the case.
As a result, McCain’s preliminary hearing is set to begin at 9:30 a.m. Thursday in Department 63. The hearing is expected to last five to seven court days and will determine whether the case will go to trial.
The defense’s unsuccessful move to close the preliminary hearing likely stems from a desire to limit further publicity in the high-profile case and avoid a change of venue.
Attorneys often seek a change of venue, which sends the case to another county, when they think too many potential jurors might be swayed by what they already know about a case.
Bender said if the case gets to a jury-selection process, potential jurors can always be asked whether they’re able to set aside any preconceived thoughts and be impartial.
Saelee-McCain’s missing-person case was widely reported in the news media over the past year even before McCain was arrested several weeks ago to turn it into a murder case.
The public couldn’t miss prominent billboards in the community that sought the whereabouts of Saelee-McCain with a reward. Bus-shelter ads also implored everyone to “Bring Nikki Home.”
Serving as a visiting judge from Madera County, Bender said he didn’t know the extent of publicity in the case.
He noted several possible alternatives to closing the prelim and reducing publicity, such as issuing a gag order or a possible change of venue. The judge also noted that he’s already denied the news media from photographing and filming this week’s proceedings.
Neither Borges nor Chief Deputy District Attorney Sarah Murphy offered evidence to support closing the hearing.
Meantime, a prosecution motion to disqualify Borges stems from an April 2024 meeting that Saelee-McCain attended in the attorney’s office with McCain over domestic violence charges.
Saelee-McCain had previously obtained a protective order in December 2023 against her husband.
One of Saelee-McCain’s sisters, Chloe Saelee, testified about a phone call she received from her sister about the meeting.
From the testimony, Saelee-McCain told her sister in the call that McCain tricked her into going to the attorney’s office, where domestic violence charges against McCain were discussed from a police report.
Saelee-McCain said McCain was upset that she wasn’t going to change her story about the charges, Saelee testified.
Saelee said her sister told her she was “worried and scared” and “kind of in a panic” when she called her to try and get a ride home.
The fact-finding hearing determined the meeting between the trio involved Saelee-McCain as a third party and was not confidential.
Detective Kilee Holroyd of the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office also was called to the stand to verify that Saelee-McCain’s cell phone records, and those of McCain, established that they were in the vicinity of Borges’ office.
The April 2024 meeting occurred about six weeks before Saelee-McCain disappeared. Her body has not been found.
The prosecution also questioned Borges’ representation of McCain because one of the attorney’s former clients is also scheduled to testify in the preliminary hearing.
Judge Bender said the cases and times involving McCain and the witness were different and he “didn’t see a linkage.”
McCain remains in custody in the Shasta County Jail without bail.
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