In a case that has captivated the nation, a jury has delivered a stunning verdict: the matriarch at the center of a murder-for-hire scheme has been convicted on all charges. The courtroom fell silent as the words were read aloud, and the defendant’s emotional outburst forced the judge to remind her: “Mrs. Adelson, control yourself.”
The Murder Plot That Shocked Everyone
Prosecutors painted a chilling picture of a woman who, beneath the façade of a loving mother and grandmother, orchestrated a deadly plan. According to testimony, she conspired with others to have her son-in-law killed, hoping to rid her family of ongoing disputes and regain control over her daughter’s life.
The hitman carried out the attack in broad daylight, leaving behind a trail of evidence that investigators traced back to the Adelson family. Messages, financial records, and secret communications revealed a web of deceit and desperation that unraveled her carefully hidden involvement.
The Trial Drama
Throughout the trial, the jury listened to explosive testimony, including former associates who testified about payments, planning meetings, and the cold calculations behind the crime. The defense argued that she was being scapegoated, but the overwhelming mountain of evidence left the jury with little doubt.
When the guilty verdict was finally announced, the defendant broke down, shaking her head in disbelief. Her outcry echoed in the courtroom until the judge sternly demanded order.
The Sentence Ahead
Now convicted of first-degree murder, conspiracy, and solicitation to commit murder, the matriarch faces the possibility of spending the rest of her life behind bars. For the victim’s family, the verdict brings a measure of closure after years of pain and unanswered questions.
The Bigger Picture
This case highlights the dark side of family feuds and how control, greed, and resentment can escalate into violence. What began as a domestic dispute spiraled into a deadly crime, masterminded not by strangers, but by someone within the family circle.
“Mrs. Adelson, control yourself.” A jury in Tallahassee, Florida, has convicted Donna Adelson of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and solicitation of first-degree murder for the 2014 contract murder of her former son-in-law, Dan Markel. Judge Stephen Everett read the verdict a few minutes ago in Leon County Circuit Court. The jury deliberated for about three hours. Case background: Donna Adelson, 75, is accused of orchestrating the murder-for-hire of her former son-in-law because she wanted her daughter and grandchildren to move to Miami. Adelson is accused of conspiring with her son Charlie Adelson more than a decade ago to hire hitmen to kill Dan Markel, who was a Florida State University law professor and the father of her two young grandsons. Her defense is that she had no knowledge of what hitmen Luis Rivera and Sigfredo Garcia were going to do, and that prosecutors are only focusing on her hatred for Markel to show she had a motive to want him murdered, when there’s no evidence she was actually involved. Rivera, a former gang leader, is serving a 19-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to second-degree murder and testifying against Garcia, who fired the fatal shots, as well as the woman who linked Garcia to the victim: Katherine “Katie” Magbanua, who was Garcia’s on-again, off-again girlfriend and also was in a relationship with Adelson’s son Charlie Adelson. Garcia was convicted in 2019 and Magbanua in 2022. Rivera also testified in Charlie Adelson’s trial in 2023, and Adelson was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. After their son’s trial, Donna Adelson and her husband, Harvey, bought one-way tickets to Vietnam. Police arrested her on the jetway at Miami International Airport on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and solicitation of first-degree murder. Her trial is expected to go through Sept. 5 in Leon County Circuit Court in Tallahassee, Florida. Donna Adelson’s lawyers are Josh Zelman and Jackie Fulford of Tallahassee. Assistant State Attorneys Georgia Cappleman and Sarah Kathryn Dugan are prosecuting. The judge is Stephen Everett, who is the chief judge of Leon County Circuit Court. #law#crime#court#legal
