Jury selection begins today in Tallahassee for one of Florida’s most sensational murder trials in recent memory—the prosecution of Donna Adelson, the 75-year-old matriarch of a wealthy South Florida family, accused of masterminding the 2014 murder-for-hire of her ex-son-in-law, Florida State University law professor Daniel Markel. After more than a decade of investigations, wiretaps, and courtroom drama, the case is set to return to the spotlight, promising new revelations and renewed public fascination.
Daniel Markel’s slaying, which occurred inside his garage on July 18, 2014, shocked the legal community and the city of Tallahassee. Markel, a Canadian-born legal scholar and prominent professor, was embroiled in a bitter custody dispute with his ex-wife, Wendi Adelson, at the time of his death. Prosecutors allege the motive for Markel’s murder was the Adelson family’s “desperate desire” for Wendi and her two sons to move to South Florida to be closer to her family, as reported by The Tallahassee Democrat.
According to charging documents and testimony, Markel had obtained a court order barring Wendi from relocating their children from Tallahassee, setting off a chain of events that prosecutors say led to a deadly conspiracy. The Adelson family, whose fortune was built through dentistry, allegedly first considered offering Markel $1 million to allow the move. When negotiations failed, prosecutors contend, Donna Adelson and her son, Charlie Adelson—a dentist at the family practice—conspired with Charlie’s then-girlfriend, Katherine Magbanua, to hire two hitmen for the job.
The hired killers, Sigfredo Garcia and Latin Kings gang leader Luis Rivera, traveled from Miami to Tallahassee. On the morning of July 18, 2014, after Markel dropped his sons at preschool and visited the gym, he returned home, where he was ambushed and shot twice in the head while sitting in his Honda Accord, according to People and Law & Crime. He died 14 hours later in hospital.
The complex investigation that followed involved Tallahassee police, the FBI, wiretapped conversations, and undercover operations. Over the years, the saga has unfolded in a series of trials, true-crime podcasts, and national news coverage on programs like Dateline and 20/20. Prosecutors say Magbanua acted as the go-between, arranging the hit and distributing the $100,000 payment to Garcia and Rivera, as Rivera testified at Charlie Adelson’s trial. Magbanua, Garcia, and Charlie Adelson have all since been convicted and sentenced to life in prison, while Rivera received a 19-year sentence for his cooperation and testimony.
Donna Adelson’s arrest in November 2023 came just a week after her son Charlie’s conviction. She and her husband, Harvey Adelson, were apprehended at Miami International Airport as they prepared to board one-way tickets to Vietnam—a country with no extradition treaty with the United States. Authorities say Donna had been “putting her financial affairs in order” and discussed plans to flee or commit suicide in jailhouse calls with her son, according to The Tallahassee Democrat. State Attorney Jack Campbell told the newspaper that Donna’s attempted flight “forced our hand” and sped up the decision to arrest her.
Donna Adelson now faces charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and solicitation to commit first-degree murder. The trial is expected to extend into September, with a long list of witnesses and extensive evidence—much of it already aired in previous trials. Among the key witnesses could be all three Adelson children: Wendi, who has testified under immunity in prior proceedings; her estranged brother Rob, a physician; and Charlie, who was transported from a South Dakota prison for this trial.
The evidence against Donna Adelson is substantial and, at times, deeply personal. Email records and affidavits indicate Donna and Harvey Adelson repeatedly pressured Wendi to convince Markel to allow the boys to move to South Florida, even suggesting they offer him a million-dollar payout. According to WPTV, Donna allegedly “hated” Markel, especially after he moved to prevent her from having unsupervised visits with her grandchildren, citing disparaging remarks she made about him to the children. Investigators also uncovered numerous calls and contacts between Magbanua, Charlie Adelson, and Garcia before and after the killing, as well as between Garcia and a phone registered to Harvey Adelson. Charlie also maintained frequent contact with Donna during this period.
In a chilling detail, Wendi Adelson told investigators that her brother once joked it would be cheaper to buy her a TV as a divorce gift than to hire a hitman. On the morning of the murder, Donna—living over 400 miles away—arranged a television repair appointment for Wendi, a fact that has drawn scrutiny from prosecutors. After the murder, Magbanua received over $17,000 in paychecks from the Adelsons’ dental practice, hand-signed by Donna, in addition to her share of the hit money and other benefits, including a used Lexus. During Charlie Adelson’s trial, it was revealed he paid Magbanua $138,000, which she split with the killers, and the family gave her a no-show job and additional payments totaling more than $56,000.
One undercover operation saw an agent posing as a gang associate deliver a threatening letter to Donna, demanding $5,000. Wiretapped conversations captured her discussing the threat with Charlie, and at one point she used coded language, saying, “This TV is probably about five,” referencing the shakedown. After further threats, Charlie told Magbanua, “if they had any evidence we would have already gone to the airport.”
Despite the mounting evidence, Wendi Adelson and her father, Harvey, have consistently denied any involvement and have not been charged. Wendi, who has testified under immunity, was again at the center of pretrial drama this week as her attorneys successfully quashed a defense subpoena—her immunity applies only when called by prosecutors, not the defense, as Court TV reported. Judge Stephen Everett granted the motion, preventing the defense from compelling her testimony.
Donna Adelson, for her part, has denied involvement in Markel’s murder. Her defense has sought to suppress statements from a fellow inmate who allegedly acted as an agent of the state by questioning her in jail. The trial, which was delayed last year after her legal team withdrew over conflicts of interest, is now set to proceed with new attorneys representing her.
The case has riveted Tallahassee and gripped the national true-crime audience with its mix of family drama, legal intrigue, and the tragic loss of a respected scholar. As jury selection gets underway, all eyes are once again on the Leon County Courthouse, where the final chapter of this long-running saga may soon be written.
With the Adelson family’s fate hanging in the balance, the trial promises to offer both closure and new questions about justice, motive, and the lengths some will go to for family.
