Donna Adelson avoided arrest for nearly a decade before being arrested in 2023 for the murder of her son-in-law, Florida State University law professor Dan Markel. As the judge read the jury’s verdict on Thursday, August 4, 2025, she burst out in tears. Florida Second Judicial Circuit Judge Stephen Everett was forced to reprimand her as she shouted in the Tallahassee courtroom.
Donna Adelson’s Conviction Outburst
The 75-year-old was found guilty of masterminding the murder-for-hire plot of her ex-son-in-law in 2014. She shouted “Oh my God!” repeatedly. “Mrs. Adelson, control yourself,” the judge ordered. She continued to sob uncontrollably, so the jury was escorted out of the courtroom. Everett told her, “Mrs. Adelson, while this was not the outcome I’m sure you desired, there will not be any further outbursts in front of the jury. If you cannot control yourself, I am going to have to determine if you will be removed from the remainder of this process.”
After Adelson calmed down, she remained quiet in her seat as the jury was brought back in to finish the proceeding. Her murder trial has undergone weeks of the prosecution theorizing her master plan that led to the violent killing of her daughter’s husband. The prosecution made Adelson seem like a controlling matriarch of her family, and that her hatred towards her ex-son-in-law fueled her motive. On the defense side, they claimed there was no evidence to directly link her to the murder and attempted to pin it on her two other adult children.
Murder-For-Hire Plot
Dan Markel was found fatally shot in the head inside the garage of his Tallahassee home in July 2014. He and his ex-wife, Wendi, were in a custody battle at the time of his death. She wanted to move almost 400 miles away with their two sons to live in South Florida close to her mother. The move was blocked by a judge after Markel made it clear he would not relocate.
His murder went unsolved for almost a decade before Adelson’s son, Dr. Charlie Adelson, was arrested in April 2022. According to police records, Charlie and his former girlfriend, Katherine Magbanua, put a hit out on Markel. They hired two members of the Latin Kings gang, Sigfredo Garcia and Luis Rivera, to murder their brother-in-law. The two stalked Markel the morning of July 18, 2014, before following him to his garage, where he was found shot. Garcia was found guilty of pulling the trigger and is serving a life sentence. As for Rivera, he accepted a plea deal and will be out in 19 years.
Dr. Adelson and Magbanua were found guilty of the murder-for-hire plot and each was given a life sentence. As for Wendi, she has not been charged with anything related to her ex-husband’s murder and has denied any involvement. Markel’s mother read an impact statement on Thursday after the verdict was delivered.“We have lost a treasure. My son Dan’s life was cut tragically short at 41 years old,” she said. “For 11 years, we have been forced to a life filled with unimaginable pain and heartbreak.”
Sentencing Hearing
Now, 11 years after the death of Markel, justice has finally been served, and his case is closer than ever to being concluded. In November 2023, Adelson was caught at the Miami International Airport attempting to board a one-way flight to Vietnam and acknowledged that she knew they had a no-extradition policy with the US. She claimed she would have cooperated with authorities if she had been made aware they were looking for her. Almost two years later, she is being held responsible for her role in the murder-for-hire plot. Her attorneys blocked the judge from handing down a sentencing hearing decision on Thursday, so the date is still up in the air.
