A Florida grandmother has been convicted of orchestrating the murder of her daughter's ex-husband, who was killed by hitmen amid a bitter divorce and custody battle more than 11 years ago.
Jurors found Donna Adelson guilty on Thursday, Sept. 4, of murder, solicitation to commit first-degree murder and conspiracy over the fatal shooting of 41-year-old Daniel Markel, her former son-in-law and a law professor at Florida State University killed in his Tallahassee driveway on July 18, 2014.
Adelson Wanted to Kill Markel Over His Divorce with Her Daughter, Custody Battle of Their Two Children
Adelson, 75, cried out when the first guilty verdict was read and wept as the other verdicts came in. Adelson, who is the matriarch of an affluent South Florida family, wanted Markel killed after his divorce from her daughter, Wendi Adelson, as the couple fought over custody of their two children, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors said Markel was getting in the way of Wendi's efforts to move with the kids more than 300 miles away to South Florida to be closer to Donna Adelson and other family.
Adelson was accused of masterminding the plot and enlisting the help of her own son, Charles Adelson, to carry out the murder. Charles Adelson is already serving a life sentence in the case, as is his former girlfriend Katherine Magbanua, who set up the deal with the two hitmen.
Sigfredo Garcia, who was one of the hitmen, was sentenced to life in prison, and the other hitman, Luis Rivera, is serving a 19-year sentence after cooperating with the state.
Adelson's Defense Argued There Wasn't Enough Evidence to Prove Adelson Wanted Markel Killed
Donna Adelson's jury reached a swift decision just a few hours after attorneys on both sides delivered their closing arguments on Thursday, Sept. 4.
Adelson's attorney, Jackie Fulford, told jurors that prosecutors lacked much evidence and that Adelson was innocent. She acknowledged that Adelson had called Markel "ugly names" but that didn't mean she hated him, she said.
"That proves they wanted him killed, are you serious?" Fulford said. "You call somebody some bad names and that means you wanted him dead?" Adelson faces up to life in prison when Leon Circuit Judge Stephen Everett sentences her. Her sentencing has not been scheduled but Everett set a case management hearing for Oct. 14.
