"In 3 hours, jury finds Donna Adelson guilty of murder Updated: Donna Adelson, the former mother-in-law of Dan Markel, was found guilty Thursday of murdering the Florida State University College of Law professor. Adelson, 75, is convicted of first-degree murder, conspiracy and solicitation, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. The jury deliberated for three hours, according to WCTV. She faces a life sentence in prison."
"On Thursday morning, the defense announced Donna Adelson would not testify. But it took her a while to decide. Judge Stephen Everett of Leon County, Florida, encouraged her to make up her mind with two timeouts to think about it and then a threat of contempt if she didn't decide, the Tallahassee Democrat reported. On Wednesday, the defense presented testimony downplaying the contentiousness of the custody battle between Markel and Wendi Adelson, the Tallahassee Democrat reports in a separate story."
"Prosecutors have alleged the motive for the murder was the Adelson family's "desperate desire" to move Wendi Adelson from Tallahassee to South Florida. Donna Adelson's son, Charlie Adelson, was convicted of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation of murder in November 2023 after testifying he was the victim of an extortion attempt rather than a perpetrator who hired two hit men to kill Markel. Wendi Adelson has not been charged."
The jury found Donna Adelson guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy and solicitation in the 2014 killing of Florida State University law professor Dan Markel. The jury deliberated for three hours before returning the verdict. Adelson, 75, faces a life sentence. Prosecutors alleged the motive involved the Adelson family's desire to move Wendi Adelson from Tallahassee to South Florida. Donna Adelson's son, Charlie, was previously convicted in November 2023 on related charges; Wendi Adelson has not been charged. Defense testimony sought to downplay the custody dispute, and Donna Adelson ultimately chose not to testify after judicial warnings.
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