A Decade of Conflict

Donna Adelson Sentenced for Dan Markel Murder After Ten Year Case

Photo by Kateryna Hiliznitsova on Unsplash

Donna Adelson was sentenced in Tallahassee, Florida, for the role of coordinating the killing of her ex-son-in-law, Florida State University law professor, Dan Markel in 2014. The court ruled that Adelson hired a hitman to carry out the assasination, finally bringing an end to a decade-long murder case. 

Markel was shot in his car outside of his home and after further investigation, the police determined that the killing was an attack coordinated by Donna Adelson. The defense made the argue that she wanted to kill him because of the ongoing custody battle between Markel and ex-wife Wendi Adelson, Donna’s daughter. Law enforcement claimed that Donna’s goal was to ensure Wendi Adelson with full custody of their two children.

“No one won this case,” upper school history teacher Tim Fitzpatrick said. “Dan Markel was killed because of a divorce in custody and Mrs. Adelson is a grandmother who wanted to see her grandchildren–and she got her grandchildren, but she did wrong.”

There were several others implicated in the planning of the murder as well. Convicted shooters Sigfredo Garcia and Luis Rivera had carried out the attack and had been sentenced on Oct. 11, 2019. Both testified against Adelson, providing key details about how the plan was coordinated and funded. Katherine Magbanua, an acquaintance of Charlie Adelson, was also involved and helped connect the Adelsons with the hired gunman. Both C. Adelson and Magbanua were convicted in previous trials for their role in the murder. 

Adelson continued to deny responsibility throughout the case proceedings. She argued that she never intended for Markel to be harmed and insisted that she had no involvement in planning the attack, despite the court's findings. On the day of the sentencing, Adelson gave a 13 minute speech asserting her innocence and expressing sorrow over Markel’s death. 

“It was kind of surprising that there was no remorse, shock, or in any way acknowledging that she had done anything wrong,” upper school english teacher Lauren Fantle said.

Adelson was very determined to not plead guilty, causing her to try many things to avoid punishments, which include attempting to flee the country. In November of 2023, Adelson and her husband were caught in the Miami Airport with one way tickets to Vietnam, a country with no extradition treaties with the U.S. To law enforcement, this appeared to be an attempt to escape, and both Adelson and her husband were arrested immediately. 

"She knows she did wrong, she just can't quite admit it,” said Fitzpatrick. “And the jury had enough evidence.” 

Adelson was officially sentenced to life in prison for first degree murder, with an additional 30 years for conspiracy and solicitation on Oct. 13, 2025. The ruling brought finality to a case that had spanned multiple trials and convictions.