The State has called all their witnesses in the Donna Adelson trial. As the Defense is expected to call their first witness Tuesday, here is a recap of key moments you might have missed from the trial so far.
FAMILY MEMBERS TESTIFY AGAINST DONNA:
Wendi Adelson:
Donna’s daughter and the ex-wife of Dan Markel took the stand Monday under the state’s subpoena, which grants her limited immunity.
Wendi shared information about the type of role Donna played as a mother in their family. The State also asking Wendi about the stake Donna took in Wendi’s divorce and custody battle with Dan Markel. The State showing evidence like texts and emails to show that the Adelson family wanted to relocate Wendi and Dan’s children to South Florida; a motion that was permanently denied by the court. The State showed how this angered Donna, Wendi, and Charlie Adelson, to the extent that Donna planned to offer $1 million to Markel to let his children relocate. The State’s argument is the denial from the court was the motive behind the creation of the plot to kill Dan Markel.
Robert Adelson:
Donna’s eldest son, Rob, is estranged from the Adelson family. He has never testified in one of the 3 trials preceeding Donna Adelson’s including those of Luis Rivera, Katherine Magbanua, and Charlie Adelson.
Rob testified to Donna’s controlling nature, saying that she like to have control over their personal lives and professions and had strict guidelines on what she wanted for her children.
The Defense countered by saying the lack of Robert’s presence in the family meant he did not have a full understanding of what was going on.
VIETNAM:
A significant argument by the State was Donna Adelson’s arrest at Miami Airport in November 2023, trying to board a flight to Vietnam; one of the countries that does not have an extradition treaty with the United States.
The State called up FBI Special Agent Pat Sanford to share a dropped phone call between Charlie Adelson and Donna Adelson after Charlie had been convicted of the same crimes in November 2023 where Donna can be heard saying they are looking to countries that do not extradite.
“We’ve been looking it up over and over cause things change, if there is extradition from Vietnam, because we’ve looked…” said Adelson, on the phone call.
The State also doubling down on the fact that this flight to Vietnam was one-way and not a round trip.
This phone call has never been played in a previous trial before and is key evidence for the State’s argument that Donna played a role in Dan Markel’s murder.
INMATE WITNESSES:
Patricia Byrd and Drina Berndhart, two Leon County Detention Center inmates took to the State Friday. This is the first time they have testified in a trial about Dan Markel’s murder.
Byrd and Berndhart testified they spent time in jail with Donna where she shared details about the trial. Byrd explicitly said that Donna told her she did was she is accused of. Berndhart said that Donna wrote out questions and answers with a script for what she wanted Berndhart to say on the stand. The state showed evidence of Donna’s handwriting in Berndhart’s book and confirmed the writing with a handwriting specialist from FDLE.
CO-CONSPIRATORS TESTIFY:
Katherine Magbanua:
Magbanua is the convicted go-between connecting Charlie Adelson and the hitman. She was convicted in 2022 and is currently serving a life sentence. Magbanua testified that she wanted to take the stand in hopes of one day seeing her children again.
Magbanua said that Charlie and Donna spoke about the plot to kill Dan Markel, and that Charlie would step out of the room when on the phone with his mother about this. Magbanua also spoke to the impact the divorce proceedings and custody battle had on the Adelson family, strengthening the State’s argument that this was the motive behind the plot to kill Dan Markel.
Luis Rivera:
Luis Rivera is one of the hitmen involved in the plot that killed Dan Markel. He was convicted in 2016 and took a plea deal with the State. He is currently serving a 19 year sentence.
Rivera’s testimony confirmed the pattern of communication that State is trying to show to prove Donna was involved. This pattern goes from Rivera/Sigfredo Garcia (the hitmen) to Katherine Magbanua, Magbanua to Charlie Adelson, and Charlie Adelson to Donna Adelson. The State showing that this train is never skipped or the order never changes. The Defense have been using this as their argument throughout the first days of the trial: Donna Adelson never had any direct contact with the hitmen.
KEY PIECES OF EVIDENCE
Donna’s 2014 Planner:
The State said Donna’s prior counsel dropped off her 2014 planner at the State Attorney’s Office. The State used this as evidence to show in the back of the planner was a note with Dan Markel’s car information including make, model, and license plate number.
Dan Markel was shot and killed while sitting in his car at his garge at home in Betton Hills.
Vietnam Visa Texts:
The State brought Srgt. Chris Corbitt with the Tallahassee Police Department back to the stand Friday where he shared the information that was found on Donna’s phone when she was arrested at Miami Airport.
They found WhatsApp messages between Donna and a Vietnam visa company asking how quickly she could get a visa. The State saying these messages show urgency and desperation as her flight time to Vietnam draws closer. The text messages also show Donna was pushing for a 90-day visa.
Jeff Lacasse
Wendi Adelson’s ex-boyfriend took the stand and shared some striking testimony. He dated Wendi for a couple of years during the time when she was going through her custody battle with Markel.
Lacasse testified that Wendi shared with her one night: “Can I tell you something in confidence,” said Wendi. “Last summer, my brother looked into all options to take care of the Danny Markel problem, including hiring a hitman.”
Lacasse testified that he was taken aback by this statement because Wendi appeared so serious.
DIVORCE AND CUSTODY BATTLE AS MOTIVE:
The State’s case against Donna Adelson references Wendi Adelson and Dan Markel’s divorce and custody battle as the motive for the arranging of the plot to kill Dan Markel.
The State called multiple witnesses with evidence to testify about the impact the divorce was having on the Adelson family, including Donna, and how much she wanted to relocate their two sons, her grandchildren, to South Florida.
The State showed that Dan Markel filed a motion, during the trial the State referred to it as the “Grandma motion” to restrict Donna’s unsupervised visits with her grandchildren. where Donna Adelson could not have unsupervised visits with his two sons.
The State showed evidence of online communication between Wendi and her parents to show how this aggravated the Adelson family.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Court is set to resume Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. The Defense is expected to call their first witness and inform Judge Stephen Everett how long the Defense will need to present their case.
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