FL v. Adelson: Dentist Mastermind Murder Trial

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (COURT TV) — A Florida dentist has been found guilty of all charges in the plot to kill his ex brother-in-law.

A jury convicted Charlie Adelson of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and solicitation to commit murder in the death of Florida State University law professor Dan Markel. Adelson was remanded to custody, pending sentencing on December 12.

Charlie Adelson, left, is set to stand trial next month in the 2014 murder of his former brother-in-law, Florida State University law professor Dan Markel, right. Authorities allege Adelson arranged the killing so his sister could move in with the couple’s children.

Prosecutors said Adelson plotted the 2014 murder of Markel so that his sister, Wendi Adelson, could relocate freely with the couple’s children. Markel and his ex-wife were embroiled in a contentious custody battle at the time Markel was gunned down in the driveway of his Tallahassee home.

Adelson’s defense team’s request to keep interviews and recordings of Katherine Magbanua sealed was granted. Magbanua, Adelson’s ex-girlfriend, was sentenced to life in prison plus two additional 30-year sentences on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation to commit murder.

Magbanua’s ex and father of their children, Sigfredo Garcia, was the one who fired the gun that killed Markel. He was convicted in 2019 and received a life sentence plus an additional 30 years on a conspiracy charge.

According to the indictment, Adelson solicited Garcia and another man, Luis Rivera, to kill Markel. Rivera pleaded guilty to second-degree murder when he struck a plea deal in 2016. He was sentenced to 19 years.

LISTEN: The Case Against Charlie Adelson – Court TV Podcast

Last week, a judge ordered Adelson’s parents to face questioning ahead of trial. According to court records, Adelson’s parents had planned to plead the fifth at questioning but hadn’t ruled out testifying at trial. The judge then ruled that the Adelsons must answer the state’s questions or risk being held in contempt.

Just before the trial began, both sides agreed not to call the couple. The state stipulated that Harvey or Donna Adelson’s attorney said that the pair planned to assert their Fifth Amendment right to silence during any interviews.

The judge also ruled that jurors could look at video allegedly showing Adelson speaking with one of the accused hitmen.

DAILY TRIAL UPDATES

DAY 7: 11/6/23

The prosecution and defense delivered closing arguments.
The jury deliberated for several hours before returning a verdict.
- WATCH: Dentist Mastermind Murder Trial: Watch the Verdict

DAY 6: 11/3/23

Charlie Adelson ends his testimony steadfastly claiming he was a victim of extortion and not the mastermind of a murder-for-hire
Prosecutors grill Adelson about his relationship with Latin King moll Katherine Magbanua
Lawyers on both sides waive lesser included charges – jurors will consider first-degree premeditated murder as the top count

DAY 6: 11/2/23

Charlie Adelson denies he hired anyone to kill his ex-brother-in-law
Adelson claims he feared for his own life when Markel’s killers threatened to kill him if he didn’t pay them
He continued his relationship with Katie Magbanua even though she told him her friends killed his brother-in-law because she protected him from them.

DAY 5: 11/1/23

Charles Adelson takes the oath and informs the court he will testify in his own defense.
Prosecutors rest their case-in-chief
The government plays hours of intercepted calls Charles makes to his mother and Katherine Magbanua discussing the bump in code.
- WATCH: Damning Phone Call Between Donna Adelson and Undercover Cop
- WATCH: What Happened When an Undercover Blackmailer Approached Donna Adelson
Charles and his mother call the undercover officer posing as the blackmailer.
- WATCH: Dentist Mastermind Murder Trial: Day 5 Recap
- WATCH: Adelson Family Dynamics

DAY 4: 10/31/23

Jurors see a video of the “Bump” an undercover operation carried out to get the Adelsons talking
The operation prompts Charlie Adelson to call his mother multiple times in which they discuss the possibility that they are being blackmailed.
The Bump leads to a meeting in a restaurant between the defendant and codefendant Katherine Magbanua

DAY 3: 10/30/23

Convicted codefendant Katherine Magbanua testifies defendant Charlie Adelson gave her the money to pay for the hit job on Dan Markel.
- WATCH: Katherine Magbanua: I Lied to Save Myself But Now I’m Being Truthful
Magbanua admitted to lying in her two previous trials to save herself but claims to be truthful now to help the family gain closure.
- WATCH: Co-Conspirator Katherine Magbanua Testifies in Charlie Adelson Trial
- WATCH: Magbanua Admits She Knew the Job Was a Murder, Not Just a Roughing Up
Jurors heard the defendant’s voice in a recorded call with his assistant who tells him the FBI is asking for employment records of Katherine Magbanua.
Text messages between Charles and his mother show the growing conflict between his family and Dan Markel
- WATCH: Dentist Mastermind Murder Trial: Co-Conspirator on Cross-Examination
- WATCH: Dentist Mastermind Murder Trial: Day 3 Recap

DAY 2: 10/27/23

Wendy Adelson testifies that she had fully expected to follow through with plans she made to buy a house and build a life in Tallahassee contrary to the State’s claim that she was desperate to relocate.
Jilted ex-boyfriend Jeffrey Lacasse testifies that Wendy told him in confidence that her brother had investigated hiring hitmen to kill her ex-husband
- WATCH: Wendi Adelson’s Ex-Boyfriend: Charlie Adelson Explored Hiring a Hitman
- WATCH: Wendi Adelson’s Ex Says He Thought He Was Getting Set Up
Lacasse says he suspected the Adelsons were trying to frame him for Markel’s murder
Rivera testifies about the hit job on Dan Markel
- - WATCH: Dentist Mastermind Murder Trial: Body Language Analysis
  - WATCH: Dentist Mastermind Murder Trial: Day 2

DAY 1: 10/26/23

Both sides give opening statements – Prosecutors detail how law enforcement connected the dots to lead them to the defendant as being the mastermind in the murder plot.
- WATCH: Dentist Mastermind Murder Trial: Prosecution Opening Statement
- WATCH: Dentist Mastermind Murder Trial: Defense Opening Statement
Defense reveals Charlie Adelson was blackmailed into making payments to his killers because they threatened to harm him and his family.
Defense says Charlie Adelson’s jokes about paying a million-dollar bribe to his brother-in-law and finding a hitman – found its way to violent men who saw an opportunity.