One week after Donna Adelson was arrested as she tried to board a flight to Vietnam with a one-way ticket, the rich Florida household matriarch appeared in court the place she was indicted within the 2014 murder of her former son-in-law, Dan Markel.
The Miami Seashore grandmother, 73, was handcuffed and wore a pink jail jumpsuit when she appeared on a video Zoom hyperlink on Tuesday morning.
Circuit Decide Jason Jones ordered Ms Adelson to be held with out bond on the murder cost and mentioned she was to not have any contact with Dan Markel’s household, co-defendants, or witnesses.
When requested if she understood, Ms Adelson responded “sure, your honor.”
She was booked on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and solicitation to commit first-degree murder, in keeping with Leon County Sheriff’s Workplace jail information. A brand new mugshot was additionally launched.
Tuesday’s look was her first earlier than the Leon County choose. She had beforehand appeared in bond court and waived extradition following her arrest at Miami Worldwide airport on 13 November as she tried to board a flight to Vietnam with a layover in Dubai.
(Leon County Jail)
Main as much as the arrest, recorded jail telephone calls along with her not too long ago convicted son Charlie Adelson revealed she was “getting issues so as and that she was ensuring her grandchildren can be taken care of.”
She talked about suicide on the decision, in keeping with an arrest affidavit, however then admitted her plans to flee to a non-extradition nation. That nation was Vietnam with a cease in Dubai. The 2 international locations wouldn’t have an extradition treaty with the US.
With a one-way ticket to Vietnam in hand, Donna and her husband Harvey Adelson arrived on the Miami Worldwide Airport – however have been stopped by the authorities earlier than they may go away.
Donna was taken into custody and now faces murder, conspiracy, and solicitation charges within the murder of her son-in-law Dan Markel, a 41-year-old Florida State College legislation professor who was shot and killed outdoors his Tallahassee dwelling in 2014.
Prosecutors argue that the Adelsons conspired to do away with Markel after a bitter custody dispute between Markel and his ex-wife, Wendi Adelson, Donna’s daughter.
Wendi, who has denied involvement with the murder and testified underneath immunity at a number of trials, has not been charged. Neither has her father, Harvey Adelson.
State Lawyer Jack Campbell informed the Tallahassee Democrat that the state didn’t have the proof to arrest Harvey, however had sufficient to arrest Donna.
Her tried flight abroad sped issues up and pushed legislation enforcement “to decide rapidly,” Mr Campbell mentioned.
“That’s what pressured our hand,” Mr Campbell mentioned. “We began speaking to a few of our legislation enforcement companions concerning the complexities of making an attempt to convey somebody again from both Dubai or Vietnam. And that is likely to be a really sophisticated and prolonged course of. In order that’s why we needed to decide rapidly.”
The charges are the identical that her son Charlie Adelson, 47, was convicted of simply final week. He faces a compulsory life time period when sentenced subsequent month.
Charlie Adelson is cross examined by Assistant State Lawyer Georgia Cappleman throughout his trial for the murder of Dan Markel
The household matriarch had been on prosecutors’ radar for a while, in keeping with Leon County State Lawyer Jack Campbell, who informed The Related Press that whereas he believes his prosecutors already had sufficient proof to convict Donna earlier than Monday, her arrest needed to be accelerated when investigators discovered of her plans to go away the nation.
Donna was the fourth individual to be arrested – an replace that marks the newest twist within the 2014 killing that was organized by Charlie Adelson’s former girlfriend, Katie Magbanua, who employed her ex-husband Sigfredo “Tuto” Garcia and his pal Latin Kings chief Luis Rivera to hold out the murder.
Magbanua and Garcia are serving life sentences and Rivera is serving a 19-year sentence after pleading responsible to second-degree murder and testifying towards the others.
