Florida matriarch Donna Adelon, convicted of murder earlier month, is seeking a new trial.
According to AP News, Adelson’s lawyers claimed juror misconduct happened after the 75-year-old’s murder trial in Tallahassee.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Adelson becomes the fifth person convicted in the murder of Florida State University law professor Dan Markel, who was in the midst of a bitter custody battle with his ex-wife — Donna Adelson’s daughter, Wendi Adelson — as she tried to relocate from Tallahassee to Miami with the couple’s two young sons.
The two hitmen, a middleman between the Adelson family and the hitman, and Donna Adelson’s son Charlie Adelson were previously convicted.
Adelson’s law team filed the new motion on Tuesday, arguing that two jury members spoke publicly about the case. One of the jurors reportedly posted a video on TikTok, while the other juror spoke out on the “Surviving the Survivor” podcast.
Her attorneys also argued that Circuit Judge Stephen Everett, who presided over the case, showed favoritism to prosecutors, who are accused of relying on circumstantial evidence throughout the trial, according to the motion.
“There’s no evidence of it,” defense lawyer Jackie Fulford claimed during closing arguments. “It’s their theory, that’s all it is. You can’t convict someone based on theory; you have to have evidence beyond a reasonable doubt.”
In the motion, Adelson’s lawyers argued that no concrete evidence exists that would show her as culpable in Markel’s murder.
“Where is the evidence Mrs. Adelson agreed; conspired; combined; or confederated with anyone else that Mr. Markel be killed? There is none,” the attorneys wrote.
“The State’s entire case is premised on speculation, impermissible stacking of inferences and theory. Without the speculation, theory and impermissible stacking of inferences, there was no evidence Mrs. Adelson ever agreed for Mr. Markel to be killed.”
The attorneys also argued that Everett failed to admit Adelson’s entire 2014 and 2023 planners into evidence, choosing only to admit certain portions of it.
Meanwhile, while speaking with the Tallahassee Democrat, State Attorney Jack Campbell said he didn’t notice anything in the motion that would legally provide Adelson a new trial.
“As soon as I saw the jurors were talking, I knew that they would probably complain about that,” he said. “And we’re going to continue to fight their motions for a new trial and all their defenses until the end of time.”
Adelson is currently behind bars in the Leon County Detention Facility. A case management conference has been set for October 14.
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[Feature Photo: Dan Markel/FSU College of Law faculty biographies; Donna Adelson/AP]
