A Florida dentist has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for his role in the murder of his former brother-in-law, Dan Markel.
After nearly a decade, a Leon County jury determined last month that Charles Adelson had orchestrated the murder against Markel, seemingly at the behest of his mother. Adelson was subsequently convicted of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and solicitation of first-degree murder.
On Tuesday, during sentencing at the Second Judicial Circuit Court in Leon County, Markel’s father spoke about his son’s life before the judge allowed Adelson to address the court. Adelson declined but maintained his innocence.
“I would just like to say that I maintain my innocence,” Adelson told the judge.
According to AP News, the judge added “30 consecutive years” to Adelson’s sentence on the lesser counts.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Markel, identified as a renowned law professor at Florida State University, was fatally shot while walking into the garage of his Tallahassee home on July 18, 2014.
Adelson hired his former girlfriend, Katherine D. Magbanua, to kill Markel after his sister, Wendi Adelson, lost a bitter custody battle with the victim. Magbanua subsequently hired Sigfredo Garcia, her former lover who is the father of her children, and his friend Luis Rivera to carry out the hit.
Magbanua, Garcis, and Rivera were all subsequently convicted of murder.
Wendi Adelson, who denies any involvement and is not facing charges, shared custody of her children with Markel. She wanted to move from Tallahassee to South Florida to be closer to her family, but a judge ruled that she couldn’t move without Markel’s consent.
Before his murder, Markel reportedly refused, expressing concern about the children moving too far away.
Then, Adelson’s mother, Donna Adelson, was arrested at Miami International Airport on November 13, as she and her husband, Harvey, were preparing to board a one-way flight to Vietnam. They attempted to flee a week after a jury found Charles Adelson guilty.
Donna Adelson is now charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy, and solicitation in the murder-for-hire killing.
She remains jailed at the Leon County Detention Facility.
[Feature Photo: FILE – Charlie Adelson looks at jurors as his defense attorney presents closing arguments, Monday, Nov. 6, 2023, in Tallahassee, Fla. On Monday, Nov. 13, Donna Adelson, the matriarch of a South Florida family who made their fortune practicing dentistry, was arrested at Miami International Airport on charges of orchestrating the hit-man murder of her ex-son-in-law, one week after her oral surgeon son, Charlie Adelson, was convicted on the same first-degree murder charge. (Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat via AP, Pool, File)]
