Donna Adelson Sentencing: Hearing, Appeal, and Prison

Donna Adelson was sentenced on October 13, 2025, to life in prison without the possibility of parole for orchestrating the 2014 murder-for-hire of her former son-in-law, Florida State University law professor Daniel Markel. Leon County Circuit Judge Stephen Everett imposed the mandatory life term for first-degree murder along with 30 years each for conspiracy and solicitation. Adelson, 75, maintained her innocence at the hearing and has appealed.¹

What the Sentence Includes

The life sentence for first-degree murder is mandatory under Florida law and carries no possibility of parole. The two 30-year sentences for conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation to commit murder run concurrent with each other but consecutive to the life term. Judge Everett declined the defense’s request for a downward departure from the sentencing guidelines.²

Prosecutors also sought restitution for prosecution costs estimated at more than $723,000. The defense asked for supporting documentation, and no final restitution order had been entered at the time of sentencing.²

Inside the Sentencing Hearing

Adelson appeared shackled and in a jail jumpsuit. Given a chance to address the court, she delivered a tearful statement insisting she had no role in the killing. “What happened to Danny is unforgivable,” she said. “But I am an innocent woman convicted of this terrible crime without evidence.” She added, “I swear to you on my life I was not involved in any way with Danny’s murder.”³

Judge Everett interrupted her twice as her remarks turned to attacking the trial evidence. “Is the defense trying to re-argue the trial?” he asked. He warned that the court could “take into consideration the utter lack of remorse that you are displaying,” and later asked, “What does any of this have to do with sentencing?”⁴

Harvey Adelson, Donna’s husband, also spoke. The judge cut him off after his remarks shifted from character testimony into accusations of bias against the court and jury. Defense attorney Jackie Fulford was observed crossing out portions of his prepared letter as he read.²

Before imposing sentence, Everett told Adelson, “You certainly can choose to deny your involvement and maintain innocence. The court finds the evidence in this case is clear.”¹

The Denied Motion for a New Trial

Sentencing went forward after Judge Everett rejected a defense bid to undo the verdict. On September 15, 2025, Adelson’s attorneys filed a motion for a new trial alleging juror misconduct and judicial error, pointing to one juror’s podcast appearance and another’s TikTok post. Everett denied the motion on September 25, ruling the verdict was not “contrary to the law of the weight of the evidence” and finding no juror misconduct.⁵

The Appeal

Adelson’s defense team filed a notice of appeal on November 5, 2025. The case, Adelson v. State of Florida, No. 1D2025-2848, is pending before the Florida First District Court of Appeal. As of mid-2026, the matter is in the briefing stage, with Adelson’s lawyers requesting extensions of time to file the initial brief.⁶

Her son Charlie Adelson, convicted of the same three offenses in November 2023 and also serving life without parole, has a separate appeal pending before the same court. Oral arguments in his case were heard in February 2026.⁷

Where Adelson Is Incarcerated

Adelson was initially held at the Florida Women’s Reception Center in Ocala. In December 2025, she was transferred to the Homestead Correctional Institute in Miami-Dade County. At sentencing, Judge Everett had granted a defense request that she be placed as close to Miami as possible so her husband could more easily visit.⁸

How the Case Reached Sentencing

Daniel Markel, a 41-year-old law professor at Florida State University, was shot twice in the head at point-blank range in the garage of his Tallahassee home on July 18, 2014, and died the following day. Prosecutors said the killing grew out of a bitter custody dispute after Markel’s ex-wife, Wendi Adelson, was blocked by a family court judge from relocating their two young sons from Tallahassee to South Florida, where the Adelson family lived.⁹

The state alleged the Adelson family paid more than $100,000 for the hit, with money funneled through the family’s dental practice. Donna Adelson signed 44 checks to Katherine Magbanua, the intermediary who connected the family to the two gunmen, though Magbanua never worked for the practice.¹⁰

Every other person accused had already been convicted by the time Donna Adelson stood trial: gunman Luis Rivera pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2016; gunman Sigfredo Garcia was convicted of first-degree murder in 2019; Magbanua was convicted at retrial in 2022 and later testified for the state; and Charlie Adelson was convicted in November 2023.¹¹

Donna Adelson was arrested by the FBI at Miami International Airport on the evening of November 13, 2023, days after her son’s conviction. She and her husband had booked one-way tickets to Vietnam with a stopover in Dubai. State Attorney Jack Campbell said the arrest was accelerated because Vietnam has no extradition treaty with the United States and retrieving her would have been “a very complicated and lengthy process.”¹²

Her trial began August 22, 2025, before Judge Everett and lasted about two weeks. On September 4, 2025, after just over three hours of deliberation, a jury of eight men and four women found her guilty on all three counts.¹³ Key evidence at trial included Magbanua’s testimony that Charlie stepped out during meetings to consult his mother; testimony from Donna’s son Rob that she recounted details of the shooting before they were publicly known and warned him against cooperating with the FBI; and testimony from two jailhouse informants, one of whom said Adelson gave her a handwritten “script” framing Magbanua for extortion. A crime lab analyst confirmed the handwriting was Adelson’s.¹⁴ Adelson did not testify.¹⁵

Who Has Not Been Charged

Two members of the Adelson family remain uncharged. Harvey Adelson, Donna’s husband, attended the trial daily and spoke at sentencing but has not been accused of any involvement. Wendi Adelson, Donna’s daughter and Markel’s ex-wife, has denied knowledge of the plot and testified under immunity at her mother’s trial. Asked after the September 2025 verdict whether Wendi had “reason to be worried about charges,” Assistant State Attorney Georgia Cappleman answered, “Stay tuned.”¹⁶

1
Tallahassee Democrat. Donna Adelson Sentencing Livestream Updates From Courtroom
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WCTV. Donna Adelson Sentenced to Life in Prison for Dan Markel’s Murder
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NBC Miami. Donna Adelson Statement Son-in-Law Murder Sentencing
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Court TV. Donna Adelson to Face Sentencing for Murder
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WCTV. Judge Denies Donna Adelson’s Motion for New Trial
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Florida Courts ACIS. Adelson v. State of Florida, 1D2025-2848
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WFSU. Oral Arguments Heard in Charlie Adelson Murder Conviction Appeal
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Tallahassee Democrat. Donna Adelson Dan Markel Murder Miami Area Prison Homestead Correctional
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NBC News. Daniel Markel Murder Hit Men Family Donna Adelson Katherine Magbanua
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CNN. Donna Adelson Judge Murder Trial
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WCTV. Extended Timeline: Key Dates in Dan Markel Murder Case
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Register-Guard. Donna Adelson Arrested Dan Markel Murder Case
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New York Times. Dan Markel Florida Murder Verdict
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Court TV. FL v. Donna Adelson: Matriarch Mastermind Murder Trial
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ABA Journal. Donna Adelson Judge Uses Tactic to Get Mother-in-Law to Decide Whether to Testify
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WCTV. Donna Adelson Guilty, Charged in Murder-for-Hire Plot