GUILTY Verdict Handed Down to Donna Adelson | Crime Alert 7AM 09.05.25

Donna Adelson was ordered to calm down after hearing she had been found guilty on all charges related to the murder of her ex-son-in-law. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime Lark hourly update, Breaking crime news Now, I'm Nicole Parton.
A tearful Florida dental matriarch faced a stern rebuke from
a judge on Thursday following her emotional reaction upon being
convicted of orchestrating the twenty fourteen murder for hire of
her son in law. Guilty was the verdict for Donna Adelson.

(00:22):
She gasped, oh my God in a Tallahasee courtroom when
Florida Second Judicial Circuit Judge Stephen Everett announced the jury's
decision regarding the murder of Dan Markel, a law professor
at Florida State University.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
We the jury fined as follows as the count one
of the indictment, first degree murder. The defendant is guilty
of first degree murder. Missus Adelson, control yourself. Count two.
We the jury find as follows as the count two
of the indictment, Conspiracy to commit forgree murder. The defendant

(01:02):
is guilty of conspiracy to commit first degree murder. Count three.
We have a jury fined as follows as the count
three of the indictment.

Speaker 1 (01:14):
Judge Everett could be heard instructing the seventy five year
old woman who broke down in tears to maintain her composure.
The stern judge ordered the jury to leave the courtroom
while Adelson continued to sob loudly, frequently bowing her head
in distress, as captured by video footage from the Tallahassee Democrat,
Missus Adelson, while I understand this is not the verdict

(01:36):
you hoped for. Any further outburst in front of the
jury will not be tolerated. You have to regain your composure,
he said. I may have to consider your removal from
the proceedings, he warned. The judge gave her two minutes
to quote calm herself down before returning to the hearing.
Despite trembling in her seat, Adelson managed to remain silent,

(01:58):
allowing the court proceedings to continue you uninterrupted. The lengthy
trial revolved around the prosecution's assertion that Adelson had masterminded
the brutal murder of Markel, whom she allegedly despised due
to his previous marriage to her daughter, Wendy. Defense attorneys
argued there was no substantial evidence linking the elderly woman

(02:20):
to the crime, and attempted to shift the blame onto
her two adult children. Prosecutors depicted Adolson as a domineering
matriarch from a wealthy South Florida family, suggesting she had
both the motive and the means to orchestrate the murder
of her ex son in law that she loathed. Markel

(02:40):
was shot in the head in Tallahassee in July twenty
fourteen amid a bitter custody dispute with Wendy, who sought
to relocate with their two sons to South Florida. A
judge had previously denied her request to move. For nearly
ten years, the case remained unsolved until Adelson's son, doctor
Charles Early Adolson, was arrested in April twenty two. He

(03:03):
and his then girlfriend Katherine were implicated in hiring two men,
mister Garcia and mister Riviera, to execute a hit on Markel.
On the morning of July eighteen, twenty fourteen, Rivera and Garcia,
affiliated with the notorious Latin King's Gang, followed Markell home
before fatally shooting him. Garcia, identified as the shooter, was

(03:27):
sentenced to life in prison, while Rivera accepted a plea
deal and received a nineteen year sentence. Both Catherine and
Charles Adelson were convicted in connection with the murder for
higher scheme. They were sentenced to life in prison. Wendy
Adelson has denied any involvement in the murder against her
ex husband, and she has not faced charges. We have

(03:49):
lost a treasure. My son, Dan's life was tragically cut
short at forty one years old, said Ruth Markel, That's
Den's mother, in an impact statement after the verdict. For
a years, we have endured unimaginable pain and heartbreak. Donna
Adelson had evaded arrests for almost a decade following Markell's death,

(04:09):
but was apprehended at Miami International Airport while attempting to
board a one way flight to Vietnam in November. She
claimed she was aware of the country's no extradition policy
with the US and stated she would have cooperated with
US authorities had they been searching for her. Adelson is
awaiting a sentencing hearing after her attorneys successfully requested the

(04:32):
judge refrain from issuing a sentence on Thursday, seeking the
same leniency her son received in twenty twenty three. She
will be back in court for that sentencing in October.
More Crime and Justice News after this The daughter of

(04:53):
a former sheriff in Kentucky who is facing murder charges
for the death of a district judge, has refuted claim
of any connection with the dead judge. Based on grand
jury testimony. Sean Mickey Stein's, the sheriff of Leccher County,
has been charged in the shooting death of fifty four
year old district Judge Kevin Mullins, which took place in

(05:14):
Mullen's office on September nineteen, twenty twenty four. The incident
was recorded on video, showing Stein's shooting the judge multiple
times while he sat at his desk, and continuing to
fire after the judge collapsed to the ground. Kentucky State
Police Detective Clayton Stamper provided testimony to the grand jury

(05:35):
regarding community speculation surrounding Mullens and Stein's teenage daughter. As
per the transcripts, Stamper stated that Stein's daughter denied any
allegations of having any contact whatsoever with the judge, whether
through social media, text messages, or phone calls. She denied
any kind of contact, whether it was in any way,

(05:56):
shape or form. That is all just rumor. Stampord reed
as he confirmed that investigators found no prior cell phone
communication between Mullen's and Stein's daughter. Additionally, Stamper mentioned there
were rumorers regarding Stein's wife allegedly having a relationship with Mullens,
which she also denied. Stamper testified that prior to the shooting,

(06:19):
Stein's had used Mullen's phone to call his daughter while
seated at the judge's desk. Sheriff Steins used Judge Mullen's
phone to contact his daughter while seated there, Stamper testified,
adding there was no contact whatsoever between Mullen's and the daughter.
During a previous preliminary hearing, Stamper noted that Stein's daughter's

(06:40):
number was found on the judge's phone. According to the
Lexington Herald, a segment of the grand jury testimony was
made public on September three as part of the defense's
motion to dismiss the charges, although a judge subsequently sealed
that testimony. On the same day, following the shooting, Steins
exited the courthouse, but then returned to surrender to authorities.

(07:02):
Sheriff Stein's walked in right behind law enforcement and essentially said,
there's nobody else, it's me. Stamper testified, he described how
Stein's placed his gun on a table and made that statement.
Stein's legal team acknowledges that he fired the weapon and
intends to argue a defense based on insanity and extreme
emotional disturbance. Were confident that there will be evidence showing

(07:26):
his mental health was compromised during that time, said his attorney.
The incident has sent shockwaves through the small community of
Lecher County, where Stein's and Mullens had been close friends
and colleagues. Before becoming sheriff in twenty eighteen, Stein served
as the bailiff for Mullen's court, according to the Louisville
Courier Journal. For the latest crime and justice news, follow

(07:50):
Crime Alert hourly update on your favorite podcasting app with
this crime Alert. I'm Nicol Parton