In July 2014, Florida State law professor Dan Markel was gunned down in his own driveway — a brutal murder that shocked Tallahassee and the entire legal world.
For years, the question of why lingered. Now, attorney Stephen Webster, who represented Dan during his bitter custody battle with ex-wife Wendi Adelson, is revealing the chilling truth about what was supposed to happen the morning of the murder.
Webster says he and Dan had “damning paperwork” ready to file against Wendi Adelson — filings that could have changed everything in their custody war. According to Webster, these filings allegedly included motions to restrict Wendi’s custody, contempt claims for violating parenting orders, and evidence of how much her family was controlling the fight. In short, it was a direct threat to the Adelsons’ grip over Dan’s two young sons.
But those papers never made it to court. That morning, Dan was ambushed and shot twice in the head, killed before the filings could be stamped by a judge.
With Donna and Charlie Adelson now convicted in the murder plot, the timing of the attack looks chilling in hindsight. The motive wasn’t abstract. It was immediate. The Adelsons allegedly acted to stop legal documents that could expose their interference and weaken Wendi’s custody case.
This episode dives deep into the story of the paperwork that never got filed — how it may have played into motive, how it allegedly sealed Dan’s fate, and how one family’s obsession with control led to one of the most notorious murder-for-hire cases in Florida history.
Was Dan Markel killed not just for who he was, but for what he was about to do in court?
🔑 Hashtags
#DanMarkel #WendiAdelson #AdelsonFamily #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers #MurderForHire #CustodyBattle #JusticeForDan #CourtFilings #TrueCrimeCommunity
Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video?
Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod
Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.