August 25, 2025 • 24 mins
Wendi Adelson takes the stand to testify against her mother, Donna. This episode breaks down her testimony on direct exam up to the lunch break.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
What you know. Alabyers. Welcome to another episode of Pretty
Lies and Alibis. I'm Gigi. It's Monday, August twenty fifth,
Wendy Adelson on the stand. We are currently at lunch.
This will be out after testimony resumes, but I don't
want to miss a thing, so I wanted to break
this up into two separate episodes because both will be long,
(00:20):
and also, unfortunately, Gramy is back in the hospital with aphibs,
so I'm going to be back and forth there today,
but I'm trying to get this out for everybody to
stay updated on what's happening if you're not able to watch.
First up this morning was Jason Newlan. He really was
brought into lay foundation for the emails between Donna and Wendy,
(00:40):
where Donna is very involved in the divorce filings and
the relocation issues. Some of the emails Wendy asked Donna
to edit responses. They also just showed Donna's control of
this whole situation, and Prosecutor Kaplman really meticulously went through
these emails showing Donna's role. So let's jump to Wendy
(01:01):
Adelson being on the stand. When Wendy came in the room.
Donna looked emotional. She was breathing in and out very heavily.
At first, Wendy did not even look at her mom.
So they start with how Wendy and Dan met. They
met online in the fall of two thousand and three,
which would have been Wendy's first year of law school,
and they married in February of two thousand and six.
(01:24):
They moved to Tallahassee her final year of law school,
which would have been the summer of two thousand and five.
They stayed there until two thousand and six, where they
went back to South Florida and spent a year at
the University of Miami. They moved back to Tallahassee from
two thousand and seven to twenty fourteen, and they lived
on Trescott Drive. That's where their children were born. They
(01:48):
show a photo of that residence. Dan was killed ten
days before their oldest son's fifth birthday, and their youngest
was three and a half and they were fourteen months apart.
They separated in the fall of two thousand twelve, and
that was Wendy's decision. She said they had talked about
it several times before that, but when she did file,
she said he was very upset and surprised. Part of
(02:09):
the reason was differing views on how to raise their
children in the Jewish faith. She said it was a
small part to her, but it was a part. When
asked if she thought he was a religious zealot, she
said no, but she thought he was using religion to
control her. Keeping kosher was a big issue with Dan,
more so than Wendy, and so the prosecutor has Wendy
(02:31):
explain kosher to the jury. She said, Dan got more
kosher over time and he wanted to impose that on
their children. That was an issue less important to Wendy,
even though both her and Dan were raised in the
Jewish faith. She moved out while Dan was on a
business trip, and then she moved to a property that
she had rented for her and the boys there in Tallahassee.
(02:53):
At that point, the custody arrangement was nothing formal. She
gives the example that his parents had come to town
that weekend, so she made sure Dan had the boys.
It was roughly fifty to fifty custody and then a
mixed During the week they bring in the divorce documents
and asked if Donna was involved in drafting any of
those divorce documents, and Wendy said no. When asked if
(03:16):
Donna made edits, Wendy said that she suggested things, but
she also had her own attorney for the divorce. Sometimes
she would forward those suggestions to her attorney, and she
admitsed the divorce was contentious. As far as the relocation
petition that she filed, her reasoning was to provide a
better quality of life, close access to close family members,
(03:39):
and more stability and consistency. Wendy says the close family
was Donna, Harvey, and Charlie. She also wanted to relocate
because of what she says was an unstable employment that
was dependent on grant money, so she had a good
offer in South Florida. She said the assumption was that
Dan would go to a better school. Ultimately, Lee his
(04:00):
goal was Harvard or Yale, and Tallahassee would not be
a permanent place for him. She said it was important
for her to have a safe and stable place for
her kids, and she says she may have referred to
living in Tallahassee as being stuck. She's asked if she
sent an email to a friend which said, I do
fear the worst case scenario is I'm stuck here in Tallahassee.
(04:22):
She also emailed a friend at the same time. Life
in Tallahassee wouldn't compare to life in South Florida because
of Charlie's boat and his hot tub. In the filing,
it says the wife is merely stuck in Tallahassee until
the husband decides that the time is right for him
to leave. She said at this point, Dan was making
unplanned announcements at the office at FSU. They would bump
(04:45):
into each other there, and Tallahassee was referred to as
making her feel clousterphobic. Wendy doesn't really remember this, so
the prosecutor has her look at the email. Wendy reads,
Tallahassee feels claustrophobic at times, given it smallness and slowness
and the fact that my friends cycled through here with
transient regularity. At this point, they have Wendy identify Donna
(05:09):
there in court. Wendy kind of sounded like she could
have gotten emotional, but Wendy said she couldn't see Donna
close from the witness stand, but says she is across
from her. Donna looked like she could get emotional and
Wendy's voice actually cracked. I uploaded a clip of that
to the YouTube channel, by the way, so you can
go watch for yourself. Donna did not want Wendy stuck
(05:31):
in Tallahassee. She referred to Wendy as a hostage and
a prisoner in being there. They bring in an email
where Donna says, with the judge being from Tallahassee, they
may not get why Wendy would want to move back
to Miami now. In twenty twelve, her parents were living
in Coral Springs, Florida. This is where Wendy was born.
Wendy says Donna's relationship with the boys was very close
(05:54):
in the timeframe from separation to when Dan was murdered.
She said Donna taught the boys how to reach and
play chess. She goes through the family's dental practice and
says it was successful, but they never discussed money or finances.
Wendy would send things about divorce proceedings to Harvey and Donna,
who had that joint email account, but she said Donna
(06:16):
would mainly be the one to respond back and took
more interest in the day to day of the litigation.
She said Donna is protective of her and emotional. She
said Harvey is too, but he was just more of
a straight shooter, where Donna was more emotional. When asked
if Donna was controlling, she said she didn't think so.
But the prosecution brings up an email where Wendy says
(06:38):
Donna operated with emotional subterfuge that means sneaky or dishonest,
but Wendy says she doesn't think that's what she meant.
By the way, Wendy having a problem remembering a lot
of stuff today, so every time she says she can't remember,
Prosecutor Kaufulman is like, turn to tab thirty five, turn
to tab five. I mean she's not letting her get
(07:00):
away with any of this. I don't remember. The prosecution
mentions that Donna thought you were incapable to drive to
South Florida with the kids. Wendy says, not incapable, but
she was nursing and so they would come up to
Tallahassee to drive back to Miami with her. But the
prosecution points out this happened as late as a week
or two before the murder. Wendy's asked if Donna is
(07:22):
more dominant in the household. Wendy said Harvey was more quiet,
but equally strong. So prosecution brings in an email where
Wendy says that Donna was the dominant force in the home.
Wendy says that being a lawyer was not a popular
choice in their house, but Donna was encouraging Wendy to
pursue a different kind of law that would be more lucrative.
(07:44):
She said Donna did meddle in her relationships and in
fact created Wendy a dating profile, and she would send
Wendy some of the guys that she found on these
dating sites. They bring in an email from January seventeenth,
twenty thirteen, where Donna says, Okay, honey, so you think
I'm nuts, but when you get a moment, check out
(08:04):
some of these whom I've pre screened for you. There
are several different names listed. She goes on to say,
after all, you're gonna be in Miami here and there,
why not see what's out there. Give it a try,
at least for me. But Wendy says she did not
feel like Donna was walking all over her, and regarding
the divorce, she said she had a good attorney and
(08:25):
she was making decisions that she needed to make. She
did tell a friend that she needed to find a
way to coexist with Donna so that she didn't feel
like Donna was trampling on her autonomy. Between twenty twelve
and twenty sixteen, She's asked how did Donna feel about Dan?
Wendy said that Donna's feelings changed over time. When asked,
(08:46):
in twenty sixteen, did she hate Dan, Wendy said no,
what about twenty fourteen? No? Did you say in your
law enforcement interview that my parents have more reason to
dislike Danny more than anyone else. Wendy said she had
been sitting with law enforcement for six hours and was
just told Dan had been shot, So I told them
(09:06):
anything that could be helpful. Prosecution says, well, are you
saying that after six hours you were so tired that
you said things that weren't true? Wendy said no, I
was in shock and I just kept talking. When Donna
is really upset about something, does she talk about it
a lot? And does she specifically talk about things with Charlie?
Wendy says yes, they've always talked a lot. She's asked,
(09:28):
was Charlie your mom's problem solver. Wendy said, for the
most part, Donna would help Charlie solve problems and was
still mothering him like that into adulthood at the time
of Dan's murder. Was your mom very angry with him? Yes.
She's asked if she hated him too, and she said
at certain points. Prosecution asked, did you refer to Dan
(09:48):
as an STD so Wendy doesn't remember. Prosecutors like tab
five it says Danny is an STD one, wrong mistake
marrying him and this will never go away. She's asked
if she said that to Donna. Wendy said she didn't
remember saying that to Donna, so she probably didn't say
it often. Did you refer to Dan as the dark Lord?
(10:10):
She doesn't remember. Did you call him a derogatory name?
Wendy says that was a silly name that a friend
helped her come up with to make Dan feel less scary.
Did you say you hated Dan? Of course she doesn't remember,
but could you open tap thirty one to refresh your memory.
Wendy says, I said I hate him in this moment.
Prosecutor asked, in the same email, you said I hate
(10:33):
that I hate my children's dad, and Wendy says yes.
The prosecutor asked, did you refer to Dan as an
emotional terrorist? She doesn't remember, prosecutor, that's on tab thirty four.
Wendy said that it was seven months before the murder,
and another time she said I hate him, So she acknowledges.
Throughout the divorce, they fought over things as small as
(10:54):
a tennis racket. In one of Dan's responses, he said
Wendy helped herself to non marital assets, including stocks that
were there before the marriage. He lists other things she
took like a bike, the tennis racket, and a family heirloom.
Wendy said she took the racket by accident and she
returned it. The prosecution asked if leaving him in a
(11:16):
way to inflict maximum damage was her goal. Wendy said
she didn't say it, and she doesn't remember if Donna
said that. She talked to Donna about how and when
she would leave her marriage. There was an email by
Dan to Wendy where he said, let's put all this aside.
This is about the kids. Un Let's act in a
way that they would be proud of. They go on
(11:37):
to show a blurred photo of the boys at that
first rental home she went to after the separation. Donna
helped her locate the place and helped her move in.
She also came up and looked at places with her
before she found this rental. Dan did threaten Wendy with
federal kidnapping charges. He says she took the kids and
didn't say where they were for days or weeks. Wendy
(12:00):
said that's what he said, but that's not what happened.
Wendy said they did talk about relocation before she filed,
and he was up to figuring it out, but when
she filed, he was against it. He said the reason
that she wanted to move was to be closer to
her parents, and Donna referred to that as Dan's twenty
(12:21):
three page rant. Donna emailed Wendy her thoughts about the relocation,
saying that is her non negotiable. They had two long
mediations to try and settle this divorce, but it wasn't successful.
When asked if Charlie really cared if she was back
in Miami, Wendy said he wanted her close to him,
and after she was denied relocation, Wendy said she respected
(12:44):
the court's decision to stay in Tallahassee. She doesn't remember
Charlie being outraged by that decision, but Donna was upset.
Donna referred to it as a life or death decision
because Wendy says Donna thought her life there in Tallahassee
wasn't good. Wendy's asked if she would have never left
Dan without Donna's suggestion. Wendy said she would have because
(13:07):
she was unhappy. She's asked again, would you not have
left without Donna's suggestion? Wendy doesn't remember. So we're turn
into a tab and Wendy reads she wouldn't have done
it on her own. She said her parents and brothers
suggestions and support was essentially what pushed her. Prosecution asked,
is that your testimony? You did not get your mom
(13:27):
to edit your responses? Wendy doesn't remember. Did Donna pretend
to be you? Contacting financial institutions? Wendy said she had
very little involvement in her own financial situation, so that
may have been an account her dad created for her,
or one where he had signing authority. She's asked if
(13:47):
she forwarded an email to Donna on December nineteenth, twenty thirteen,
where Dan wanted to reconcile and was willing to make concessions.
Donna replied, paragraph by paragraph, refuting every reason Dan gave.
Wendy doesn't remember it, but acknowledges it's there on the screen.
Wendy replies, nicely done, Mom, he did great. She's asked
(14:10):
if Donna was the one who was mainly responding in
that joint email account. Wendy says that Donna could have
been described and that was both Donna and Harvey's personal feelings.
Donna said Dan's religious practices being forced on the boys
was sick. Donna wanted Dan to have a psychiatric evaluation,
and she used disparaging names referring to Dan. Prosecutor reads
(14:34):
him out, piece of crap, ahole, narcissist, bully, bastard, and
in an email from January thirteenth, talking about a job
in South Florida being a major bargaining chip in the divorce,
and the prosecutor mentions that Donna did a lot of
work making arguments to that very point. Wendy forded her
(14:55):
correspondence with her mother to her attorney. She's asked about
what Donna means when she refers to Wendy's South Florida
legal team. She's asked if she had another attorney in
South Florida. Wendy says, there's a smiley face. I think
she is referencing herself, and I think it's a joke.
She's asked if she used Donna's questions when she met
(15:17):
with her attorney, and Wendy said, if there was something useful.
Donna was the one who wanted to fight the relocation decision.
Wendy said she didn't feel railroaded by her mom. Wendy
said it was denied and she personally wasn't taking any
more action. And the prosecutor says legal action, but didn't
your mom have other ideas? Wendy says yes. The prosecutor
(15:39):
says she wanted to take it to an appeal, and
then Donna came up with a planned a strong arm Dan.
Donna says that the derogatory name they used for him
hasn't beaten the Adleson family yet. She had ideas like
pretending the boys have become Christian, paying for them to
get instructions on the Christian faith, and mentioned she could
have them both back ties within a couple of weeks.
(16:01):
Wendy said she wouldn't consider that. So Donna told Wendy
to put on a good act. Then she's asked, do
you know why your mom would google how to teach
an actress emotion? Wendy doesn't know. Donna was the one
that suggested that one million dollar offer to Dan split
three ways between Donna and Harvey and Charlie. Wendy does
(16:24):
not remember herself being included as one to pay part
of that million dollars. Wendy said she never made the
offer to Dan and she doesn't think it would have worked.
Wendy told Donna these ideas were crazy, and she said,
I will not be introducing my kids to Christianity either way.
I truly believe it will backfire. Now, Wendy says she
(16:46):
doesn't know what she meant by that, But the prosecution said,
would this have given Dan ammunition to pursue things in court?
Wendy says she may have thought that, but Donna kept pushing.
They bring in something that Donna sent Wendy where it
says Charlie brought up a good point. He said that
Americans were dropped behind enemy lines during World War Two
(17:08):
wearing Nazi uniforms to get what they wanted. They had
a job to get done, and they did what they
needed to accomplish it. You have a job to get
done and a very short timeframe to accomplish it. If
you dressed your kids up in Hitler youth uniforms and
brought them down here, I could care less if that
was an act of defiance and would show derogatory name.
(17:30):
He's not in control. Donna tells Wendy to rethink her
decision because Dan would still be in control. Donna also says,
why not stand up to this effort? Why not fight?
We want to see you help yourself. Not everything one
has to do in life is comfortable or easy. I
don't know how much of the big picture you're seeing, honey.
(17:51):
I don't know if you realize that not only what
you can provide for your boy's life, but for your
own life all depends on this change. This is a
once in a lifetime opportunity. Everyone has a price, and
now is the time to start. You said, this divorce
is not about winning and losing, and that is not
a competition. You've already lost relocation according to the legal system. Well,
(18:16):
it is about winning and losing. We're trying to get
a win. You deserve it. You deserve so much more
than a life without family. Teaching in Tallahassee. They show
that email with the plan for the one million dollar offer,
and it did include Wendy. It says, you, Charlie, Dad,
and I going as high as one million dollars and
(18:39):
three hundred and thirty three thousand from each of us.
Donna tells Wendy she's been on this with her from
day one and not to sign anything without the two
of them discussing and reviewing all of this. Donna wanted
to get him financially and get a win. Now that
divorce was final July thirty first of twenty thirteen, after
(19:00):
the shooting, Wendy gave her cell phone to police, and
the prosecution asks if she was asked to authenticate voices
from some of these wiretaps that were conducted. Wendy did
and identified her family, but after the divorce there was
more litigation. Wendy said Dan was supposed to pay her
half of the value of the house if she took
(19:21):
her name off the title, but Dan said he would
not pay for this due to his own reasons. So
Wendy had to file or he would be held in
contempt of court. Wendy filed a motion to enforce, and
Dan filed emotion, saying that Wendy was in violation of
a lot of things. One of Dan's biggest complaints was
Wendy's failure to facilitate communication on Skype with their sons.
(19:45):
Wendy tells the court if she was one minute late,
Dan would contact the parenting coordinator. In the email, it
says that Donna and Wendy have made zero efforts to
facilitate communications. Wendy doesn't remember if she forwarded that to
Donna were not. Nan also sent emails pleading for Wendy
to play nice. It said, I regret things have gotten
to where they are. Can we resolve things together to
(20:08):
avoid unnecessary cost? Wendy says didn't happen. She said she
always tried to play nice. She's asked if she ceased
all Skype communication between Dan and the kids on March twelfth,
twenty thirteen. Wendy doesn't remember, and Prosecutor Caupman's like turn
to tab fifty four please. Wendy said that's something her
(20:29):
attorney advised her to do. She doesn't remember if she did,
but if her attorney advised her to do, she probably did. Now.
The day that she filed the motion to enforce and
hold Dan in contempt was October thirty one, twenty thirteen.
She's asked if that was the same date she backed
out of the contract to buy a house in Tallahassee.
(20:50):
Wendy doesn't remember, but since Dan did not pay her
that half of the value of the home, she could
not buy the house. Prosecutor asked if Charlie talked her
out of buying it. Wendy doesn't remember. She also doesn't
remember Donna's position on her buying the house. But they
bring in a photo from Wendy's phone and that is
(21:11):
the same day that she filed that motion to hold
Dan in contempt. It's a photo of Charlie and Katie
telling her not to buy the house because she won't
be living in Tallahassee for long. Wendy doesn't remember, and
said she really wanted to buy the house, but after
the skype drama, she asked her mom to help her
(21:31):
work on the skype thing because it was becoming a
real problem between her and Dan. February twenty fourteen. Just
a few months later, Dan files a motion to enforce
the marital settlement, alleging Wendy committed fraud on the court
and the court should send a strong message by giving
him the assets that she didn't disclose. Donna then responded
(21:54):
they needed a plan of attack. Ultimately, Wendy's attorney had
to recuse herself from the case and become a witness,
and Wendy had to get new representation. Wendy filed a
response to his counter motion, alleging a vast majority of
his motions contain allegations that are scandalous, unimportant, and not pertinent.
(22:15):
She's asked around this time, did your mom move? Wendy
doesn't remember. The prosecution asks about the complex, the continuum
in South Beach. Wendy said, they didn't move until twenty fifteen,
but they were visiting there on the weekends. The prosecution said,
but they signed a lease in March of twenty fourteen,
(22:35):
and this is where you went when you left Tallahassee
after the murder, and we will get to that later.
Wendy agrees that is where she moved to. She's asked
why did they choose to move? Three to four months
before the murder. Wendy said Charlie had a girlfriend there
and he liked the property and thought maybe Donna and
Harvey would like to retire there. Donna added Wendy as
(22:57):
a resident in that complex on May sixteenth of twenty fourteen.
Of course, Wendy doesn't remember that, but says the apartment
complex had a really high security, so if you wanted
someone to come as opposed to being seen as a visitor,
they would need to be a resident. They move on
to the grandma motion where Dan is trying to have
(23:18):
supervised visits between Donna and the grandkids, and Wendy says
she doesn't remember this motion. The prosecutor talks about the
boys telling Dan that Grandma says you're stupid, she hates you.
Oh now, Wendy remembers that motion was not heard before
his murder. By the way, Wendy did not forward Donna
that motion. The allegations in Dan's motion were emailed to
(23:42):
Wendy before he filed it, and they read where their
son says Grandma says you're stupid, and other times they
said that Donna has told the kids Dan was trying
to take her sunshines away. And she hates him now.
Someone responded to that email, wow when doesn't know if
it was Donna or Harvey. Responding, she said she was
(24:04):
just shown that. Yesterday, Wendy forwarded Dan's email to Donna
and twelve other people. She said she was surprised he
was accusing a member of the Florida Bar, meaning her,
of fraud. He was going to all the links to
avoid paying her. That next day, Wendy forded the email
(24:24):
with the parenting coordinator's responses to Donna and a couple
of months before the murder, Dan said a friend of
Wendy's name Jane, told him that Wendy said Dan is
a monster. Wendy says she doesn't remember calling him that.
That is where we left off before lunch. I will
have part two out later this evening. Not sure how late,
(24:45):
but it will be coming. That's it for now. We
will see soon
What you know. Alabyers. Welcome to another episode of Pretty
Lies and Alibis. I'm Gigi. It's Monday, August twenty fifth,
Wendy Adelson on the stand. We are currently at lunch.
This will be out after testimony resumes, but I don't
want to miss a thing, so I wanted to break
this up into two separate episodes because both will be long,
(00:20):
and also, unfortunately, Gramy is back in the hospital with aphibs,
so I'm going to be back and forth there today,
but I'm trying to get this out for everybody to
stay updated on what's happening if you're not able to watch.
First up this morning was Jason Newlan. He really was
brought into lay foundation for the emails between Donna and Wendy,
(00:40):
where Donna is very involved in the divorce filings and
the relocation issues. Some of the emails Wendy asked Donna
to edit responses. They also just showed Donna's control of
this whole situation, and Prosecutor Kaplman really meticulously went through
these emails showing Donna's role. So let's jump to Wendy
(01:01):
Adelson being on the stand. When Wendy came in the room.
Donna looked emotional. She was breathing in and out very heavily.
At first, Wendy did not even look at her mom.
So they start with how Wendy and Dan met. They
met online in the fall of two thousand and three,
which would have been Wendy's first year of law school,
and they married in February of two thousand and six.
(01:24):
They moved to Tallahassee her final year of law school,
which would have been the summer of two thousand and five.
They stayed there until two thousand and six, where they
went back to South Florida and spent a year at
the University of Miami. They moved back to Tallahassee from
two thousand and seven to twenty fourteen, and they lived
on Trescott Drive. That's where their children were born. They
(01:48):
show a photo of that residence. Dan was killed ten
days before their oldest son's fifth birthday, and their youngest
was three and a half and they were fourteen months apart.
They separated in the fall of two thousand twelve, and
that was Wendy's decision. She said they had talked about
it several times before that, but when she did file,
she said he was very upset and surprised. Part of
(02:09):
the reason was differing views on how to raise their
children in the Jewish faith. She said it was a
small part to her, but it was a part. When
asked if she thought he was a religious zealot, she
said no, but she thought he was using religion to
control her. Keeping kosher was a big issue with Dan,
more so than Wendy, and so the prosecutor has Wendy
(02:31):
explain kosher to the jury. She said, Dan got more
kosher over time and he wanted to impose that on
their children. That was an issue less important to Wendy,
even though both her and Dan were raised in the
Jewish faith. She moved out while Dan was on a
business trip, and then she moved to a property that
she had rented for her and the boys there in Tallahassee.
(02:53):
At that point, the custody arrangement was nothing formal. She
gives the example that his parents had come to town
that weekend, so she made sure Dan had the boys.
It was roughly fifty to fifty custody and then a
mixed During the week they bring in the divorce documents
and asked if Donna was involved in drafting any of
those divorce documents, and Wendy said no. When asked if
(03:16):
Donna made edits, Wendy said that she suggested things, but
she also had her own attorney for the divorce. Sometimes
she would forward those suggestions to her attorney, and she
admitsed the divorce was contentious. As far as the relocation
petition that she filed, her reasoning was to provide a
better quality of life, close access to close family members,
(03:39):
and more stability and consistency. Wendy says the close family
was Donna, Harvey, and Charlie. She also wanted to relocate
because of what she says was an unstable employment that
was dependent on grant money, so she had a good
offer in South Florida. She said the assumption was that
Dan would go to a better school. Ultimately, Lee his
(04:00):
goal was Harvard or Yale, and Tallahassee would not be
a permanent place for him. She said it was important
for her to have a safe and stable place for
her kids, and she says she may have referred to
living in Tallahassee as being stuck. She's asked if she
sent an email to a friend which said, I do
fear the worst case scenario is I'm stuck here in Tallahassee.
(04:22):
She also emailed a friend at the same time. Life
in Tallahassee wouldn't compare to life in South Florida because
of Charlie's boat and his hot tub. In the filing,
it says the wife is merely stuck in Tallahassee until
the husband decides that the time is right for him
to leave. She said at this point, Dan was making
unplanned announcements at the office at FSU. They would bump
(04:45):
into each other there, and Tallahassee was referred to as
making her feel clousterphobic. Wendy doesn't really remember this, so
the prosecutor has her look at the email. Wendy reads,
Tallahassee feels claustrophobic at times, given it smallness and slowness
and the fact that my friends cycled through here with
transient regularity. At this point, they have Wendy identify Donna
(05:09):
there in court. Wendy kind of sounded like she could
have gotten emotional, but Wendy said she couldn't see Donna
close from the witness stand, but says she is across
from her. Donna looked like she could get emotional and
Wendy's voice actually cracked. I uploaded a clip of that
to the YouTube channel, by the way, so you can
go watch for yourself. Donna did not want Wendy stuck
(05:31):
in Tallahassee. She referred to Wendy as a hostage and
a prisoner in being there. They bring in an email
where Donna says, with the judge being from Tallahassee, they
may not get why Wendy would want to move back
to Miami now. In twenty twelve, her parents were living
in Coral Springs, Florida. This is where Wendy was born.
Wendy says Donna's relationship with the boys was very close
(05:54):
in the timeframe from separation to when Dan was murdered.
She said Donna taught the boys how to reach and
play chess. She goes through the family's dental practice and
says it was successful, but they never discussed money or finances.
Wendy would send things about divorce proceedings to Harvey and Donna,
who had that joint email account, but she said Donna
(06:16):
would mainly be the one to respond back and took
more interest in the day to day of the litigation.
She said Donna is protective of her and emotional. She
said Harvey is too, but he was just more of
a straight shooter, where Donna was more emotional. When asked
if Donna was controlling, she said she didn't think so.
But the prosecution brings up an email where Wendy says
(06:38):
Donna operated with emotional subterfuge that means sneaky or dishonest,
but Wendy says she doesn't think that's what she meant.
By the way, Wendy having a problem remembering a lot
of stuff today, so every time she says she can't remember,
Prosecutor Kaufulman is like, turn to tab thirty five, turn
to tab five. I mean she's not letting her get
(07:00):
away with any of this. I don't remember. The prosecution
mentions that Donna thought you were incapable to drive to
South Florida with the kids. Wendy says, not incapable, but
she was nursing and so they would come up to
Tallahassee to drive back to Miami with her. But the
prosecution points out this happened as late as a week
or two before the murder. Wendy's asked if Donna is
(07:22):
more dominant in the household. Wendy said Harvey was more quiet,
but equally strong. So prosecution brings in an email where
Wendy says that Donna was the dominant force in the home.
Wendy says that being a lawyer was not a popular
choice in their house, but Donna was encouraging Wendy to
pursue a different kind of law that would be more lucrative.
(07:44):
She said Donna did meddle in her relationships and in
fact created Wendy a dating profile, and she would send
Wendy some of the guys that she found on these
dating sites. They bring in an email from January seventeenth,
twenty thirteen, where Donna says, Okay, honey, so you think
I'm nuts, but when you get a moment, check out
(08:04):
some of these whom I've pre screened for you. There
are several different names listed. She goes on to say,
after all, you're gonna be in Miami here and there,
why not see what's out there. Give it a try,
at least for me. But Wendy says she did not
feel like Donna was walking all over her, and regarding
the divorce, she said she had a good attorney and
(08:25):
she was making decisions that she needed to make. She
did tell a friend that she needed to find a
way to coexist with Donna so that she didn't feel
like Donna was trampling on her autonomy. Between twenty twelve
and twenty sixteen, She's asked how did Donna feel about Dan?
Wendy said that Donna's feelings changed over time. When asked,
(08:46):
in twenty sixteen, did she hate Dan, Wendy said no,
what about twenty fourteen? No? Did you say in your
law enforcement interview that my parents have more reason to
dislike Danny more than anyone else. Wendy said she had
been sitting with law enforcement for six hours and was
just told Dan had been shot, So I told them
(09:06):
anything that could be helpful. Prosecution says, well, are you
saying that after six hours you were so tired that
you said things that weren't true? Wendy said no, I
was in shock and I just kept talking. When Donna
is really upset about something, does she talk about it
a lot? And does she specifically talk about things with Charlie?
Wendy says yes, they've always talked a lot. She's asked,
(09:28):
was Charlie your mom's problem solver. Wendy said, for the
most part, Donna would help Charlie solve problems and was
still mothering him like that into adulthood at the time
of Dan's murder. Was your mom very angry with him? Yes.
She's asked if she hated him too, and she said
at certain points. Prosecution asked, did you refer to Dan
(09:48):
as an STD so Wendy doesn't remember. Prosecutors like tab
five it says Danny is an STD one, wrong mistake
marrying him and this will never go away. She's asked
if she said that to Donna. Wendy said she didn't
remember saying that to Donna, so she probably didn't say
it often. Did you refer to Dan as the dark Lord?
(10:10):
She doesn't remember. Did you call him a derogatory name?
Wendy says that was a silly name that a friend
helped her come up with to make Dan feel less scary.
Did you say you hated Dan? Of course she doesn't remember,
but could you open tap thirty one to refresh your memory.
Wendy says, I said I hate him in this moment.
Prosecutor asked, in the same email, you said I hate
(10:33):
that I hate my children's dad, and Wendy says yes.
The prosecutor asked, did you refer to Dan as an
emotional terrorist? She doesn't remember, prosecutor, that's on tab thirty four.
Wendy said that it was seven months before the murder,
and another time she said I hate him, So she acknowledges.
Throughout the divorce, they fought over things as small as
(10:54):
a tennis racket. In one of Dan's responses, he said
Wendy helped herself to non marital assets, including stocks that
were there before the marriage. He lists other things she
took like a bike, the tennis racket, and a family heirloom.
Wendy said she took the racket by accident and she
returned it. The prosecution asked if leaving him in a
(11:16):
way to inflict maximum damage was her goal. Wendy said
she didn't say it, and she doesn't remember if Donna
said that. She talked to Donna about how and when
she would leave her marriage. There was an email by
Dan to Wendy where he said, let's put all this aside.
This is about the kids. Un Let's act in a
way that they would be proud of. They go on
(11:37):
to show a blurred photo of the boys at that
first rental home she went to after the separation. Donna
helped her locate the place and helped her move in.
She also came up and looked at places with her
before she found this rental. Dan did threaten Wendy with
federal kidnapping charges. He says she took the kids and
didn't say where they were for days or weeks. Wendy
(12:00):
said that's what he said, but that's not what happened.
Wendy said they did talk about relocation before she filed,
and he was up to figuring it out, but when
she filed, he was against it. He said the reason
that she wanted to move was to be closer to
her parents, and Donna referred to that as Dan's twenty
(12:21):
three page rant. Donna emailed Wendy her thoughts about the relocation,
saying that is her non negotiable. They had two long
mediations to try and settle this divorce, but it wasn't successful.
When asked if Charlie really cared if she was back
in Miami, Wendy said he wanted her close to him,
and after she was denied relocation, Wendy said she respected
(12:44):
the court's decision to stay in Tallahassee. She doesn't remember
Charlie being outraged by that decision, but Donna was upset.
Donna referred to it as a life or death decision
because Wendy says Donna thought her life there in Tallahassee
wasn't good. Wendy's asked if she would have never left
Dan without Donna's suggestion. Wendy said she would have because
(13:07):
she was unhappy. She's asked again, would you not have
left without Donna's suggestion? Wendy doesn't remember. So we're turn
into a tab and Wendy reads she wouldn't have done
it on her own. She said her parents and brothers
suggestions and support was essentially what pushed her. Prosecution asked,
is that your testimony? You did not get your mom
(13:27):
to edit your responses? Wendy doesn't remember. Did Donna pretend
to be you? Contacting financial institutions? Wendy said she had
very little involvement in her own financial situation, so that
may have been an account her dad created for her,
or one where he had signing authority. She's asked if
(13:47):
she forwarded an email to Donna on December nineteenth, twenty thirteen,
where Dan wanted to reconcile and was willing to make concessions.
Donna replied, paragraph by paragraph, refuting every reason Dan gave.
Wendy doesn't remember it, but acknowledges it's there on the screen.
Wendy replies, nicely done, Mom, he did great. She's asked
(14:10):
if Donna was the one who was mainly responding in
that joint email account. Wendy says that Donna could have
been described and that was both Donna and Harvey's personal feelings.
Donna said Dan's religious practices being forced on the boys
was sick. Donna wanted Dan to have a psychiatric evaluation,
and she used disparaging names referring to Dan. Prosecutor reads
(14:34):
him out, piece of crap, ahole, narcissist, bully, bastard, and
in an email from January thirteenth, talking about a job
in South Florida being a major bargaining chip in the divorce,
and the prosecutor mentions that Donna did a lot of
work making arguments to that very point. Wendy forded her
(14:55):
correspondence with her mother to her attorney. She's asked about
what Donna means when she refers to Wendy's South Florida
legal team. She's asked if she had another attorney in
South Florida. Wendy says, there's a smiley face. I think
she is referencing herself, and I think it's a joke.
She's asked if she used Donna's questions when she met
(15:17):
with her attorney, and Wendy said, if there was something useful.
Donna was the one who wanted to fight the relocation decision.
Wendy said she didn't feel railroaded by her mom. Wendy
said it was denied and she personally wasn't taking any
more action. And the prosecutor says legal action, but didn't
your mom have other ideas? Wendy says yes. The prosecutor
(15:39):
says she wanted to take it to an appeal, and
then Donna came up with a planned a strong arm Dan.
Donna says that the derogatory name they used for him
hasn't beaten the Adleson family yet. She had ideas like
pretending the boys have become Christian, paying for them to
get instructions on the Christian faith, and mentioned she could
have them both back ties within a couple of weeks.
(16:01):
Wendy said she wouldn't consider that. So Donna told Wendy
to put on a good act. Then she's asked, do
you know why your mom would google how to teach
an actress emotion? Wendy doesn't know. Donna was the one
that suggested that one million dollar offer to Dan split
three ways between Donna and Harvey and Charlie. Wendy does
(16:24):
not remember herself being included as one to pay part
of that million dollars. Wendy said she never made the
offer to Dan and she doesn't think it would have worked.
Wendy told Donna these ideas were crazy, and she said,
I will not be introducing my kids to Christianity either way.
I truly believe it will backfire. Now, Wendy says she
(16:46):
doesn't know what she meant by that, But the prosecution said,
would this have given Dan ammunition to pursue things in court?
Wendy says she may have thought that, but Donna kept pushing.
They bring in something that Donna sent Wendy where it
says Charlie brought up a good point. He said that
Americans were dropped behind enemy lines during World War Two
(17:08):
wearing Nazi uniforms to get what they wanted. They had
a job to get done, and they did what they
needed to accomplish it. You have a job to get
done and a very short timeframe to accomplish it. If
you dressed your kids up in Hitler youth uniforms and
brought them down here, I could care less if that
was an act of defiance and would show derogatory name.
(17:30):
He's not in control. Donna tells Wendy to rethink her
decision because Dan would still be in control. Donna also says,
why not stand up to this effort? Why not fight?
We want to see you help yourself. Not everything one
has to do in life is comfortable or easy. I
don't know how much of the big picture you're seeing, honey.
(17:51):
I don't know if you realize that not only what
you can provide for your boy's life, but for your
own life all depends on this change. This is a
once in a lifetime opportunity. Everyone has a price, and
now is the time to start. You said, this divorce
is not about winning and losing, and that is not
a competition. You've already lost relocation according to the legal system. Well,
(18:16):
it is about winning and losing. We're trying to get
a win. You deserve it. You deserve so much more
than a life without family. Teaching in Tallahassee. They show
that email with the plan for the one million dollar offer,
and it did include Wendy. It says, you, Charlie, Dad,
and I going as high as one million dollars and
(18:39):
three hundred and thirty three thousand from each of us.
Donna tells Wendy she's been on this with her from
day one and not to sign anything without the two
of them discussing and reviewing all of this. Donna wanted
to get him financially and get a win. Now that
divorce was final July thirty first of twenty thirteen, after
(19:00):
the shooting, Wendy gave her cell phone to police, and
the prosecution asks if she was asked to authenticate voices
from some of these wiretaps that were conducted. Wendy did
and identified her family, but after the divorce there was
more litigation. Wendy said Dan was supposed to pay her
half of the value of the house if she took
(19:21):
her name off the title, but Dan said he would
not pay for this due to his own reasons. So
Wendy had to file or he would be held in
contempt of court. Wendy filed a motion to enforce, and
Dan filed emotion, saying that Wendy was in violation of
a lot of things. One of Dan's biggest complaints was
Wendy's failure to facilitate communication on Skype with their sons.
(19:45):
Wendy tells the court if she was one minute late,
Dan would contact the parenting coordinator. In the email, it
says that Donna and Wendy have made zero efforts to
facilitate communications. Wendy doesn't remember if she forwarded that to
Donna were not. Nan also sent emails pleading for Wendy
to play nice. It said, I regret things have gotten
to where they are. Can we resolve things together to
(20:08):
avoid unnecessary cost? Wendy says didn't happen. She said she
always tried to play nice. She's asked if she ceased
all Skype communication between Dan and the kids on March twelfth,
twenty thirteen. Wendy doesn't remember, and Prosecutor Caupman's like turn
to tab fifty four please. Wendy said that's something her
(20:29):
attorney advised her to do. She doesn't remember if she did,
but if her attorney advised her to do, she probably did. Now.
The day that she filed the motion to enforce and
hold Dan in contempt was October thirty one, twenty thirteen.
She's asked if that was the same date she backed
out of the contract to buy a house in Tallahassee.
(20:50):
Wendy doesn't remember, but since Dan did not pay her
that half of the value of the home, she could
not buy the house. Prosecutor asked if Charlie talked her
out of buying it. Wendy doesn't remember. She also doesn't
remember Donna's position on her buying the house. But they
bring in a photo from Wendy's phone and that is
(21:11):
the same day that she filed that motion to hold
Dan in contempt. It's a photo of Charlie and Katie
telling her not to buy the house because she won't
be living in Tallahassee for long. Wendy doesn't remember, and
said she really wanted to buy the house, but after
the skype drama, she asked her mom to help her
(21:31):
work on the skype thing because it was becoming a
real problem between her and Dan. February twenty fourteen. Just
a few months later, Dan files a motion to enforce
the marital settlement, alleging Wendy committed fraud on the court
and the court should send a strong message by giving
him the assets that she didn't disclose. Donna then responded
(21:54):
they needed a plan of attack. Ultimately, Wendy's attorney had
to recuse herself from the case and become a witness,
and Wendy had to get new representation. Wendy filed a
response to his counter motion, alleging a vast majority of
his motions contain allegations that are scandalous, unimportant, and not pertinent.
(22:15):
She's asked around this time, did your mom move? Wendy
doesn't remember. The prosecution asks about the complex, the continuum
in South Beach. Wendy said, they didn't move until twenty fifteen,
but they were visiting there on the weekends. The prosecution said,
but they signed a lease in March of twenty fourteen,
(22:35):
and this is where you went when you left Tallahassee
after the murder, and we will get to that later.
Wendy agrees that is where she moved to. She's asked
why did they choose to move? Three to four months
before the murder. Wendy said Charlie had a girlfriend there
and he liked the property and thought maybe Donna and
Harvey would like to retire there. Donna added Wendy as
(22:57):
a resident in that complex on May sixteenth of twenty fourteen.
Of course, Wendy doesn't remember that, but says the apartment
complex had a really high security, so if you wanted
someone to come as opposed to being seen as a visitor,
they would need to be a resident. They move on
to the grandma motion where Dan is trying to have
(23:18):
supervised visits between Donna and the grandkids, and Wendy says
she doesn't remember this motion. The prosecutor talks about the
boys telling Dan that Grandma says you're stupid, she hates you.
Oh now, Wendy remembers that motion was not heard before
his murder. By the way, Wendy did not forward Donna
that motion. The allegations in Dan's motion were emailed to
(23:42):
Wendy before he filed it, and they read where their
son says Grandma says you're stupid, and other times they
said that Donna has told the kids Dan was trying
to take her sunshines away. And she hates him now.
Someone responded to that email, wow when doesn't know if
it was Donna or Harvey. Responding, she said she was
(24:04):
just shown that. Yesterday, Wendy forwarded Dan's email to Donna
and twelve other people. She said she was surprised he
was accusing a member of the Florida Bar, meaning her,
of fraud. He was going to all the links to
avoid paying her. That next day, Wendy forded the email
(24:24):
with the parenting coordinator's responses to Donna and a couple
of months before the murder, Dan said a friend of
Wendy's name Jane, told him that Wendy said Dan is
a monster. Wendy says she doesn't remember calling him that.
That is where we left off before lunch. I will
have part two out later this evening. Not sure how late,
(24:45):
but it will be coming. That's it for now. We
will see soon
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