MONSTER-GRANNY Orders Hit on Son-in-Law GETS CUSHY NEW DIGS

Summary

---

Podcast Summary: Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Episode: MONSTER-GRANNY Orders Hit on Son-in-Law GETS CUSHY NEW DIGS
Date: January 3, 2026
Host: Nancy Grace
Guests: Joel Waldman, Dave Ehrenberg, Tamara Demko, Eric Faddis, Gigi McKelvey, Dr. Sherry Schwartz, Dr. Kendall Crowns, Ron Bateman, Karen Stark, Dave Mack

---

Main Theme

In this gripping episode, Nancy Grace and a panel of legal experts, investigators, and associates of the victim unravel the shocking case of Donna Adelson—a grandmother convicted of orchestrating a murder-for-hire plot that killed her own son-in-law, renowned law professor Dan Markel. The episode tracks the tangled relationships, the relentless pursuit of justice, and the latest developments: Donna’s prison transfer closer to home and her vow to appeal her conviction.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Prison Transfer & Latest Legal Maneuvers

[00:00–01:26]

• Donna Adelson has been moved from the Florida Women’s Reception Center to Homestead Correctional Institute in Miami-Dade, nearer to her South Florida family.
• Despite her life sentence for first-degree murder, conspiracy, and solicitation, Donna plans to appeal her conviction and pretrial rulings.

Notable Quote:
“Nancy Grace: This granny convicted of having her son in law Dan Markell murdered... got herself moved to a new prison closer to home... she just pulled it off.” [00:00]

---

2. The Flight Attempt and Family Dynamic

[01:24–03:53]

• Donna and husband Harvey were apprehended at Miami International Airport attempting to board a one-way flight to Vietnam—a country with no US extradition agreement—just days after their son Charlie’s conviction.
• The plot had roots over nine years; several accomplices are already serving time.

Notable Insight:
“Joel Waldman: ...Donna and her son Charlie were on the phone for 35 hours that week.” [03:07]

---

3. The Markel-Adelson Family Rift & Custody Battle

[03:53–12:28]

• Law professor Dan Markel’s divorce from Wendy Adelson (Donna’s daughter) turned acrimonious after Wendy took their two sons and left him, instigating a long custody and relocation battle.
• Wendy’s family wanted her and the boys in South Florida, but courts denied the move.

Notable Quote:
“Nancy Grace: ...he comes home, half the furniture is gone and the children are gone.” [03:53]

---

4. Worship, Religion, and Psychological Warfare

[18:42–21:54]

• When legal tactics and bribes failed, Donna threatened to have Markel’s sons baptized and raised Catholic, striking at his devotion to Judaism.

Forensic Insight:
“Dr. Sherry Schwartz: ...engage in acts of extreme cruelty... it’s all about power, manipulation, and control.” [19:17]

---

5. The Murder – 911 Call & Autopsy

[07:02–24:06]

• Chilling accounts of the execution-style murder as Markel was ambushed in his garage, shot through the window of his car, and left mortally wounded but alive for agonizing minutes.

Memorable Quote:
“Nancy Grace: When I hear that, it just pounds it in. He was alive. He didn’t get shot and just die instantly. He was still trying to speak.” [07:53]

• Dr. Kendall Crowns explained the medical trauma:
  “Dr. Crowns: ...unable to speak... sucking in his own blood... he could survive for quite a while with that injury. But if [the bullet] hits the major vessels, he’s going to die in minutes.” [23:12–23:44]

---

6. The Investigation – Wiretaps, The “Bump,” and Financial Trail

[44:05–48:33, 60:14–62:00]

• Undercover agents and wiretaps—particularly the “bump,” a direct approach by an agent to Donna demanding hush money—played a crucial role.
• Forensic accounting linked cash payments (including to the middle-woman, who received a breast augmentation as partial payment!) to Charlie and Donna.

Notable Moment:
“Nancy Grace: The go-between... got paid with a breast lift implants. I’m so happy right now because that’s not hard to trace. Right?” [57:26]

---

7. Inside the Adelson Family

[29:23–35:35]

• Testimony revealed Donna as a controlling matriarch—her machinations extended to her other children, dictating marriages and interfering in their relationships.
• Donna’s eldest son, Dr. Robert Adelson, estranged, described his mother as “controlling” and said she “hated Dan Markel.” [48:33]

Eye-Opening Detail:
“Joel Waldman: ...at the wedding itself, they pulled all the kosher food. Something that was perplexing to the Markell family.” [32:47]

---

8. “Maestro” Charlie Adelson’s Role

[50:26–56:30]

• Charlie Adelson, periodontist and self-proclaimed "Maestro," was convicted as the organizer; he drove a flashy car, lived large, and orchestrated the hit through his girlfriend and her criminal associates.
• Charlie’s habit of stapling money became key evidence linking payouts.

Memorable Quote:
“Nancy Grace: What they can’t read that sign at the jail that says, this is being recorded. Hello?” [06:16]

---

9. Conspiracy, Cover-Ups, and Cold Calculations

[42:07–62:00]

• Donna’s “don’t talk on the phone” and attempts to pay off possible witnesses revealed her efforts to hide involvement.
• Despite overwhelming circumstantial evidence, Wendy Adelson—the ex-wife—has neither been charged nor named a person of interest.

Expert Skepticism:
“Eric Faddis: ...it sounds a little bit like entrapment... but none of that is criminal.” [62:14]

---

10. The Fallout: Children, Legacy, and Unanswered Questions

[47:20–48:33, 68:46–72:52]

• After the murder, Wendy returned to South Florida, changed her sons’ names from Markel to Adelson, and removed their Hebrew middle name—erasing their father’s trace.
• Former boyfriend Jeffrey Lacasse testified that he believed the Adelsons tried to frame him.

Panel Reflection:
“Nancy Grace: All trace of Dan Markell has been removed from their life.” [47:57]

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Donna’s Control:
  “She was great to have chit chat conversations... nothing abnormal on the surface. But she was very involved and proud of her children.” – Tamara Demko [42:07]

• On Donna’s Motive:
  “She only did it because his mother drove him insane to do it... He didn’t have a dog in that fight.” – Gigi McKelvey [58:30]

• On the Cold-Blooded Act:
  “Nancy Grace: What happened when you got to the driveway of Dan Markel? ...Cold blood. Cold blood.” [50:48]

• On Justice and Appeals:
  “She’s got nothing to do behind bars except fester and think about how she can get out... I guarantee you she’s not thinking about her murder victim Dan Markell.” – Nancy Grace [48:33]

---

Key Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:00–01:26 — Donna's transfer, context, and upcoming appeal
• 03:07–03:53 — Donna and Harvey’s flight attempt & arrest
• 07:02–09:42 — 911 call and Dan Markel’s final moments
• 18:42–19:17 — Attempted bribery and threats of religious conversion
• 21:54–24:06 — Autopsy insights and the agony of Markel’s death
• 42:07–44:04 — The Adelson family's surface and hidden dynamics
• 44:05–48:33 — The FBI "bump," digital evidence, and cash trail
• 50:26–56:30 — The murder for hire, cash exchanges, and involvement of other conspirators
• 60:14–62:00 — Wiretaps, code words, and undercover operation details
• 68:46–72:52 — Boyfriend’s testimony and allegations of being set up

---

Engaging Insights for New Listeners

• The Adelson case is a chilling illustration of how family disputes, control, and psychological manipulation can escalate to merciless violence.
• Wiretaps and undercover operations were pivotal, as was the relentless legal and investigative work—even years after the murder.
• Nancy Grace’s tone is incredulous and fiery; the subject is dark, but the focus remains unwaveringly on justice for Dan Markel and the two boys left without a father.
• The episode balances deep legal analysis, human trauma, and the shocking lengths people will go to “win” in bitter family disputes.

---

Final Reflection:
The case is not over—Donna Adelson is appealing, and questions linger about whether others (notably Wendy Adelson and Harvey) will face prosecution. But for now, the “monster-granny” remains behind bars, the Markel children grow up without their father, and the saga of family betrayal continues to haunt all involved.

---

Transcript

[Nancy Grace]

This is an I heart podcast, guaranteed human crime stories with Nancy Grace. Does this granny ever give up? No way. Donna Adelson. That's right, the granny convicted of having her son in law Dan Markell murdered. Oh my stars. I don't know how she did it, but she got herself moved to a new prison closer to home to serve out her life sentence behind bars. I'm Nancy Grace, this is Crime Stories. I want to thank you for being with us. That's right, Donna Adelson has moved to a new CI Correctional institute closer to her home in South Florida. She was being held at the Florida Women's Reception Center, Marion county, but now she's moved to the Homestead Correctional Institute, Miami Dade. As you know, she was convicted of first degree murder, conspiracy solicitation in the murder of her son in law, Dan Markell. Let me just start with our friends at Crime Online. Donna Adelson, the mother of recently convicted murderer Charlie Adelson is caught by police trying to board a plane leaving Miami.

[Joel Waldman]

And heading to Vietnam.

[Nancy Grace]

Her husband Harvey is with her as police take her into custody. The latest person to be arrested in the murder for hire plot killing of Dan Markell. In charging documents and a warrant request, prosecutors noted that on recorded jail phone calls, Adelson discussed killing herself and leaving the country. Following Charlie Adelson's conviction, he is facing a mandatory life sentence. Three other people have also been convicted in Markel's murder. Donna and Harvey Adelson had one way tickets purchased for Vietnam. Vietnam has no extradition agreement with the United States. Okay, let me understand this. With me an all star panel to make sense of what we know right now. But first to Joel Waldman joining us out of this jurisdiction in Florida, host of Surviving the Survivor, Joel the mother in law. First of all, who's Charlie Adelson? Charlie Adelson is the brother in law. And he's not just the brother in law. He's apparently a very well respected periodontist. This is the brother in law of the dead husband, the dad, Dan Markell, the law professor. So I want to first start with the mother in law trying to flee the jurisdiction to Vietnam. But this is just after her son is convicted in the murder. Let's just start. Why is the mother in law at the airport with her husband Harvey with a one way ticket to Vietnam? Tell me how that whole thing went down.

[Joel Waldman]

Well, Nancy, in a word, she didn't want to be arrested and she knew that it was coming. What a lot of people don't know is that this happened over Nine years ago. So they've been waiting for justice all these years. The two convicted hitmen are in prison, as is the middle woman. But just to get back to your original question about Donna Adelson, it was on a Monday that Charlie Adelson, the ex brother in law, was convicted. And then exactly a week to the day, Donna Adelson is arrested at Miami International Airport. And what we found out since then is almost immediately after Charlie's conviction. Donna and her son Charlie were on the phone for 35 hours that week.

[Nancy Grace]

Good Lord in heaven, 35 hours in one week. Guys, you're hearing Joel Waldman. He's the host of an incredible podcast, Surviving the Survivor. Joel, don't lose any of those thoughts. Dave Ehrenberg is joining us, Palm Beach County State Attorney and friend of Dan Markell. Also with me, Tamara Demko. I've got that. She is a doctor, a jd, an rn. She went to Harvard Law School. But aside from all of her education and her achievements, she's a close friend of the murder victim, Dan Markell. And again, this case is like my head is spinning around with all the ins and outs of this case. But to break it down, this law professor, Dan Markell, young, attractive, devoted father, he goes out of town, he comes back, half the furniture is gone and the children are gone. And he can't find the children. That starts a very acrimonious divorce with Wendy Adelson. Okay, it's her mother that just got nabbed on a one way ticket to Vietnam dragging along the father. What did he know, Harvey? Is he just along for the ride or did he know anything? Long story short, David Ehrenberg, before I go to Tamara, Dave, I heard you say something that I researched intensely. You were describing Wendy's brother, the brother in law now convicted of murder, and you refer to him as the Maestro. And you mentioned he drives around town in his Ferrari and his name tag, I mean the license plate actually says the Maestro.

[Joel Waldman]

Yeah, he is someone who's very self assured.

[Nancy Grace]

That's one way to put it.

[Joel Waldman]

Right. There was a book by Bob Woodward years ago about the Maestro. I think it was Alan Greenspan, how he controlled the world Economy. This is how he sees himself, in that same vein that he controls things. So, you know, that's a pretty interesting piece of evidence to show that this guy, self assured, to use a euphemism, is the kind of guy who would help plan a murder and think he could get away with it.

[Nancy Grace]

Thinks he just is smarter than everybody in the room. What they can't read that sign at the jail that says, this is being recorded. Hello?

[Joel Waldman]

Exactly. You know, he was so cocksure of himself throughout the trial. And the fact that he took the stand and spun this preposterous lie that he was the victim of extortion, which made no sense. And he believed he had won over at least one member of the jury. And so he was shocked. You should see the face when he walked in after a short deliberation, because he knew his goose was cooked.

[Nancy Grace]

And he just put his head down like, I can't believe somebody has finally called me on my shit. He finally, finally had to answer up, that he arranged the hit.

[Joel Waldman]

901. What's the address of your emergency? Kayston. Okay, tell me exactly what happened. We heard and looked in. The garage door was up, and I thought the gentleman was backing out. And I went back to my house, but he never backed out. And I came back over and his driver's side window is shattered. He's moving his head around, but he's not responding. I call his name, ask what's going on, and I call his name, maybe ask him what's happening. He's not responding to that, but his head's kind of rolling around. Okay. Is he conscious? Well, I can't tell. Okay, is he breathing? I can't tell that. I'm assuming he's breathing if he's moving his head around. Did you ever hear him talk or anything? No.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay.

[Joel Waldman]

You said he's sitting in the car, right? Correct. In the driver's seat.

[Nancy Grace]

Oh, my stars. When I hear about the execution style hit. A loving dad of two little boys. A loving dad devoted to his children. When I hear that, it just pounds it in. He was alive. He didn't get shot and just die instantly. He was still trying to speak. He was still moving his head around. Professor Daniel Markell. I had heard of him as being a renowned law professor just crackling with legal intelligence, totally devoted to his family. Hearing that 911 call and realizing that he's moving his head around. Trying to speak to a neighbor is excruciating. I've thought it through my skin. Did the victim die immediately? Did they know what was happening to them? What were their last moments on earth? Was he thinking about his children? Will I ever see them again? Am I going to live or die? Let's listen to more of that 911 call. We're going to hear it just like the jury.

[Joel Waldman]

So you're saying his head is bloody now? Yeah, it's been bloody. I mean, it's the window shattered? I don't know if he's tried to shoot himself. I don't know what the situation is. It's the driver's side window, correct? That's correct. He's still moving around. So he's alive. Okay. Looks like I should have an officer coming up the roadway. Okay, well we need emt. Well, the officer's gonna be there first. They're not gonna come until we figure out what's going on. But they're on the way as well. Okay, you better be if this guy's got a shot.

[Nancy Grace]

The state alleges she masterminded a paid hit on her own son in law. How in the hay did a mild mannered law professor end up dead execution style in his own garage, in his own car? I mean, he's pulling in home to see his children and his wife and bam. He's shot dead. Listen to this.

[Joel Waldman]

Dan Markell comes home to find the house empty, his wife and two boys gone and divorce papers left on a bed. Dan Markell describes the day as his pearl harbor without warning life as he knew it was gone for six weeks. Dan Markell says he doesn't know where his children are, much less his soon to be ex wife. Markell claims Adelson is getting help from mother Donna Adelson and brother Charles Adelson keeping her location secret. Their divorce order is for them to share joint custody of the children.

[Nancy Grace]

My stars. The whole family is in on keeping the children, the two little boys away from daddy. Let me tell you something, Dave Mack joining me along with Gigi McKelvey. First to you, Dave Mack, crime stories investigative reporter Dave Mack. There was never an allegation that professor Markell beat the children, abused the children, starve the children. In fact, if anything, he indulged them, he petted them too much. They were his mini mes. He adored them. So the whole family gets in league with the wife, Wendy Adelson to hide the children from the dad. What? What?

[Joel Waldman]

It is so shocking, Nancy, that okay, the marriage is at that point where Wendy wants out. Now you've got to remember that Wendy Adelson's family is all in south Florida and that's where she wants to go with her children. We're talking an eight hour difference between where the, where the Markels live in the northern part of Florida and where the Adelson family lives in southern cal, Florida rather. And when Wendy doesn't get that approval to move, that's it, that's where everything begins, Nancy. They actually, I say they The Adelson family you mentioned Dan Markell comes home to an empty house, right? Well, he had gone to a convention and he was like the keynote speaker at this big event. They made sure that he got the message that Wendy wanted a divorce right before he went on stage. They played it out perfectly and they were so proud of damaging him like that. It was amazing what they did to this man.

[Nancy Grace]

Oh, my stars. You know, hold on, Gigi. Let me go to Eric Faddis. Really quickly, guys. Eric Faddis, veteran trial lawyer, TV legal analyst founding partner Varner Faddis Elite legal former felony prosecutor that's important now, defense attorney Eric, when you are about to go to trial, strike a jury, give a legal presentation in front of hundreds of lawyers who are going to be asked firing legal questions at you. You gotta be sharp. It's like a Wimbledon tennis match. You can't miss a thing. I remember thinking in court, I'd be watching the witness, watching the jury watch the witness, watch the jury as questioning would take place like a tennis match. Because if you miss one word, one sentence, legal term, you're screwed. Anything could go wrong. And so right before he takes the stage in front of hundreds of lawyers, that's when he gets hit with the news. Your wife wants a divorce and he comes home, the house is picked clean and screw the furniture. The children are gone. Oh, I can't even imagine that, Faddis. You come home and your children are gone. That is what happened to him. Oh, gosh. I mean, that is going to shake.

[Joel Waldman]

Anybody up, let alone someone who is preparing for a big professional presentation. You got to be on your game. You got to be listening. There are details you've got to take in. You got to make sure you don't miss anything.

[Nancy Grace]

This is a high stakes presentation for him.

[Joel Waldman]

And they did this in a calculated fashion in intentionally to shake him up as much as they could. And really, you know, his life is crashing in upon him immediately before he's about to give this kind of a speech. I mean, clearly problematic and show some malice on their part.

[Nancy Grace]

Well, I gotta tell you something, Faddis. I don't know about you, but when I would go in to try a case, I would wait until everyone was ready. And I had a reason for this. The jury. No, I wouldn't come in after the jury. That's rude. But I would wait till the defense was in place, the defendant, be it from jail or on bond, was in place. Everybody was seated. Why? Then I'd go in because I did not want them Speaking to me and throwing off my concentration before I went and waited for the jury come in. I didn't want to think about anything at all other than what I was about to do. Tunnel vision has to be that way. And I can just imagine him going to take the podium and going, hey, here's the divorce papers. Anyway, back to what happened to Gigi McKelvey, investigative journalist, host of podcast a hit podcast, Pretty Lies and Alibis. Gigi, I want to get back not from the speech that got totally ambushed. I want to get to the day he was murdered. So he's coming home and what, he drives in, does the garage, and the garage goes up and he goes into the garage. What happened then, Gigi? Well, we know that Dan was on the phone with a. A special school that Wendy wanted to enroll their oldest son. And so he was actively talking to somebody as this happened. He told the person on the phone, there's someone unfamiliar to me in my driveway, and he needed to see who that was. The person on the other end heard maybe a struggle, heard some loud noises and was asking you okay? And he could hear groans. And so he tried to call and text and no response, obviously. So, Gigi McKelvey, isn't it true that the killer apparently followed Markell into or up right behind him, basically trapping him in the garage? That's correct. Pulled up to where he would not have been able to back out or move in any way or get out of his car without being face to face with somebody who was gonna kill him. Ron Bateman joining me, former sheriff, Ann Arundel County, Maryland, former homicide undercover narcotics detective and author of a crime trilogy, Silent Blue Tears. Ron, this is a hit. There's no two ways about it. There's no sex attack. Nothing is stuck, stolen. There's not a carjack, nothing. They come up, bam, right in the head and leave. That's a hit. That's an execution premature.

[Joel Waldman]

With malice aforethought. Absolutely. First degree murder, a hundred percent.

[Nancy Grace]

Now, another thing. Dave Mack joining me, Crime Stories investigative reporter. Isn't it true that just before he was murdered, Professor Markell was on the phone with the wife again? Basically the only person left standing that hasn't been formally accused of murder. They had been talking that whole morning, and Markell had left her a voicemail about wanting to talk about the boys, and she texted him his plans for won't work. Then they argued about when Wendy could get the children. She was saying he could keep them a little bit longer. And then he's dead, isn't that the scenario, they're arguing about the children.

[Joel Waldman]

That morning, it was a constant discussion between Dan Markell and Wendy about the children and about when Dan would have time with them, when he would see them. Where he would see them was a big part of this. Geography really plays into this entire case. Yes, Nancy. She kept him on the phone and distracted all morning.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay, guys. Again, Wendy Adelson has not been charged and has not been named as a person of interest in her ex husband's murder. She is a lawyer, a very good lawyer. She has not been named a poi or suspect. Okay, what more do we know?

[Joel Waldman]

Listen, after the court prevents Wendy Adelson from moving to south Florida with the children, Adelson's mother Donna suggests the family offer Markell $1 million to allow the children to relocate to south Florida. Donna and husband Harvey will contribute a third. Charlie Adelson, Wendy's brother, will contribute a third. Wendy will pay a third. Donna Adelson also suggests telling Markell that Wendy Adelson is going to have the boys converted to Catholicism. Knowing Markell and his family are strict of Jewish faith, Donna Adelson believes the mere thought of his children being raised catholic would convince him to let the boys move to Miami.

[Nancy Grace]

Man, talk about down and dirty. To Dr. Sherry Schwartz joining us. Out of this jurisdiction, I might add, Forensic psychologist specializing in capital mitigation and victim advocacy. She has written multiple books. The one I like the best, I criminal behavior and the other one, where law and psychology intersect. Dr. Sherry, thank you for being with us. Dr. Sherry Number one, they try to bribe Markell, the mother who's on trial right now for having her son executed. The mother in law, literally from the gates of hell. Oh, yeah, don't be fooled by that right there. We'll just wait till you hear what we found on those wiretaps. She's presumed innocent until proven guilty. Dr. Sherry number one tried to bribe Markell, offering him a million dollars, a cool meal if he would let the boys relocate from Tallahassee, hours away to Miami. He's like, hell, no, I want to be with my children. I don't even want this divorce. Then after the bribe didn't work, she allegedly decides to torture him by telling him he is a devout and strict Jew. They're going to tell him that they are having the boys baptized and converted to Catholicism. Don't you know he did a backflip? Generally speaking, when you're talking about this level of cruelty, it's very similar to characteristics that we see in Narcissistic parents. It's all about power manipulation and control. And when the person, the target, in this case, Mr. Markell, doesn't go along with what the narcissist wants, there's a state of narcissistic rage where they will engage in acts of extreme cruelty, such as not just bribery, but threatening that they're going to convert the children to a different religion. Dr. Kendall Crowns is joining me. Chief medical examiner, Tarrant county. That's Fort Worth. He is the esteemed lecturer at the Burnett School of Medicine, that is at tcu. And he is a star of a brand new hit podcast, Mayhem in the morgue. Dr. Kendall crowns, I want you to hear the trajectory path of the bullet that tore through Dan Markell's face. Listen.

[Joel Waldman]

The Florida criminal law professor was pulling into his driveway and on his cell phone when he was fatally shot. The killer was waiting for Markell outside his home in Tallahassee's Bedding Hill section, then followed Markell into the garage. When he opened it, Markell was shot in the side of the head through the window of his car. The bullet entered just beneath Markell's jawline.

[Nancy Grace]

Dr. Kendall crowns. I'm having my hot tea, but I think I need something a little stronger than that. Did you hear what was just said? That the bullet entered just beneath Markell's jawline. Now, let's think this through. So he's driving on the left side of his vehicle. So it would have been the left jawline just below it and rips through his face and neck. And he lived. He lived. He was trying to turn, talk, say something to the neighbor, and his head was moving around. What happened and how long could he have endured that before he died?

[Joel Waldman]

So the gunshot wound of entrance going under his left jawline would be. You'd have in this area of your neck, the carotid artery, the jugular vein. But if it's a little anterior, it may miss. Those then continue through into the mid section of his neck, which would hit.

[Nancy Grace]

His trachea, his thyroid, and then continue out the right side of his neck.

[Joel Waldman]

Again, possibly hitting the jugular and carotid.

[Nancy Grace]

If those two vessels are hit, he's.

[Joel Waldman]

Going to survive for minutes.

[Nancy Grace]

If those two vessels are not hit.

[Joel Waldman]

He'S going to sit there inhaling blood through his damaged trachea, unable to speak because the area could involve his vocal cords and then sucking in blood. And he could survive for quite a while with that injury. But if it hits the major vessels.

[Nancy Grace]

He'S going to die in minutes. What did you say about Sucking in blood.

[Joel Waldman]

So if it hits the trachea area, it'll cause blood to go into the.

[Nancy Grace]

Airway or mainstem bronchus, and you'll be.

[Joel Waldman]

Sucking in that blood, kind of gasping in the blood, not able to talk, but just making a noise because your vocal cords are damaged, but you're sucking in the blood.

[Nancy Grace]

Dodger Kindle crowns. Do you know what you're saying? Do you ever think about it? I mean, when I think about Markell, I immediately think about his two boys. Because one day, whenever they can mentally and emotionally take it, they're going to find out the details about how their dad died. And they're going to have to find out that their dad was sitting in his car, had been arguing about how much he wanted to see them and be in their lives and be the primary caregiver, and then he ends up with this horrendous injury, pain beyond excruciating to the neck, the face, the head, and he's sucking in his own blood. I mean, do you ever think about what you're saying or is this like a just a clinical analysis for you? Of course I think about what I'm.

[Joel Waldman]

Saying, but the emotionality of thinking about the individual's life outside of him, of the injuries that I see at autopsy, I try not to think about because if I get wrapped up in the emotion of all of it, I wouldn't be able to do my job. So in a way, yes, it's very clinical to me. You ask me a question, I will give you a clinical answer describing what's injured, not thinking about him, his family, the pain and suffering, etc.

[Nancy Grace]

Crime stories with Nancy Grace. After all the crying, the snotting, the hysterics, the drama in the courtroom, this granny convicted of a hit on her own son in law. Wow. Okay. Caught en route to Vietnam to avoid extradition, Donna Adelson has just been moved to a cushy new correctional institute closer to home in south Florida, according to officials. That would be Homestead CI Miami Dade County. It's my understanding her daughter and the grandsons that she killed for now live across the country. But this may make it easier for her husband, who apparently was not part of the murder plot, to come and visit. Well, she may be closer to home, but Dan Markell's sons will never share a happy holiday at home with their dad thanks to her. The 12 member jury deliberated for approximately three hours before returning a guilty verdict against Donna Adelson. She was found guilty of first degree murder, conspiracy and solicitation. In Dan Markell's death. Adelson is the second member of her family to be found guilty in this case. Son Charlie was convicted first. Two hired killers and a go between also sentenced. Donna Adelson gasped aloud as the judge read the verdict. Judge Stephen Everett told Adelson to control herself as she started to cry, instructing her to not have any more outbursts in front of the jury. Ruth Markell, Dan's mother, said in her impact statement that Donna Adelson is a curse. Back to the facts of the case. Tamara Demko, a very dear friend of Dan Markell's, was living in Tallahassee when Dan was murdered. Tamara, I hardly even know where to start, but why don't we start with the day of the murder? What happened?

[Joel Waldman]

I did not find out about Danny being shot until he had already passed. So the 19th of July, I received an email from a law school friend that said, I just heard what happened to Dan. Are you okay? And she knew that I was very close to Danny. So I went to Facebook and I looked and I saw the awful news. And it was. It was horrifying because he was shot in broad daylight before noon on the 18th that Friday. I was working two miles down the road while my dear friend was being murdered, and the thought was just horrifying. It broke my heart to hear the news, and it was very devastating.

[Nancy Grace]

Tamara, I think you'll agree with me. Women all over the world only wish their husband would take the children to school in the morning, do the school run. I happen to love it. That's my favorite part of the day. But be involved, play with the children, do something with the children. And I mean, I got lucky because my husband does, but so many women feel that it's all on them. And here's a guy, your friend Danny Markell, who is fighting tooth and nail for his children. What, if anything, do you know about his battle with his wife and his in laws over the children?

[Joel Waldman]

I think you're absolutely right, Nancy. Danny was just so passionate for life, and he was most passionate about his boys. He was a loyal friend, someone who would go out of his way to see you and to support you. And he was just a blessing to everyone he met. But the boys were his life. And he would even take time out of his schedule to go meet up with the boys just for snack time. That's the kind of dad he was. He'd also sing them to sleep at night and he would play with them. He was just a wonderful, wonderful dad. And the boys deserved and still deserved to know him and who he was. The divorce was very contentious.

[Nancy Grace]

Boy, that's one way to put it, Tamara. I mean, because. Did I have those facts right? That he goes, he's a professor. It's fsu. Correct. Danny Markell was a professor at fsu, Florida State University.

[Joel Waldman]

Correct.

[Nancy Grace]

And was apparently in the academic world, very well regarded. He was also devout. Because. Joel Walman, I'm diverting away from Tamara, but I want her answer. Isn't it true that we find out the mother in law, Donna Adelson, she quit work and spent her whole life cultivating her three children like they were hothouse plants, Going to the right schools, going to the right camps over the summer, getting this award and that award and the whole shebang. And I'm not denigrating that, I'm applauding that. But isn't it true that she tried to get Wendy to bribe Danny with a million dollars to give up the children, essentially, and let them move seven or eight hours away to be close to her, the grandma? And then when that didn't work, she wanted Wendy to threaten to raise them as Catholics. Yeah. And have them baptized. And they were devout Jews, thinking that would throw him over the edge. And Wendy, to her credit on that, well, ostensibly would not do it. Didn't that happen? Joel Waldman.

[Joel Waldman]

Nancy, this just shows you how demented the matriarch Don Adelson, is at the wedding. Obviously, prior to all the acrimony, Dan Markell, as you just mentioned, was becoming more and more involved in his Judaism. He really wanted a kosher wedding. And lo and behold, at the wedding itself, they pulled all the kosher food. Something that was perplexing to the Markell family. They couldn't understand it. They had friends who were coming who would only eat kosher food. And then as things heated up and as this divorce got more and more contentious.

[Nancy Grace]

Joel, wait, isn't this. Was this the big wedding with 200 guests in Boca Raton?

[Joel Waldman]

Yes, it is. 200 plus guests.

[Nancy Grace]

And it was in the New York Times. You know how hard it is to get your wedding? I did not try, Jackie. Don't look at me that way. I was lucky to get it in the Macon Telegraph. Oh, and the headline was something like, grace Secretly Marries Husband Converts from Baptist to Methodist. Okay, converts. Anyway, something to that effect was in some paper. Long story short, it was so big. It was in the New York Times. Lavish. This is the first I've heard that they pulled the kosher food. Who pulled the kosher food?

[Joel Waldman]

This is the Adelson family, they pulled the kosher food and all the guests there, you know, probably a good portion would only eat kosher food. So there goes the wedding meal for a lot of people.

[Nancy Grace]

And I bet Marquel threw a fit like nobody's business.

[Joel Waldman]

Nancy?

[Nancy Grace]

Yes. Karen Stark, psychologist@karen stark.com. karen with a C. Go, Karen. Go, go, go.

[Joel Waldman]

The mother in law, nay has given them a wonderful education, but there are no good values of morality that we're talking about. They didn't seem to get that at all. What an outrageous story. You have guests who can't eat.

[Nancy Grace]

Karen, you do know there's been a murder, so let's not get too hung up on the wedding. Although I agree with you that, I.

[Joel Waldman]

Mean, I know Nance, but you know what, the thing that really gets you to me the most beside the murder are the children.

[Nancy Grace]

Yes, I agree. Back to the children. Thank you. Let's get the ship righted out of the weeds and back on the road. And since we're so much on the road and we're out of the weeds. Joel Waldman, isn't it also true that there's a third sibling? You've got Wendy, who was married to the murder victim and to this day everyone insists she knew nothing about the plot by her mother and brother to to kill him. You got Wendy, you got the brother Charlie, who's convicted of hiring a hitman to kill his brother in law. And you've got a third sibling that was in love with an Indian girl who was Hindu. And the parents, the Adelsons, threw such a fit, he broke off, married someone that they would accept that marriage fell apart after a couple of years and he went back to his original first love and they're together today. Is that right? Joel waldman?

[Joel Waldman]

That is 100% correct. There is just such thick irony here. And I have to say this because my mother, the podcast is called Surviving the Survivor because my dear mother is a holocaust survivor. And this Jewish grandmother, Donna Adelson, at one point threatened to have her own Jewish grandchildren march down the streets in Nazi uniforms. And Dan Markell was too Jewish. Dan Markell was too Jewish. But Rob Adelson marrying a non Jewish woman, she was just beside herself. So they dug their noses into that relationship, insisted that Rob Adelson, the now estranged son of the Adelson family, marry a Jewish woman. He did. For a short time, he was not loved. And then later he reconnects with this Indian doctor, this woman, and now he is happily married, completely disconnected from the.

[Nancy Grace]

Adelson Family, Dave Ehrenberg. I'm having a hard time believing what I'm hearing.

[Joel Waldman]

Yeah, it is. Joel is 100% correct. They are not going to win Parents of the Year. There was an article that came out from a supporter of the Adelsons which was a little suspicious because of the timing. It looks like perhaps it was from a paid supporter, someone who said he's known the Adelsons forever and they would never do something like this. They must be innocent. But then the author of the piece hasn't spoken to the Adelsons in 25 plus years. Hasn't seen them in more than 25 years. So they don't have a lot of defenders right now, Nancy. And the big question is, Donna is guilty. What's the next shoe to fall? Because I don't think prosecutors will be done there.

[Nancy Grace]

You mean you believe prosecutors are going to go after the father in law, Harvey Adelson, who was with Donna Adelson on his way to Vietnam? Didn't he go, hey, why are we going to Vietnam? I mean, or why do we have a one way ticket to Vietnam? We're not coming home?

[Joel Waldman]

Yeah, you know what that is?

[Nancy Grace]

Yeah, there's that and several of the phone calls that are under suspicion. Of course, the feds got in on this. Guys, we cannot sign off without talking about the bump. Okay. Which I'll get to. But his phone, Harvey Adelson's phone took a lot of the phone calls around the time of the murder. But you know what? Let's bring it home. Let's bring it home. Just a moment. Let's take a listen to our cut to the 911 called. Listen to this.

[Joel Waldman]

Okay, what. What's he. What's going on with him? I don't know. The driver said window is all bashed in and he's got blood all over his head.

[Nancy Grace]

To Tamera Demko. She is a doctor. She is a jd. She is an rn. She's a Harvard Law School classmate with Danny Markell. She's known him since 1997. Was at work a few blocks away when Danny was murdered. When I think of this, I know he was brilliant. I know he's a Harvard Law graduate. I know he's a law professor. Wrote all sorts of very impressive works of legal acuity. I know that. But a dad so involved, so full of life, it's very hard for me to take in that his own in laws would have him killed.

[Joel Waldman]

Very hard for me to wrap my mind around that too. I actually grew up in the same town as The Adelsons, my family's home is a mile away from their home. And I guest lectured for Wendy Adelson in her law school classes. It was really something that I did not want to consider as a possibility. And it's heartbreaking in and of itself.

[Nancy Grace]

Tamara, of course you were not on Charlie Adelson's jury, the maestro. But now that you are seeing the evidence unfold, what do you think?

[Joel Waldman]

I think that there was a very concerted effort and a long time planning. I believe the Adelsons are planners. I'm very grateful for everyone who's worked hard for justice in this case. And I firmly believe and hope that justice will continue to happen and we'll continue to seek it to the point where everyone involved is held accountable. And that a callous disregard for life and the cold calculation of the murder is not something that a self serving, this kind of self serving premeditated and heinous act should never be viewed as inconsequential and repeated by anyone. And that's the kind of justice that I'm looking for.

[Nancy Grace]

Tamara Demko joining us, did you know Donna Adelson, the mother in law?

[Joel Waldman]

I had been to their home in Coral Springs. I had also been to Wendy's hum on Aqua Ridge. And yes, I've met Donna several times. I've had drinks with her, I've had dinner. I've gone to high holiday services with the family as well.

[Nancy Grace]

Can you just tell me what she is like, what Harvey Adelson is like, what Charlie Adelson is like. There are people even when confronted with the evidence and it's pretty strong evidence, including $56,000 in cash put in the go between account. Charlie Adelson's girlfriend, who hired her, who arranged for her common law husband and his friend to do the hit. Her account gets all this money poured into it. The hitmen get money and Charlie Adelson. Hey, Dave Ehrenberg and Joel Waldman, jump in. If I've got this wrong. There are a lot of meticulous facts in this case. But Charlie Adelson had a habit. He whenever dealing with cash, would staple the money together. I've never seen that in my life. And they would get cash stapled together. Is that right, Dave Aronberg?

[Joel Waldman]

That is correct. It's like a fingerprint. You know, that was a unique thing that only Charlie did. And for the defense lawyers, they had a problem. How do you explain that the killers had in their possession these stapled stacks of bills. How do you explain it? Well, Charlie, I think that he built his defense around that, where he tried to explain it by saying that he was the victim of an extortion plot and that's why he had to pay the killers or else they would kill him and his family. Of course, it didn't make any sense.

[Nancy Grace]

Well, then how come he's still alive?

[Joel Waldman]

Well, and that's like. And also, it's not how extortion works, where the killers go and first murder your enemy, and then they come back and they say, okay, we've killed your enemy and now we're going to kill you and your family unless you pay up. Why not just skip ahead to just say, pay us or we're going to kill you and your family? So none of this made any sense.

[Nancy Grace]

He hated Dan Markell.

[Joel Waldman]

Correct.

[Nancy Grace]

Charlie Adelson hated Dan Markell. So that theory is completely bass ackwards.

[Joel Waldman]

Exactly. It made no sense. And the jurors didn't buy it either.

[Nancy Grace]

Tamara Demko, back to you. I was asking you, what were the Adelsons like specifically? Donna.

[Joel Waldman]

Donna seemed like an involved and loving mom. She was great to have chit chat conversations with, and she was very proud of her children. Very much involved with the grandchildren as well. I think from the surface level, they seem like a normal family. If you were to go to their home in Coral Springs, there are pictures up on the wall of the kids. She spent a lot of time supporting Wendy. There was nothing abnormal on the surface. I would say that Harvey always came across as a little bit more quiet, but certainly friendly. And Charlie was very lively. He was always on the go and enjoyed partying quite a bit.

[Nancy Grace]

Dave Ehrenberg joining us, Palm beach county state attorney and friend of Danny Markell. He has been Charlie. Charlie Adelson has been referred to as thinking he was James Bond, but in fact, he's a periodontist. What does that mean?

[Joel Waldman]

Well, I'm from South Florida, and as Joel and Tamara would say, that's not that uncommon. He loved the fast life with his Ferrari and his fast women and his clubbing lifestyle and drugs. And it was well known that he was involved with steroids. And here was a guy who was a nerd back in high school who then became this wealthy, flashy, fast living guy who thought that he could get away with murder. And that's the kind of person who would commit this kind of crime because people said, why do you think you could get away with it? Well, when you're hopped up on steroids and you think that you're smarter than everyone else. Yeah. You think you're above the law and you wouldn't get caught. And it took nine plus years for there to be justice for Charlie and the FBI.

[Nancy Grace]

God bless the FBI. God bless them. Look, I was a fed for three years. I hate the federal government, except the irs. I love you. Please don't look at me. Joel Waldman, could you please explain what I'm talking about as the bump? Charlie Adelson would never have been convicted of murdering his brother in law over visitation with grandma. And Donna Adelson would not be in a jail cell up in her 70s trying to flee to Vietnam right now if it hadn't been for wiretaps, surreptitious recordings, one of the most amazing ones that actually worked. Joel Waldman. And I'm going to hear from Robert Crispin and Dr. Gorniak, renowned forensic pathologist. I want to circle back to Dr. Gorniak on what Danny Markell experienced, because when the neighbor came up, he was still rolling his head around and moving, which in my mind means he was suffering after he was shot. Joel Waldman, as it's called the bump. If Adelsons had kept their trap shut, they wouldn't be in jail right now. Tell me about the bump, as it is called.

[Joel Waldman]

So the bump is now an infamous FBI sting. So the feds got involved once this case started to move and they thought that the Adelsons were possibly involved. So it's interesting you bring it up. I just did a tour for my podcast of the location where the bump happened, and it happened to take place right in front of where the Adelsons were living. And it's an iconic.

[Nancy Grace]

The iconic.

[Joel Waldman]

The icon.

[Nancy Grace]

Yeah, the icon. Yes. Yes.

[Joel Waldman]

And. And it's a very lavish building. I think units start around $2 million. So.

[Nancy Grace]

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. The icon Condo building. The unit started $2 million.

[Joel Waldman]

That is correct. Nancy, welcome to Miami. Yes, and it's. It's interesting. This tour I did, I was curious to see these different spots. So I also went by Charlie Adelson's house.

[Nancy Grace]

Wait a minute. Did you video that?

[Joel Waldman]

I did. It's on my website on the YouTube channel.

[Nancy Grace]

Oh, so we can see. I can't wait to see this. Okay, go ahead.

[Joel Waldman]

Yeah, so. So Charlie's house is nothing like what you would expect. It's sort of a rundown home right off the highway. And keep in mind, this is a guy who in court admitted that he was making three and a half million dollars a year between 2014 and 2018. So that goes back to the James Bond Question. Because that is not really the salary of a periodontist, but we through these wiretaps that he was illicitly dealing steroids as well. But back to the bump. So this bump happened right in front of this icon building in South Beach. It's a beautiful area. You can literally. This is what's so sad. You can literally take a stone from where the bump happened and throw it and hit the school that the two Markell children attended. And Donna was on her way to pick up her grandchildren.

[Nancy Grace]

You mean after they killed Danny Markell and moved the children down to south Florida. Right. That's where they're going to school and.

[Joel Waldman]

Change their name from Markell to Adelson. So these two young boys have. Are going to have a lot, a lot. And Nancy, I know you know this, you know firsthand. A lot of grieving to deal with and a lot of, you know, understanding about what happened to their family as they become these young teens that they.

[Nancy Grace]

Are now not only change their last name from Markell back to Adelson, the maiden name of the moment, but took away the oldest son's middle name, which had been the Hebrew name of Dan Markell's grandma. Right. So all trace of Dan Markell has been removed from their life.

[Joel Waldman]

It's difficult to process. It really is. So this, you know, this bump happened literally across the street from the school that they were attending at the time. And ultimately when they got the, you know, that video and audio, there's no doubt that that is, you know, a big piece of evidence that influenced jurors. And then there's one other piece of audio from a restaurant, the so called dolce vita tapes that have the middle woman, Katie McBanawa, and Charlie Adelson talking. So it's a combination of this.

[Nancy Grace]

Crime stories with Nancy Grace. Not only has the gruesome granny gotten a cushy new living arrangement closer to home, Donna Adelson has now filed a notice. She is appealing pretrial and evidentiary rulings as well as her guilty verdict and life sentence. I warned you this was going to happen. She's got nothing to do behind bars except fester and think about how she can get out from behind bars. I guarantee you she's not thinking about her murder victim Dan Markell or how this has affected her grandchildren never having their father in their life ever again. And this is why jurors heard from Adelson's oldest son, Dr. Robert Adelson, an ear, nose and throat specialist. The mother and son are estranged. He described his mother as Controlling and said she hated dan Markell. Adelson, 75, did not take the witness stand in her own defense. After the guilty verdict was read, Adelson shouted, oh my God. Breaking down in tears, the judge admonished Adelson to control herself, then ordered the jury out, giving Adelson a two minute break to collect herself. This is the trial of the monster in law. The suspect who ordered the hit, according to prosecutors, to murder her son in law because he would not let his children move eight hours away to live by her crime stories. I wonder why, after trying to bribe him for a million dollars, threatened to indoctrinate the boys in another religion. A plot unfolds. I haven't even gotten to all the wiretaps. You know what? You're going to totally wiggle when you hear this. But let's take it step by step because it can get complicated. Listen.

[Joel Waldman]

Charlie Adelson, brother of Wendy Adelson, uses his girlfriend Catherine McBanewa to arrange a murder for hire, using the father of her two children, Siegfredo Garcia and his friend Louis Rivera, to kill Dan Markell. The end result, that Wendy Adelson can move her two children to South Florida near her family. Exactly what happened when Dan Markle was killed?

[Nancy Grace]

What happened when you got to the driveway of Dan Markel? I pulled up right behind him and Garcia jumped out and shot him. How many times did Garcia shoot Mr. Markell? Cold blood. Cold blood. Gigi McKelvey joining us, investigative journalist, star of Pretty Lies and Alibis podcast. Gigi's been on the case from the very, very beginning. Gigi. Cold blood. I mean, he just rattled it off. How many times you shoot him? Twice. He doesn't care about the children. He doesn't care about Markell's family. Devastated family twice. Okay, forget about that. Let me talk to you about the plot. Let me understand. Wendy Adelson, the mother of the children, the one that got the divorce, the lawyer, Wendy Adelson's brother, He decides to intervene and he gets his girlfriend, Catherine Magduana to arrange a hit. And the hit men are the father of her children, Siegfredo Garcia and his friend Luis Rivera. Okay, There is Catherine McBanua and the father of her children, Siegfried Garcia and his buddy Luis Rivera. Okay, tell me how that whole thing went down, Gigi. And isn't it quite the coincidence? Isn't it odd that everybody around Wendy Adelson is dropping like flies now? Her mother is on trial, but she is unscathed. Neither person of interest or suspect. Tell me how this whole thing went down with the girlfriend, with Charlie Adelson's girlfriend. Man, she must been a piece of work, because when I think of Hitman, I don't think, hey, I'll ask my husband to get some of his low life friends to pull off a hit. You know, they're not all nuns and priests and virgins, Gigi. Birds of a feather. You know the rest. So he thinks his girlfriend can arrange a murder. And guess what? She. She does. Yeah. I mean, that's essentially what happened. And it was pretty soon after they started seeing each other at a Halloween party where they're getting in their car to leave, and he just asked her, hey, do you know anybody that would hurt somebody? And she said yes and left it there. And it wasn't until later on when the relocation was. Was a big issue with Donna. And we're going to hear that on these wiretap calls as this trial progresses. It was getting fever pitch. I don't think Charlie cared where Wendy and the boys lived. He's a playboy making millions of dollars every year. But it was important to Donna. And as time went on and Donna got more frantic and more obsessed with the location issue, he finally went to her and said, we need to get this done. That is when she went to her baby daddy, Sigfredo Garcia, and proposed. Would you like to make some money to take care of somebody? And he said yes. After that, he got his childhood friend Luis Rivera, who was the leader of the Miami sector of the Latin Kings, to come along as a ride along, essentially. And that's where the plot started. So Charlie Adelson, AKA the maestro, who is Wendy Adelson? Ah, there he is. What a fine figure of a man. Vanity plate, Maestro. Okay, whatever. So how is he making so much money hand over fist? Gigi, how much money are we talking about? What did he do for a living? He's a periodontist. So that's a dental surgeon. Harvey. The father was only a dentist and owned the Adelson institute, which is their family dental practice. But Charlie would also travel around south Florida and do day work at these other dental offices. And he got paid a lot of money. Also, the family preferred cash payments as opposed to credit card payments. Charlie was notorious for having a safe with stacks of. Of hundreds of bills in there. But Charlie, yeah, he was driving around supercars. He had a boat throwing money out left and right, and he had. What do you mean by a supercar? The last thing I want is a man pulling up in an expensive car. I mean, A guy pulls up in a Lamborghini, I'm like, bye, bye. You know what that means to me? That means he's having a midlife crisis or he feels like he's got to have a really expensive car to impress people because obviously his personality and intellect don't cut it. So not interested. My husband drives a beat up suv. Beat up, Totally beat up. And he doesn't care. That's what I like about him. So this guy, what kind of car is a supercar? Charlie Adelson, I believe he had a Lamborghini, if I recall correctly. Oh, dear lord in heaven. That must have been why I said Lamborghini. Oh, I can just see him driving up and down the strip in Miami in his Lamborghini Maestro on his vanity. So who is Dr. Bubner? B O O B N E R. Dave Mac. Who's Dr. Bubner? I noticed that you Dave Mack, keep talking about Dr. Bubner and I'm wondering why you just love to say Bubner. Who is that?

[Joel Waldman]

Dr. Bubner is a Miami doctor who is a breast augmentation specialist. And he refers to himself first as Dr. Bubner and then of course his patients are so happy with the results that they in turn call him Dr. Bugner and. Okay, great.

[Nancy Grace]

What does he have to do with this case?

[Joel Waldman]

He's like the missing link in. In the Dan Markel murder mystery. If you want to call it that. The prosecutors that were investigating the case, they actually were able to tie in Dr. Bubner between Catherine McBanawa and Charlie Adelson and that he did Catherine McBanawa's breast augmentation surgery as part of the payment she got from Charlie Adelson for helping to monsters.

[Nancy Grace]

Wait, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop. Please, please. Speak no more. Are you hearing this? Fatis? I assume Fatis, you've seen the series of movies called the Apple Dumpling Gang. Okay. It's got Don Knotts and others in it. Yeah, you need to see that. It's a Disney movie. I showed it to the children, but I think the title says it all. So the go between Katherine McBanois who set up the hit for Charlie Adelson for his mother, the monster in law got paid with a breast lift implants. I'm so happy right now because that's not hard to trace. Right? He paid her with knee breasts A and B. Right?

[Joel Waldman]

Right, Nancy. But the key there is Charlie paid her. Charlie paid her.

[Nancy Grace]

Not.

[Joel Waldman]

Not Donna. It's not Donna fronting the bill for these new press. And so what we're talking about Is.

[Nancy Grace]

Certainly this, you know, cohort of folks.

[Joel Waldman]

Who are conspiring with one another.

[Nancy Grace]

And then we have Donna Adelson, who.

[Joel Waldman]

According to the fence, is just kind of a protective, grand, protective mother.

[Nancy Grace]

The one that tried the million dollar bribe. Okay, did you not hear you need to turn up your hearing aids? Did you not hear Gigi mckelvey just say, charlie Adelson didn't give a flying fig where those boys lived? He only did it because his mother drove him insane to do it. He doesn't care. He didn't have a dog of that fight. No skin in the game. He did it because his mother would not leave him alone. He didn't care about the boys. But. But. But to.

[Joel Waldman]

To say that that caused this murder for hire plot is a logical leap that I'm not sure the evidence has supported yet.

[Nancy Grace]

And so, you know, I just think.

[Joel Waldman]

That'S a bit of a stretch.

[Nancy Grace]

The prosecutor, they've already got their pound.

[Joel Waldman]

Of flesh with the four other convictions. And in defense is saying, hey, leave this.

[Nancy Grace]

Okay? Wait a minute. You're talking about the conviction of the brother, the playboy lamborghini brother, AKA Maestro, the girlfriend with the breast lift, Catherine mcbanois, the hitman and his gang cohort. Those four have been convicted. None of them care about where the boys live. The only one that cares is Donna. Adolescent Catherine Benoit testifies under oath about how Charlie adelen couldn't take a leak without mommy saying, okay, you can go. So this is like a regular part of the way this worked? Whenever this conversation came up.

[Joel Waldman]

Yes.

[Nancy Grace]

He would consult his mother and come back and speak to you.

[Joel Waldman]

Investigators use an undercover agent to make contact with Donna adelen. The agent, ham, hands Donna Adelson a press release of Markell's murder, asks Adelson for $5,000 and provides a phone number. Investigators intercept a call Donna Adleton makes to Charlie, asking him to meet with her about paperwork hand delivered to her outside her condo. Charlie asks if it involves him, and Donna says, probably both of us. Donna says she doesn't want to discuss this on the phone. Investigators continue to intercept calls. This time, Charlie tells mom not to talk about things in the apartment. Adelson asks his mother what the letter asked for. Donna says, this TV is probably about five. Charlie asks if they ask for $5,000. Donna Adelson responds affirmatively. Adelson calls Catherine mcbanawa and explains someone approached his mother regarding her son and his ex girlfriend and asking for money. Investigators record Adelson saying to McBanawa, My mom doesn't know these Guys, he says paying someone off is not an admission of guilt. Conversations continue between Charlie Adelson, Donna Adelson, Catherine McBanewa, and Sigfredo Garcia, all monitored by investigators.

[Nancy Grace]

You know, Eric Faddis worst nightmare is a wiretap. Hey. Or an undercover agent. Eric Faddis, did you hear that? An undercover agent approaches Adelson on the street. He's got a press release or an article about Markell's murder and says, hey, you owe me $5,000. I have info on you and your son. What does she do? She doesn't call police. She calls her son and goes, don't talk on the phone, and makes it some crazy jargon to tell him a bribe of $5,000 has just been put to her. And they go, don't. When somebody says, don't talk on the phone, you know it's something bad. Or don't put it in writing. You don't want to leave a trail. And that's what she says.

[Joel Waldman]

Well, hey, what it could be, it sounds a little bit like entrapment. It sounds a little bit like government overreach. It sounds a little bit like Charlie Adelson was involved in some misdeeds, and the government's trying to rope in somebody who did not have any direct involvement. Look, the mother may have known that Charlie Adelson did what he did and may have wanted to talk with him about that. None of that is criminal. And the fact that she said, oh, it involves both of us. Well, she's the one who received the document and received the bump, which was this. This surreptitious encounter. And so, hey, look, you know, calling your son to talk about it is not a crime.

[Nancy Grace]

You know what? When you say things like Ron Bateman, come on, you know, let's school Eric Faddis if it's possible. Bateman, former sheriff, author, homicide, undercover, you name it. Bateman. When I hear the words don't talk on the phone or don't talk in the apartment, why not talk in your apartment? If some guy I don't know literally bumps into me on the street and tries to extract five grand from me, I'm calling police. But neither one of them call police. In fact, they don't talk on the phone. All that started.

[Joel Waldman]

Let me talk about that for one second. I've been in those positions. I have been the undercover guy. I have been the hit guy for a relationship that went bad. And I was the guy on the phone doing the undercover call in this case with a wife. And it is so funny. And I've been undercover narcotics detective for a long time and got into this role as a hitman. People always talk on the phone. They try to talk in code, and I was talking in code to this one particular lady. It's just so funny. They are not as diabolical with their planning of a murder like people think they should be. I had Maryland's first life without parole case ever happened, and it was a contract murder involving a wife and a husband. Totally different case where I was the undercover hitman. But again, it's just so funny how just things just crumple down. And the worst thing that you can have in any kind of crime is another person. And if there's another person, which in this case there are several, they'll all turn on each other, which obviously in this case, they have what I call in this case, and I don't know if I've coined this, if it's my own thing or not, but it's relationship terrorism. Like that bomb that was dropped on the husband before he went for the speaking engagement. And then these guys here, the Garcia and Rivera. I mean, come on. You think there's no ring cameras across the street or at the front of the house? I mean, come on.

[Nancy Grace]

It's just, it's so. And now it culminates from the hitmen to the breast lift as payment for setting up the hit, to the son, the brother, Charlie Adelson, to the mother, Donna Adelson. Now the only one unscathed is Wendy Adelson. And all of this, according to prosecutors, was for her. She says she knew nothing of it. And speaking of Donna Adelson, she came this close, this close to getting out of the country and going to a non extradition jurisdiction, specifically Vietnam. Caught at the airport. Listen, it was his idea. He said, sweetheart, let's go, just get away. We're gonna just get away somewhere so we could have sometimes a thing. Okay, so your testimony is that you weren't trying to go to Vietnam because.

[Joel Waldman]

You wouldn't be able to be extradited from there.

[Nancy Grace]

So. So my husband actually had said, you know, we've been to Vietnam before with friends. We were on vacation, and it was. It really was like a place of peace. And so he said, if we go to a non extradition country, then if the law enforcement decided that they wanted to arrest you or me or whatever. Both, he said. Then he said, we won't be sitting in a foreign prison waiting months to go back. We could buy a ticket and we can go home. And my understanding was That I could go home and I could turn myself in if that's what they wanted.

[Joel Waldman]

Yeah.

[Nancy Grace]

That's how it typically does not work. You go to a non extradition country and then when the cops want to arrest you, you just come home. Okay. That is what we call in the law flight as evidence of guilt. You leave the scene of the crime or you leave before you can get caught. Everyone is wandering. What else was heard on those tapped phone calls to Gigi McKelvey? We have been listening to Ellie on the stand now going on two days. What did they say? They pretty much went through a couple of calls initially about Wendy. And I think what the prosecution was trying to do was show that Donna was complaining about relationships and jobs that Wendy had chosen and she was having Charlie do her bidding for her. You need to talk to your sister, talk her out of this. You need to talk her into this. So I think the first couple of calls, that's what that was for. Then we get into those bump calls that we've been talking about where there's panic. You know, Donna's not wanting to say much. Charlie notoriously repeats himself in these wiretap calls. But it's what we're hearing is the absence of the question, which ex girlfriend? What is $5,000? Why is this random guy handing me some article about Dan on the street? What is going on? No police called, nothing at all except that phone call right after the Charlie, we need to have dinner. This involves the two of us. The TV was about five and they have determined over the course of these wiretaps, TV is code for murder.

[Joel Waldman]

Jeffrey lacasse was dating Wendy Adelson around the time of Dan's murder and says he felt like he was being framed as the possible killer. Lacasse says Wendy pushed for details about an upcoming trip to Atlanta on July 18 when he was leaving direction of travel. Turns out the killers rented a car similar in color and style to Lacasse gray Nissan Sentra and travel in the same direction as La Cass as they head out of town. He also notes he had plans to travel that route the Same Morning in June 2014 that the hitman arrived in Tallahassee during their first attempt to kill Markell.

[Nancy Grace]

Gigi McKelvey. Joining us, investigative journalist. So Wendy Adelson's boyfriend thought her family, including her, was trying to set him up to take the fall for the murder. Absolutely. And he told a story that was would support that he and Wendy actually were on a break at her request. She had just got back from a 10 week stay in Miami. And they met up. And she said, look, you know, I really just want some days alone. And he. This is at the time that the actual murder happened. They met up one last time. And as they're going to their car, she turns and asks him about his trip that was happening the next day. Hey, what would cause you not to go on your trip? Which way are you going? And he thought it was odd. And so he goes on about his day and come to find out both times, the first attempt that happened in June, that law enforcement did not know about, in fact, until Luis Rivera told them in his proffer, they rented a car very similar to Jeff La Cass's. And I don't think it's much of a coincidence that on two separate trips in two separate months when the killers are in town, that's when Jeff Lacasse scheduled to go out. He would have taken a route that would have went very near Dan Markell's house about the same time that the two hitmen would have been fleeing the area after the shooting. I absolutely think they tried to set Jeff up because it would be easy. He disliked Dan because he adopted the Adelson way of thinking about Dan at the time he was with Wendy. That's what you do sometimes when you're in relationships. So it could have been the perfect storm for him. But thank goodness he was able to prove very easier, other than brainwashing. The boyfriend, Dave Mack. Interested? I'm curious about a conversation. According to the boyfriend, Jeffrey Lacasse, he says Wendy Adelson, the mom of the boys, Dan Markell's wife, that wanted the divorce and moved the boys away. Wendy Adelson, according to Lacasse, says, and I'm reading it verbatim. Can I tell you something confidentially? Last summer, my brother looked into all options possible to take care of the Danny Markell problem, including hiring a hitman. And it would cost about $15,000. Okay. Then there was a question. Is this some kind of joke Charlie made? And the boyfriend says, this was no joke.

[Joel Waldman]

Jeff. Jeff Lacasse actually has already testified, Nancy, and he broke this all out. Georgia Kaplan, one of the prosecutors, actually was able to bring this out of him. And she even went back to, what was this a joke? Kind of like how Charlie blew off the TV as a divorce president kind of thing as a joke. And he was like, no, this is not a joke. Because think about it in context, Nancy. You've got Wendy Adelson volunteering that Charlie came up with a plan and it would cost 15 grand. That's beyond joking. That's not an offhanded comment. That is a very firm I got to get this off my chest kind of thing. And she did.

[Nancy Grace]

You know what? And I don't care how angry I get at my husband, if someone said, hey, I'm going to give you a TV as a divorce present, it's cheaper than a hitman, they would get a total knuckle sandwich. Okay, but according to what the boyfriend says, this was no joke. And let me remind everyone, Wendy Adelson has not been charged. She is not a person of interest in the murder. Gruesome granny Donna Adelson will not go away. In the last days, she has gotten a transfer to a Miami Dade CI correctional institution closer to home. Not only that, she vows to appeal evidentiary hearings, pretrial motions, and her guilty verdict and her life sentence. Woman, go away. Go think about Dan Markle. We wait as justice unfolds. Nancy Grace signing off. Goodbye, friend. This is an I heart podcast. Guaranteed human.