312: The Adelson Case: Real-Life Sopranos, Wealthy Family Executes Hired Hit

Summary

Serialously with Annie Elise

Episode 312: The Adelson Case: Real-Life Sopranos, Wealthy Family Executes Hired Hit
Date: August 26, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this bonus, deep-dive episode, Annie Elise breaks down the remarkably tangled and “real-life Sopranos” saga of the Adelson family and the murder of FSU law professor Dan Markel. As the latest Adelson trial heads to court, Annie recaps the entire history: the family drama, custody battles, murder-for-hire, and a criminal web with multiple convictions, ongoing prosecutions, FBI stings, and jaw-dropping moments—all explained “like your true crime bestie.”

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Main Theme & Purpose

Objective:
To give listeners a comprehensive, chronological, and highly detailed overview of the Adelson case—explaining all principal players, plot twists, legal developments, evidence, and the status of ongoing and upcoming trials. This primer is designed to prepare listeners to follow the trial as it unfolds in real time.

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Key Discussion Points & Timeline

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1. Background: Who Was Dan Markel?

[03:12]

• Dan Markel: Brilliant Harvard Law grad, FSU professor, devoted father, ex-husband to Wendy Adelson.
• Annie establishes early red flags in Dan and Wendy’s marriage: cultural differences, especially around religion, and the wedding catering story (served non-kosher food, upsetting Dan and hinting at deeper family divides).

2. The Shocking Crime

[09:14-10:05]

• On July 18, 2014, Dan Markel is found shot execution style in his garage in Tallahassee after a neighbor calls 911 about gunshots.
• No sign of robbery—seen as a targeted hit—Dan dies at the hospital.

911 Call Moment:

"His driver's side window is shattered and he's battered and can't answer. He's inside..."
— Neighbor ([09:14])

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3. The Immediate Aftermath & Suspicions

[10:41-13:59]

• Police notify Wendy; she gives a five-hour interview, rapidly distancing herself from suspicion and pointing to possible suspects (her ex-boyfriend Jeff, her brother Charlie).
• She floats the idea someone may have “targeted Dan for her, but without her knowledge.”
• Odd moment: Wendy says she was relieved her parents “sounded surprised,” implying she initially considered family involvement—a “weird thing to say,” notes Annie.

Notable Quotes:

"My parents have more reason to dislike Danny than almost anyone else... But even my family, who felt like I had been mistreated, would never do something like this. Never."
— Wendy ([13:06])

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4. A Case Goes Cold, Then Heats Up

[13:59-16:44]

• Years go by without arrests—until 2016.
• Investigators connect a light gold Prius seen fleeing the scene to two Miami men, Luis Rivera and Sigfredo Garcia.

Cell Phone & Surveillance Break

[15:08]

• Cell data, rental car, and ATM footage tie Rivera and Garcia to the murder.
• Both are arrested and indicted (May/June 2016). Both plead not guilty.

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5. Unraveling the Murder-For-Hire Plot

[17:56-18:14]

• Jeff Lacoste (Wendy's ex) reports to police that Wendy told him her brother seriously looked into killing Dan, adding chilling emphasis.

Notable Quote:

“She told me that Charlie had looked into having Danny killed... She meant it dead serious. Not like I joke around—this was chilling, uncomfortable...”
— Jeff Lacoste ([17:56])

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6. Meet the Adelsons

[18:46-19:04]

• Annie details the Adelson family:
  • Donna (matriarch, overbearing), Harvey (patriarch), Wendy (lawyer), Charlie (periodontist), Robert (estranged).
• The Adelsons run a lucrative Florida dental practice.
• Annie paints Donna as a classic manipulator, apparently controlling her adult children’s lives.

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7. The Custody Battle—A Motive Emerges

[19:04-21:10]

• After nasty divorce, Wendy attempts to relocate children to Miami, which Dan successfully blocks in court.
• Donna grows obsessed with regaining her grandchildren for the family; Annie notes the emails are “like the ramblings of a complete psychopath.”
• Donna allegedly pressures Wendy to convert the kids to Catholicism purely to torment Dan.

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8. The Criminal Web Expands

[21:10-28:40]

• Arrest of Katherine Magbanua (“Katie”), who connects both to Charlie (romantic relationship) and to hitman Garcia (her ex, father of her children).
• Prosecutors uncover hundreds of calls between Charlie, Katie, and Garcia around the murder.

Money Trail:

• Katie receives unexplained checks from the Adelson Institute, signed by Donna.
• Katie also gets extravagant gifts (surgery, car) linked to Adelson assets.

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9. The Trials – Confessions, Convictions, Mistrials

[26:00-32:32]

• Luis Rivera flips, confesses, and implicates both Garcia and Katie; sentences include 7 years for Rivera, life for Garcia.
• Katie’s first trial ends in a hung jury; re-tried and convicted (life sentence).
• Wiretapped calls and bank records form damning evidence.

Notable Defense Quote:

"These are dentists. They aren't the Sopranos, okay? The prosecution admittedly didn't have enough evidence, so it went out and bought some by giving away the farm to a murderer.”
— Siegfredo’s Attorney ([25:48])

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10. The “Walking Red Flag” – Charlie Adelson

[29:10-31:12]

• FBI wiretaps reveal Charlie dodging police inquiries and discussing cover-ups, at one point instructing someone to “call him from a landline.”
• Undercover FBI contacts attempt to leverage payment for “taking care of” the hitman, which Charlie does not flatly reject.

Notable Quote:

"If you are not hiding anything, you sure are doing a great job of making yourself look suspicious. Suspicious as heck, it's like a walking red flag."
— Annie ([30:28])

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11. The Courtroom Drama: Trials of Charlie & Donna

[32:32-47:42]

• 2023: Charlie goes on trial, spins blackmail defense (claims Katie and Garcia tried to extort him post-murder), but prosecution presents emails, evidence, and wiretaps showing close cooperation between Donna and Charlie.
• Enhanced wiretaps (“the bump” sting) catch Donna discussing how “it probably has to do with both of us” right after an FBI undercover operative threatens her.

Prosecutor’s Statement:

“Donna Adelson’s closest confidant was her son, the defendant. She and the defendant talked multiple times a day, every day. He was the person with whom she would constantly vent and complain…”
— Prosecutor ([36:48])

Jury Conviction, Nov 2023 ([44:27]):

• Charlie found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy, and solicitation.
• Charlie is visibly shocked at the verdict.

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12. Donna’s Downfall & The Vietnam Escape Attempt

[47:42-51:03]

• After Charlie’s conviction, Donna tries to flee the US to Vietnam (a non-extradition country—with a one-way ticket).
• She is arrested at the airport after being caught on a recorded jail call plotting the escape.

Notable Quote:

“We love when criminals are truly this stupid. …Why on earth would Donna think she could talk to her son on a recorded jail call about fleeing?”
— Annie ([48:11])

Body Cam Moment:

“Please, can I—no… Do you have anything valuable? Take off the rings, take everything…”
— Police to Donna, arresting her at the airport ([50:32])

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13. Jailhouse Complaints and Legal Maneuverings

[53:36-57:41]

• Donna’s trial set for September 2024, but her attorney (who also represented Charlie) withdraws for conflict of interest. Judge delays trial by a year.
• Donna testifies at pre-trial hearings to complain about bleak jail conditions (“Gain weight, bad food, can’t sleep, no band-aids”).
• Defense tries (unsuccessfully) to get key phone calls and Wendy’s novel excluded from evidence.

Notable Quote:

"This is not the Four Seasons. This is not a resort… this is jail pending prison. What did you think was going to happen here?"
— Annie ([57:41])

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14. What’s Next? The Suspicions Around Wendy and Harvey

[59:57-68:56]

• Prosecution allowed to introduce evidence on Wendy’s hostile divorce motives, the Adelson gang connections, the Vietnam “escape plan,” and even Wendy’s semi-autobiographical novel.
• All three Adelson children (Charlie, Wendy, Robert) could be called to testify at Donna’s upcoming trial.
• Wendy remains uncharged but heavily scrutinized; speculation swirls over whether she and Harvey will be indicted next.

Notable Analysis:

“People online have been speculating that Wendy might be next...there has always been suspicion around her that she knew more than she truly let on. She testified in Charlie's trial and also the trials of Catherine and the two hitmen... Not really doing that bad of a job at it—she is a lawyer herself, after all.”
— Annie ([67:38])

"Georgia Kaplan, who's the lead prosecutor in this case, has a distinct animus for Wendy Adelson...from a revenge standpoint, people want to see her tried for this case...in my gut I feel like she will be the next domino...”
— Guest analysis ([68:56])

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15. The Current State & Preview of Trial Coverage

[69:59-End]

• Donna’s trial set (jury selection started August 19, 2025) and is expected to be brief (two weeks).
• Annie promises in-depth, possibly live, continuing trial coverage and weekly recaps.
• Unanswered questions: Will Wendy or Harvey face charges? Did Wendy play a larger role than prosecutors can prove?

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Adelson Family:
  “These aren’t the Sopranos, okay?” — Defense Attorney ([25:48])
  “Walking red flag!” — Annie ([30:28])

• On Donna:
  “Could you get any more stupid?” — Annie ([48:11])
  “She’s still trying to call the shots while she was in freaking handcuffs…” — Annie ([52:49])
  “Criminal 101: Do not say anything that would implicate you on a recorded jailhouse phone line.” — Annie ([48:11])

• On Wendy:
  “I was relieved my parents sounded surprised, because that meant they weren’t in on it.” — Wendy ([13:59])
  “Was part of the plot for you to have plausible deniability about this?” — Prosecutor
  “Absolutely not.” — Wendy ([41:15])

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Timestamps of Important Segments

• [03:12] — Dan Markel’s background & marriage
• [09:14] — 911 call, discovery of crime
• [10:41] — Wendy’s police interview & suspicious statements
• [13:00] — Wendy discusses family motives
• [15:08] — Investigation breaks with phone records, surveillance
• [17:56] — Ex-boyfriend Jeff’s critical testimony
• [19:04] — Adelson family introduction
• [21:10] — Custody struggle & Donna’s influence
• [26:00] — The money trail, wiretaps, and co-defendants
• [32:32] — Wiretaps, court testimony, and stings that trap Charlie
• [44:27] — Charlie’s guilty verdict read
• [47:42] — Donna’s recorded plotting & airport arrest
• [53:36] — Donna’s pretrial complaints
• [57:41] — Annie’s blunt take on Donna’s jail woes
• [68:56] — Speculation about Wendy’s future prosecution
• [69:59] — Closing: What’s next, Annie’s coverage plans

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Tone and Style

Conversational, sarcastic, and energetic. Annie balances detailed legal breakdowns with dry humor, empathy for the victim, and skepticism for the Adelson family’s excuses. She banters as if confiding in a fellow true crime enthusiast, never shying away from blunt commentary on the absurd or outrageous.

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Summary for New Listeners

If you’ve never heard of the Adelson case, this episode delivers a gripping, twist-filled crash course—ideal for catching up before watching the trial. Annie Elise covers decades of backstory with every key event, quote, and controversy, offering up both facts and fresh analysis. Listeners walk away ready to follow the upcoming courtroom drama, armed with every detail and insight just like a seasoned trial watcher.

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“Be nice, don’t kill people, don’t join any family collusion weirdo-ness… Just get a divorce!”
— Annie Elise ([70:35])

Transcript

[A]

This episode of Serial Less Ly is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Fiscally responsible financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are all things that people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and save hundreds. Because Progressive offers discounts for paying in full, owning a home and more. Plus, you can count on their great customer service to help you when you need it. So your dollar goes a long way. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save on car insurance, Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations. Hey everybody, Wanted to just let you know that this episode is a bonus episode. I know it's releasing outside of the regular release schedule. That's why it's a great idea to make sure that you're following this podcast because this is something that we do from time to time. But I wanted to release this because the trial is currently underway and a lot of people have been asking for, for like a full breakdown of the case because it is so complex. It's like these bootleg Sopranos who thought that they were like this wealthy, calculated, great family and it's kind of been like a domino effect. They're all going down one by one. One of the trials is happening right now and all the main media circuits are covering it. It's seems very reminiscent of Karen Reed. Maybe not as, you know, huge and mainstream, but like certainly it has a lot of eyes on it. But that being said, the backstory of this case is a little complex. So I wanted to down for you guys so that you can follow along with this trial in real time, know all the players, know all the backstory and everything like that. So again, little bonus episode for you today in the feed. Curious to hear your thoughts and I'll probably throw some trial updates and headline highlights, but this is for sure a very wild case. So there you go.

[B]

Dan Markel, a celebrated law professor and loving father, was shot execution style in his Tallahassee garage on July 18, 2014. If confessed killer Luis Rivera Sarah is telling the truth, Dan Markel's own ex wife Wendy may have financed the hit that took his life. At the time, the Tallahassee police department drafted arrest affidavits for Charlie Adelson and his mom, Donna.

[A]

Donna and Harvey Adelson and their daughter Wendy Adelson were all named as unindicted.

[C]

Co conspirators during the trial.

[A]

These are dentists.

[B]

These aren't the Sopranos, okay?

[A]

Hey, true crime besties. Welcome back to an all new episode of Serial Asleep. Hello, hello, hello. And welcome to the true crime podcast Serial Lessly with me, your host, Annie Elise. Hope you had a fantastic weekend that you are getting ready to like start the week strong. Whether you're getting the kids back in school, maybe you're commuting to work, maybe you're just cleaning the house, maybe you're on a hot girl walk, I don't know. But whatever it is you're doing, I hope you are starting your week strong. Now, the reason for today's episode. Well, we obviously do a deep dive every single Monday, right? So there doesn't really need to be a reason. But there is a reason today. And the reason today is because we are doing a mega deep dive on one of the craziest cases that I have ever covered. Covered. And there is a huge update in this case as well. It is so beyond wild. I thought that because of this update, it was the perfect time to now do this episode and talk about everything that's going on in this very complex, very wild case. And it's a case that's about to go to trial, which, spoiler alert, we are probably going to go to that trial and cover it in person because it's a case that we have been watching for years now. And once you hear all of the details, you'll understand why this. I keep saying that this case is so crazy because it truly, truly is. You have have got murder, cover up, collusion, family members covering for one another, hiring hits, doing all sorts of crazy stuff, then someone trying to flee the country so that they don't get caught yet they get arrested at the airport. I mean, there is a lot to unpack. So rather than just giving you the updates and the pre trial updates, I decided, you know, what the hell, let's go for it. Let's go all the way back to the beginning. Who's that singer? Is it Hilary Duff? Let's go back. I'm back to the beginning. I am obviously not a singer and I think that's Hilary Duff, right? I don't know. But anyway, you get my point. So I want to go back to the start. I want to give you all of the background, all of the red flags, the details, the media, the convictions, the sentencing, the everything, everything all in one spot. And you might be thinking, all right Andy, just slow it on down. Like calm down, take a beat, relax. You just said this case is about to go to trial. Why on earth are you covering it now? Why not just wait until the trial is over? Well, I'll tell you why. It's because this case has already had not one, not two, not three, but four convictions. Four, count them on your fingers, four convictions. And now a fifth person is about to head to trial and it is all for the same murder. That is how complicated this is getting. That is how many people are involved in this. So yeah, this case is complicated. It's crazy. But you know, I'm here, I'm here as your true crime bestie and I'm going to break it all down for you. And if you haven't guessed already, for those of you who are, you know, true crime sleuths, true crime enthusiasts, you probably already did guess. But for those of you who have not, this is the case of Dan Markell and the Adelson family. Originally from Canada, Dan Markell was a Harvard Law School graduate. He was a brilliant legal mind, a respected law professor at fsu, and he was a devoted father to two young boys with a beautiful wife named Wendy Adelson. After graduating from Harvard, Dan had moved to D.C. where Wendy, his now wife, was also working. At the time, Wendy was working in D.C. with an internship while attending University of Miami Law School. The two of them met on a dating app called JDate, which is actually a very popular dating app that is aimed at Jewish singles. Both Dan and Wendy were Jewish. However, for Dan, religion was extremely important to him and he embraced more of the day to day traditional Jewish values, more so than Wendy did. So one day while Wendy was online browsing JDate for potential suitors, she came across Dan's profile. Now what's different a little bit in Wendy's case is as she was looking online at this website, her mom was looking with her, which I guess isn't that uncommon. I've just never really heard of it before. But I guess they were doing it together and I suppose that makes sense for a mother and daughter. I don't know. I guess you want your mom to weigh in. Just seems a little personal for me. But anyways, so she's like perusing through JDate and she comes across Dan's profile and her mom really encouraged her to make a connection with him based off of what his profile had to say, that he was this strong Jewish man, had these great values. So she decided to proceed with it. So Wendy and Dan hit it off, they dated, and then they eventually got married with both sides of the family contributing to the wedding. Now while both sides of the families contributed to the finances in the wedding, Wendy's family paid for all of the catering in the family, which normally wouldn't Strike you as anything specific, but here's where things got interesting with that. During the wedding, Dan had found that all of the food that was being served was not kosher. And if you remember, all of his traditional Jewish values are very important to him. So now seeing his new wife's family, who volunteered to pay for all of the catering, had done so, but hadn't kept kosher for any of it, really upset him. It really bothered him. But little did he know that this one move would truly set the table for he and Wendy's entire marriage, including his relationship with his now in laws. After they got married, Dan received a job offer from fsu. So the two of them built a life together in Tallahassee, Florida. However, in 2012, after seven years of marriage, Wendy had filed for divorce. Now, according to court documents, Dan returned home from a business trip and he found his family completely gone. A majority of the furniture in the house was missing, and the divorce papers that Wendy had signed were just left laying on the bed. A complete, abrupt move out divorce. It apparently shocked Dan completely. And not only was the divorce itself and the announcement of it abrupt, but after his split with Wendy, who was also now a lawyer and a professor at FSU as well, their divorce was anything but amicable, including a very nasty custody battle over their two children long after their divorce was finalized in the summer of 2013. Now fast forward a year to the summer of 2014. That's when Dan and Wendy's neighbor heard what sounded like gunshots. And they immediately called 91 1.

[B]

Okay, tell me exactly what happened. We heard, 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 wind. His driver's side window is shattered and he's battered and can't answer. He's inside. I don't know if somebody tried to shoot him or if he shot himself or what. I don't know. He didn't send an ambulance in the ra. Liam. Tina, he's still alive. He's moving. Okay, what. What's he. What's going on with him? I don't know. The driver's side window is all bashed in and he's got blood all over his head. He's not responding to me. Think you need to hurry.

[A]

Police found Dan critically injured, but there wasn't any sign of robbery or even a break in. So Dan was rushed to the hospital. But unfortunately later he died from his injuries. Now, police believed that this was a Targeted homicide. But the question was, who? And more importantly, why? Now, even though the two of them were divorced, Wendy was still Dan's next of kin. So the day that he died, police went to go and find her, to notify her and alert her what had happened. And they did locate her because she happened to be at lunch with some of her friends. So they immediately notified her and then brought her in to be interviewed.

[B]

There was a shooting at your home or your. Your ex husband's home at 2116. Trust guy. Okay. Your husband. Your ex husband. Excuse me, Daniel, all right, has been taken to the hospital. He's not going to survive.

[C]

Oh, my God.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

I don't understand.

[B]

Oh, I'm so. I'm.

[C]

A message for him this morning.

[B]

What happened? Well, before we get into everything, I have to establish where you were and who you were with and so forth. Okay? And then once we've established all that, I can give you more details. Do you understand why I wanted you to come here before I discuss this?

[A]

Now, during this interview, Wendy appeared to be absolutely devastated. And she gave the impression, like, despite the fact that she and Dan had their differences in court, he was still her boy's father. And this was completely devastating to her, and she was heartbroken. Wendy's interview was also over five hours long, and it didn't take her long to say that she had absolutely nothing to do with this. And also for her to give some ideas to the police of who could have done this. She even suggested that someone might have targeted Dan for her on her behalf, but without her knowledge. And then she said that it might have been a man named Jeff Lacoste, who was also another professor at fsu. Apparently, Wendy and Jeff had previously dated, but they were now broken up. So Wendy casually mentions this to police, saying, okay, it might have been Jeff. We dated. He knew about the issues that Dan and I were having. Then she casually mentioned that her brother Charlie also knew the intricate details of their tumultuous divorce, saying that at one point, her brother Charlie even bought her a TV as a divorce present. Making a joke and saying, I was going to hire a hitman, but a TV was less expensive.

[B]

Do you know anybody that would have a beef against your ex husband?

[C]

Why would you do this?

[B]

I don't know. That's why I'm. That's why you're here.

[C]

He didn't like Danny because Danny hurt me. I see why he's a good suspect. It's like, what if it's Jeff? Like, then I did this by asking for Some time away from him. I made him crazy. My parents have more reason to dislike Danny than almost anyone else. He hurt their daughter. They're very angry with him. But even my family, who felt like I had been mistreated, would never do something like this. Never. Danny has been shot. Well, my parents sounded really surprised, so it's at least a relief. I was trying to think of who would be angry enough to do something to him. My parents would be angry, but they're not capable of this. Thank God. I really couldn't handle that right now.

[A]

Now, in that interview, after speaking to her parents, Wendy said that she was relieved that her parents were surprised because that meant that she knew that they weren't in on it. Which is a really weird thing to say, right? Because why would she even think that that would be a possibility in the first place, that her parents were in on the murder of her ex husband and father of her children? So then more time passed, and a year after Dan's murder, nobody was arrested. Then the two year mark happened. Still nobody had been arrested. And people were now beginning to think that this was going to end up being a cold case, an unsolved case. However, in the background, investigators were still looking into Dan's murder. And they finally caught a lead in May of 2016, right around the two year mark after Dan's murder. The neighbor that called 911 had mentioned that he believed that he saw a light gold colored vehicle that he believed might have been a Prius speeding away just after he heard those loud bangs.

[B]

You said there was another vehicle that you saw driving away? Yes, and it left the scene rapidly. It looked sort of like a Prius. Investigators are asking anyone with information about this vehicle or similar vehicles to please call the tip line.

[A]

Tallahassee police dug deep into their investigation because they needed to now find this car. And eventually they did. They tracked the car all the way to Miami to a very small car rental shop. And from there, police were able to identify who had rented that Prius back in July of 2014. It was two men, Luis Rivera and Sigfredo Garcia. Luis and Siegfriedo had grown up together and knew each other for a very long time. Now, since police now had names, they were able to go through phone records. And it turned out that back In July of 2014, their phone locations did not do them any sort of favors whatsoever. On July 16 of 2014, police said that the suspects, Luis and Sigfredo, traveled to Tallahassee from North Miami. This based on cell phone records, surveillance footage and car rental Information. The following day on July 17, Sigfredo and Luis arrived in Tallahassee just after midnight. This again, according to cell phone records. Records also pinged their phones near Dan's house. Now, initially there was a witness who turned out to be a self confessed drug dealer who was who told police that he actually sold cocaine to Sigfredo and rented a hotel room in his own name for Sigfredo and Luis. Then the following day, around 11am on July 18, Dan Markell was shot in the head. After the shooting, ATM video surveillance captured both men in the Prius, further establishing that these two guys were who the police needed to look at. On May 25, 2016, Sigfredo was arrested on charges of first degree murder and possession of cocaine. The next day, Tallahassee PD held a press conference where they also named Luis as a suspect. On June 17, both Siegfredo and Luis were indicted on murder charges, meaning the state wasn't going to have a preliminary hearing of any sort. And both of the men pled not guilty. So now that they had their two guys, police were stuck with the job of figuring out how the hell these two guys were involved with Dan. Why would they want to murder Dan? Why would they be involved in this horrific homicide at Dan's own house, shooting him in the head? So they started looking back at the people that they initially interviewed. And one of those people was Wendy, Dan's ex wife. And she had mentioned that she didn't know if somebody would have set something up to kill Dan on her behalf, if you remember. And she even had mentioned her ex boyfriend, Jeff. Now remember, Jeff and Wendy had dated for about nine months until just before Dan was murdered. In Jeff's interview, he said, I'm the paranoid ex boyfriend. I was surprised that you guys didn't call me earlier though, because I probably said a hundred times that I'd like to kick his ass. And because he kept really making Wendy suffer. He also mentioned a few other things in his interview. And Jeff backed up Wendy's story earlier about her brother Charlie. Except in his interview, Jeff didn't think that it was a joke.

[B]

She told me that Charlie had looked into having Danny killed in summer 2013. She meant it dead serious. Not like I joke around. I like to kill Dan Markellis. I give a. That's different.

[C]

She said it in a dead serious.

[B]

Chilling, uncomfortable kind of way. In the moment, I was like, my stomach flow flipped. I was like, whoa.

[A]

So we've got this contentious divorce and a custody battle. We've got Wendy admitting that her family did not like Dan. Now we've got the ex boyfriend saying that Wendy's own brother wanted Dan dead. So who really was Wendy in all of this? Who was this family? And could they really all be responsible and in on such a horrible and heinous crime? Let's start with Wendy being the youngest child to her parents, Donna and Harvey Adelen. Adelen was raised among the soaring palm trees and beaches of sunny south Florida.

[B]

Her well heeled family operated a lucrative dentistry clinic named the Adelson Institute near Fort Lauderdale. Her father, Harvey and brother Charlie. I am a periodontist owner, handle the drilling and filling. And her mother, Donna, coordinated patient care.

[A]

Donna and Harvey live in the Coral Springs area of Miami, where they have lived for a pretty long time. They have three children in total. Robert, Charlie and Wendy. Their oldest son, Robert became estranged from his family after getting married. But it seems like Wendy and Charlie had always been a little bit closer siblings from the get go. They attended high school at the same time. They were closer in age, just things like that. They always were a little bit closer than she and Robert. Now their oldest son, Robert became a doctor. And then Charlie went into the family dental practice as a periodontist, Doing surgical implants, things like that. And Wendy decided to go to law school. So not bad, two doctors and a lawyer in your family. I would say you pretty much hit the jackpot there. So growing up, the family was all pretty close. This happy cookie cutter life, right? Well, after Wendy had filed that ambush style divorce and moved out, while Dan was out of town on that business trip, she tried to move to be back closer to family in that Coral Springs area, which was about an eight to nine hour drive from where she and Dan lived with their kids. Well, Dan was apparently livid by this and rightfully so. He didn't want her to take the children that far away from him. So he filed a motion against her in court. However, Wendy and her family were determined to move her and her boys to south Florida, where the rest of the Adelson family lived. But Dan refused this and successfully fought it in court. The judge ruled that Wendy could not move that far away from Dan, period. And this really pissed off Wendy. Wendy's mother, Donna, the matriarch of the family. And when I say that Donna really had taken on this role of the cliche, overbearing matriarch. Who called the shots for all of her adult children, not just Wendy. In fact, it's been speculated that the reason her oldest son Robert is estranged from the family is because his mom, Donna, didn't approve of his wife. Just truly overbearing, wants to have a hand in everything that her kids are doing, even though they're adults. And then when they do something that she doesn't agree with, that doesn't align with what she wants, she banishes them, pushes them away or gets really angry. And that's what was happening. Now Dan won in court. Wendy wasn't able to move back home to be closer to her family with her kids. So now Donna was coming off the rails. Then, in a very shocking twist, another one. Police made another arrest. The third arrest was the arrest of a woman. A woman who investigators said had ties to both the Adelson family and ties to the shooters. This woman was Catherine man bagua, who was 31 at the time and also goes by Katie. In documents released by the police, detectives alleged that Katie had a romantic relationship with Charlie Adelson, Wendy's brother. And not only that, but she actually lived with Siegfredo and had two children with him. This episode of Serial Less ly is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Fiscally responsible financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are all things that people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to to Progressive and save hundreds. Because Progressive offers discounts for paying in full, owning a home and more. Plus, you can count on their great customer service to help you when you need it. So your dollar goes a long way. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save on car insurance. Progressive Casualty Insurance company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations. This episode of Serial Less ly is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Fiscally responsible financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are all things that people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and save hundreds because Progressive offers discounts for paying in full, owning a home and more. Plus, you can count on their great customer service to help you when you need it. So your dollar goes a long way. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save on car insurance. Progressive Casualty Insurance company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations. According to court documents, in the weeks leading up to Dan's murder and for a long time after, there were hundreds of calls between Charlie and Katie and between Katie and Siegfriedo. And some of them were literally right after the other like some sort of criminal phone tree. You call one person, they call the next and you go all the way ping ponging down the line. However, with all of this, Charlie was not charged as the three of Their trials approached. Luis accepted a plea deal from prosecutors, where he actually ended up flipping on Katie and Siegfriedo. And this was in a wild confession that was actually videotaped. So at this point, Louise was really spilling the beans on everybody involved, including the Adelsons, who up until this point had denied any involvement of any kind of. Yet he claimed that Katie, who was in a relationship with Wendy's brother Charlie, put the two of them up to this murder for hire plot. Part of Luis's confession was accepting a guilty plea to second degree murder. And he was sentenced to a seven year prison term in exchange for his cooperation with prosecutors. Siegfredo's attorney spoke out in an interview and said, these are dentists. They aren't the Sopranos, okay? The prosecution admittedly didn't have enough evidence, so it went out and bought some by giving away the farm to a murderer. Seven years is just offensive. That's not a search for truth. That's a deal with the devil. So who was really telling the truth here? Katie and Siegfredo went to trial together, where they both adamantly said that Louise was lying, he was full of shit, and there was absolutely no plot whatsoever. Katie even took the stand, which was an interesting move since the prosecutors apparently had a lot of evidence against her. They had proof that her bank account received a little over $50,000. She had checks from the Adelson Institute, the dental practice. And these checks were signed by Donna, the matriarch of the Adelson family. These checks were then deposited into Katie's bank account when she was not an employee there or did not work for them. There was also a direct phone record trail where she would talk to Charlie, then call Siegfredo, and vice versa, making it blatantly obvious that she was this middleman between the whole thing. Also, in a weird detail, the prosecution also believed that Charlie had paid for her to get a breast augmentation and that her new Lexus was previously registered to Harvey Adelson, Wendy and Charlie's dad. Everything just very oddly interconnected and certainly looks like damning evidence. Right? And the jury agreed. At least in the case of Siegfredo, he was found guilty and he was sentenced to life in prison. However, Katie's case went a little differently. Her defense said that her money came from her work in nightclubs and also working bottle service in Miami, and also from Siegfriedo, who was the father of her two children. Additionally, her defense denied that the recordings implicated Katie whatsoever. Instead, they believed it showed that she was coerced into Helping her boyfriend at the time, her boyfriend, Charlie. Katie's trial ended in a hung jury mistrial, but she was again tried in 2022, where she was ultimately convicted for her role in the murder plot and sentenced to life in prison. Now, one of the craziest parts of Katie and Sigfredo's trial actually had less to do with them and more to do with Charlie. See, the FBI had wiretapped everybody's phones, and those recordings were played in court. Of course. Obviously, that's what happens, right? And in one of the most shocking calls, someone from the dental office had contacted Charlie to tell him that the police wanted information about Katie. And Charlie's response did not exactly make him look innocent.

[B]

Hey, what's going on? He's here asking for records for Katie. For what? That she works here. I would. I wouldn't. They asked, did she work there? I was like, yeah, she worked there, but I don't know what you want. So the man who sent Eric to Erica. Yes. Do me a favor. I'm not there right now, and I'm in surgery, but it's not my office. It's my dad's office. So I can't give anything out.

[A]

Right?

[B]

I mean, you know, I don't have access to it. I don't know where anything is. I would not speak to anybody, anything. You could talk to whoever you want. I shouldn't say, don't talk to anybody. I mean, it's not my office. The office was sold back to my dad, actually, a long time ago. So tell them that you will. So it's actually. You're talking to the wrong Dr. Adelson. I mean, it's not your office. You can't get that. Yeah, they said within 20 days of Portugal, Florida statute provide a bug. Cause are they there now or are they standing? They're there, but, you know, I'm in the back. I'm in the back. They're just waiting for me to come back. Oh, and they want records. Yes. Do me. Do me a favor. I'm going to call you from a landline on your cell phone, okay? Okay. All right.

[A]

Now, look, Charlie, my guy, if you don't have anything to hide, then why are you making this stuff up, you know, and saying, like, oh, it's the wrong Dr. Adelson, or, you know, why are you saying I'm going to call you from a landline? Just, it kind of looks like you're hiding something. If you are not hiding anything, you sure are doing a great job of making yourself look suspicious. Suspicious as heck, it's like a walking red flag. And sure enough, the police agreed with this. So Charlie was finally arrested for dan's murder in 2022.

[B]

Eight years later and more arrests in the murder of Florida State University professor.

[C]

Dan Markell in jail tonight, his former.

[B]

Brother in law now facing first degree.

[A]

Murder charges in his death. Dan Markell was killed in the driveway of his home.

[B]

A grand jury has now indicted Charlie Adelson in Marquel's death. The uncle of Dan Marel's two children, Adelen, was arrested at his home in Broward County. At the center of this investigation and charges and now enhanced 2016 FBI recording. I don't. If a badge comes up to you, tell them, have a nice day, officer. Listen, if they. If they want to charge you with something, charge me. If not, I don't talk to. Sorry. This FBI footage recorded in 2016 shows Charlie Adelen and Katherine McManawa having a conversation about the investigation into the murder of Florida State University professor dan Markel in 2014. It has now been enhanced to give investigators a look into a conversation that took place between the two in South Florida. That same video presented to a grand jury. This scene. This was on Good Morning America. This was on New York Times. This was in the day. You can see the two talking about investigators talking to family members, calling the investigation a scare tactic and the worldwide news coverage the case has had since 2014. Assistant State Attorney Georgia Kappelman said the enhanced evidence is a big piece of what they needed to help their case.

[C]

Well, the piece of evidence was something that I did think was important, important. And I've always felt like if we could just get that clarified, that would make a big difference potentially in the case. So I was really happy to have that piece of evidence to present to the grand jury.

[A]

So in Charlie's trial, the prosecution played even more of those wiretap calls that I talked about earlier, the ones from Charlie's phone. And in one of them, an FBI agent is actually posing as Luis's friend. And it's a little confusing because Luis actually goes by Tato and Sigfredo goes by Tuta. But basically, the agent tells Charlie that he needs to take care of Luis, just like he took care of Siegfredo and Katie. And you would think that if Charlie truly was innocent, his response to that would probably be something along the lines of, you know, what the hell are you even talking about? What does that mean? Are you speaking in code? What are you talking about? I had nothing to do with it, but that Isn't exactly how all of this went down.

[B]

All right, what's going on? Well, what's going on is my brother Tato, okay? My brother Tato has not been taken care of. His family's not been taken care of. I talked to a dentist. Why are you calling me? Who. Who are you? I gave the number to a lady. I don't know Tata. You don't know Tato? I'm sure you know Katie. They've been taken care of since the family problem. Been taken care of up north. I don't know. You don't. Well, this. I'm going away, my friend, because let me tell you something. I was at Broward with Dr. And he told me the whole story. He told me nobody was taking care of him. Nobody was taking care of his family. The family was taken care of, Katie and Tuto. And nothing's been taken care of without them. So we know. We know what's going on, and that don't need to be taken care of. Do the right thing. The lady already has the paperwork. She knows what I'm talking about. We know Katie. We know Tuto. We know. We've been taken care of. All right, let me. Let me look at. No more around, man. No more around. This ain't going away. You guys need to do the right thing for Dr. That's my brother, man. That's my brother, and he needs to be taken care of. His family needs to be taken care of, just like Katie and Tut have been taken care of. I don't. I've never met. Met these people, but let me call you back, okay? That's. Man, you know exactly what I'm talking about. You know this lady. I don't know your relationship through lady, but we know what the. Is going on. Take care of Tato just like you take care of Katie and Tuto. Man. Let me call you back.

[A]

Charlie testified in his trial, where he tried to explain that the prosecution had all of this entirely wrong. Instead, he said that Katie was aware of the situation that Wendy was going through and that she knew at one point that the Adelen family had actually offered Dan $1 million in exchange to allow Wendy to move with the boys to South Florida, an offer in which Dan apparently refused, because that just shows what kind of man Dan was. There wasn't a price tag on having limited access to his children. No price would be high enough, because all he wanted was to be near his children. He was a good father who loved his kids. So according to Charlie and his defense team, Charlie said That because Katie heard this, she told Siegfredo, the father of her kids, who also happened to have ties to the latin kings. And according to Charlie, Siegfredo and Katie then came up with a plan to blackmail Charlie, Basically saying that they murdered Dan so that they could blackmail Charlie, since it would look like he was a part of it in the first place. Again, this all according to Charlie and his defense team during his trial. Now, this was a pretty crazy defense, I have to say, but in fairness, I guess they had to at least give it a shot since their case was absolutely in the toilet at this point and had already been completely blown apart by the prosecution. But the prosecution wasn't buying any of this, not at all.

[C]

And for this custody dispute, the judge ended up ruling in Dan Markell's favor. So Wendy Adelson was not permitted to move to Miami with the children. Unless, of course, something happened to Dan Markell. A review of Wendy Adelson's emails revealed that her mother, Donna Adelson, hated Dan Markell and was desperate to find a way for Wendy and her children, who were Donna Adelson's grandchildren, to be able to move to Miami. Donna adelson suggests in these emails that y' all will hear about several ways that Wendy Adelson could threaten or bully Dan Markell into submission, into getting what she wanted him to do. Donna adelson even suggested offering dan Markell a $1 million bribe to allow the relocation. And even said that this defendant, Charlie Adelson, would pay a third of that million dollar bribe to Dan Markell to make that happen. The evidence in this case will show that Donna ate all closest confidant was her son, the defendant. She and the defendant talked multiple times a day, every day. He was the person with whom she would constantly vent and complain to about Wendy's situation. The defendant was also the person that Donna Adelson relied on to solve her problems. And this was a big, big problem for Donna Adelson. And she made it the defendant's problem to solve.

[A]

And some of the most damning information by far to convict Charlie was intertwined with Donna's actions as well. As part of an FBI sting that was referred to as the bump, an undercover officer ran into Donna while she was walking to pick up the boys from school. He gave her a piece of paper that was an article about Dan Markell's death. And then he basically threatened her, basically saying, we know what you did, and now you need to help me out and give me some money. Donna was visibly shaken after this. And the FBI wiretapped calls that she made immediately after that directly to Charlie, Showed that she was obviously worried and says, no, it probably has to do with both of us.

[C]

Why did you select Donna Adelson to be the recipient of this?

[B]

Because we noticed the pattern of calls leading up to the murder. And around the time of the murder, the calls were always Don adelson to Charlie Adelson to Catherine mcmanua to Sigfredo Garcia and then back. It was always going back and forth pretty much in that order. So we wanted to start it on one end and see what would happen, See if it would travel that same. That same line of person, people.

[A]

Additionally, a lot of communication between Donna to Wendy and Charlie was introduced during this, where she went absolutely nuts. During Wendy's custody battle, she called Dan a pressured Wendy to threaten Dan to convert the boys to catholicism, Knowing that it would make Dan furious because of how religious he was and how instilled in the jewish faith he was. And she said over and over how much Dan could not win their custody battle. And almost seemed like she was getting angry with Wendy with how the judge was ruling in the custody case, Something that Wendy clearly had absolutely no control over. I mean, the emails are wild and are almost like Donna was staying up all night fixating on this and would just send these random, bizarre and obsessive rants that literally looked like the ramblings of a complete psychopath, in my opinion. And honestly, when I was watching some of this trial, I couldn't even believe that this was real.

[C]

Did your mom call Dan any disparaging names around this time frame? Well, I just read them in the emails, But I don't remember them independently.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

Did she call him an asshole? Yes. A narcissist? Yes. A bully? Yes. Religious zealot? Yes. Were you involved in any way in the plot to kill your ex husband? Absolutely not. Did you know it was gonna happen, but maybe not know the details? I knew nothing. Is that why you went to the crime scene scene on the day of the homicide?

[A]

I did not go to the crime.

[C]

Scene on the day of the homicide. Do you know who all was involved in the murder? Well, I learned today, but at the time, no. Okay. Have you ever privately confronted your brother about his role or possible role in the murder? My attorney has advised me not to have conversations with anyone in my family about the case. But you had a close relationship with your brother at the time of the murder, right? I absolutely had a close relationship with my brother. And your how soon after the Murder. Did your lawyer advise you not to talk to your family about it in 2016? Okay, so what about the two years in between? Did you talk to him about it then? I mean, I talked to him about the. The fact that a murder occurred, but I guess I don't understand the question. But you never talked to him about the suspicions you raised in the law enforcement interview, that your brother might have done it? No, I did not. You suspected your brother could have been a part of this, right? I suspected lots of people could have been a part of it, but he was one of the people. Right. While I was talking with law enforcement for six hours, terrified out of my mind, I offered them every possible idea I could come up with. Right. And one of the possible ideas was that your brother could have murdered your child's father? I didn't really believe that was possible. Was part of the plot for you to be able to have plausible deniability about this? Absolutely not.

[A]

And Charlie's time on the witness stand was just as crazy. At one point, he was literally giggling about the names that Donna had called Dan. It was super unhinged.

[C]

You say if they had any evidence, we'd have already gone to the airport. And I know you already testified about this, but. But does an innocent person. Person. Say if they had any evidence?

[B]

Right. Katie's saying it's the police, and I'm saying that we're innocent. They're not going to have any evidence to show we were part of something that we were part of. If we had any part of this, we'd be going to the airport right now.

[C]

True, doctor, that they're not going to have any evidence. Because you were careful.

[B]

No, because we weren't a part of this.

[C]

You were smart.

[B]

No, we weren't a part of this.

[C]

You walled yourself off.

[B]

I'm not going to have evidence. Evidence to show I did something I didn't do. So we're not running to the airport.

[C]

And you're untouchable, right?

[B]

No, we didn't do a murder. I wasn't part of a murder. There's no reason to run to the airport.

[C]

And then on 219 of 14, Donna texts you again to tread lightly with Wendy and refers to Dan Markel as an asshole and a Right.

[B]

Sorry. You made me laugh. Sorry.

[C]

That's what we're here for. Is that what happened? That text?

[B]

Did my mom use a. A foul word to describe him?

[C]

Yes, sir. And to be specific, sorry.

[B]

She. She used a curse word. Correct.

[A]

So after that stellar. Wink, wink, not so stellar performance on the Stand. It really was no surprise when Charlie was convicted of murder, conspiracy and solicitation. Well, I should say it was no surprise to everyone except Charlie, who truly did look super shocked as the verdict was read, which I don't understand how he was shocked. I mean, I feel like anybody could spot this verdict from a mile away. But there he stood, looking like he saw a ghost and couldn't believe what was happening. Verdict count one, we the jury find as follows. As to count one of the indictments, first degree murder, the defendant is guilty of first degree murder. Count two, we the jury find as follows as to count two of the indictment, conspiracy to commit first degree murder, the defendant is guilty of conspiracy to commit first degree murder. Count three, we the jury find as follows as to count three of the indictment, solicitation to commit first degree murder, the defendant is guilty of solicitation to commit first degree murder. So say we are all the 6th day of November, 2023. Now, like I said, a lot of the strongest evidence against Charlie also implicated Donna. So after his conviction, the investigators were keeping a really close eye on Donna. And sure enough, it wasn't long before she slipped up. This episode of Serial Lessly is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Fiscally responsible financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are all things that people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and save hundreds. Because Progressive offers discounts for paying in full, owning a home and more. Plus, you can count on their great customer service to help you when you need it. So your dollar goes a long way. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save on car insurance. Progressive Casualty Insurance company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations. On a recorded jail call with Charlie, she ended up letting it slip that she and Harvey were trying to flee to a non extradition country, which if you're not familiar with that term, non extradition, it basically means a country that does not have an agreement with the US to send people back if they are wanted for a crime. So a lot of times this is when like Interpol will get involved. Of course the goal is to try to arrest them or catch them before they flee the country. But if you go to a non extradition country, even if, say you're wanted for murder or conspiracy, depending on the location and the country, you could go under the radar there. They can't bring you back. So that's what she was looking for and that's where she was planning to flee. Which again, if you have nothing to hide, why are you trying to flee to a non extradition country. You wouldn't. Right? So basically, Donna and Harvey were kind of just thinking, like, you know, if we can get to one of these countries, we are golden. Even if the United States does press charges against us, like, we'll be in the clear. We are golden. Which I will say it may have actually worked if Donna hadn't spoken about it and blabbed about it on this recorded jailhouse phone call. Criminal 101. Do not say anything that would implicate you on a recorded jailhouse phone line.

[B]

Do it together. Leave a note. They'll know when to come in, and we'll do it together. We've been looking it up over and over to things change. If there is extradition from Vietnam, because we looked at all the places. I mean, I could go to Korea and China, but there's no extradition. But we're looking for places where there's no extradition to have all this information. I have the cemetery property. I want her to steal that. I want her to have all these papers and the wills. I want her to steal all this.

[A]

You know, we love when criminals are truly this stupid. Because here's the thing. Why on earth would Donna think that she could talk to Charlie, her son, on a recorded jail call and tell him that she is getting her affairs in order, thinking of suicide or possibly going to a non extradition country? This after Charlie just went through a trial where Donna was implicated in many ways. And remember, Charlie was convicted on how strong the evidence was. So then she just thinks that she isn't being monitored in general or ignores the fact of these jail calls being recorded and monitored, despite the fact that in the beginning of these jail calls, it says verbatim that all conversations are recorded and reviewed by jail staff. It is just beyond me. Like, could you get any more stupid? Now hearing Donna's plans to flee must have been enough for the police to actually worry, because they finally arrested her in November of 2023. And where do you think the cops found her? They found her right there at the airport, about to board a one way ticket flight to Vietnam. A non extradition country. Pretty wild, right?

[C]

Your husband's almost 80 years old. He can't. Yeah, I can't.

[B]

Please, can I? No. Oh, don't you just.

[C]

Please, please.

[A]

Oh, someone's got to help them get. Oh, this is terrible.

[B]

Okay with you? Please. You don't have to have the can of please. Guys, do you have anything in your pocket? No.

[A]

No.

[B]

Do you have anything value in you? No, I Ain't a necklace on. Yeah, take it off the rings, take everything. You give it to your husband, because once you arrive at county, they're going to make you remove all that.

[A]

Now, hearing Donna pleading with the police, saying, you know, you can't do this. You can't do this, it really just makes my head explode a little bit. Because guess what, Donna, you're the one who did this.

[C]

This.

[A]

You can't, you know, put out hits on innocent people just because you don't like them, just because you're greedy, just because you're upset over a custody agreement. That's something that you can't do. Don't say that the cops can't do this and arrest you. And you're acting like this frail older woman. No, you are calculated. You are cold. You quite literally tried to flee the country. They can certainly do this. Now, you're unfortunately stuck in a situation where you're gonna face the consequences for your own deranged actions. Now, I also have to say with this, in addition to the body cam footage, which I had posted back when this all went down and it went absolutely viral, but in addition to. And you. It's because you have to see her mannerisms, how she's acting, which, if you're listening to the audio version of this, either go check out the video version of this on YouTube afterward, or you can go back onto my Instagram. The handle is underscore Annie Elise. And it's in there in the short form, you know, real area. But what's so interesting is, like, you see the body cam footage where she's acting, you know, like this meek older woman can't believe this is happening. But then there was also footage that was released of when Donna was in the back of the cop car. And in this footage, I just. I. I was blown away by it. And I feel like I have to talk about it, because the way that she is badgering the cops and bossing them all around, to me, it was super clear, super indicative that she was the family matriarch, that she's used to bossing people around, that she's used to just like, you know, what's the expression? Taking the bull by the horns and just, like, running the show. She called all the shots, and she was still trying to call the shots while she was in freaking handcuffs in the back of a cop car after just being caught trying to flee the country. I mean, come on, let's please get some water.

[B]

Sam, do you know. Do you know how. How long we're going to Sit. How long we're going to sit here?

[A]

After Donna was arrested, she was set to go to trial in September of 2024. Now, the first day rolled around and everybody was ready, the jury was summoned, everybody was prepared. But then, boom. Donna's attorney, Daniel, quit before the opening statements could even start. Now, the issue was that Daniel was also Charlie's lawyer during his trial. Now, that is a massive conflict of interest, because think about it. There's no way that Daniel would be able to cross examine Charlie without somehow stumbling over all sorts of issues with attorney client privilege. Now, Donna didn't at first think that that would ever be an issue. Apparently, she thought that Charlie would waive his right to attorney client confidentiality all for her. But he didn't. Instead, he basically said, like, nope, mom, you're out of luck. I'm not waiving my right to that. So try again later. Find a different lawyer. So the judge considered going forward with the trial anyway, because as I said, everybody was prepared, the jury was seated, everything was good to go. But in the end, it was just way too risky. Because truthfully, this is exactly the kind of thing that could get a case overturned later. It gives you all sorts of grounds for appeal. I'm not a lawyer. Go ask some other lawyer how that all works. But if attorney client privilege is breached or if you can't cross examine them properly because of attorney client privilege, then both of those parties, in my opinion, would have grounds for appeal because it wouldn't have been a strong and thorough enough case and defense. Again, that's just my take on everything. So because of that, instead, the entire trial ended up getting pushed back an entire year. Then In February of 2025, a bunch of pre trial hearings began. And in one of these pre trial hearings, Donna herself even took the stand. Not to talk about the case, not to say how sorry she was, not to show any sort of remorse, none of that. But instead to complain about how badly the jail sucks. Which, hello, that is the purpose of jail. It's supposed to be a punishment. It is not supposed to be cushy. Although I will say the cell that Bryan Coburger is in right now is like bigger than most dorm rooms. And I'm trying to wrap my head around that, but I believe it's a medical facility that's a rant for a different day. But anyway, she's taking the stand to complain how much jail sucks.

[C]

One of the things that's been a.

[B]

Big for you is lack of sleep.

[C]

So we're going to just kind of go through this quickly for the court. But you. You testified previously that the nighttime medications come between 11:30pm and 1:30 or 2:00am Is that correct? Yes. Okay. And part of the nighttime medications that you get, is there something in there to assist you to go to sleep? Yes. And then you get the medication about how long after that is it before you can go to sleep? From the time I get it, probably half hour. Okay.

[B]

All right.

[C]

And what time are you woken up for breakfast? Between 3 and 3:30? Yes. Last night was 3:10. Just within that half hour range is when it comes. Okay. And once you're woken up for breakfast, are you capable of going back to sleep? No. Have you tried to go back to sleep? Oh, my God, yes, I try. So that period of that time that you get from the time you fall asleep after your night meds until you're woken up for breakfast, that's the only sleep that you're getting while you're incarcerated? That's it. How has that affected you?

[B]

So.

[C]

Listen, I know older people don't need as much sleep as younger people, but I need more than two hours a night. I need more than a good night. Is three. One night I had three and a half hours. It's not enough sleep to stay focused. I mean, I feel like I'm foggy sometimes because I'm just sleepy. I'm tired and I can't go to sleep. They've got people screaming and yelling. They bang on the doors, they shake the doors. It sounds like a drum in there.

[B]

It's horrible.

[C]

So I can't sleep with. With all that noise going on. I've gained more than a third of my body weight here. The diet is all carbs, no protein. I don't have any antibiotic cream and I don't have a band aid.

[A]

Now look, you guys are my BFFs on here. And you know, I keep it real. Sometimes I say things that not everybody agrees on, which is totally fine and whatever. We're not always going to agree. So don't come for me if you disagree with me on this, but I have absolutely zero sympathy for her here. This is not the Four Seasons. This is not a resort. This is not Sandals in Jamaica. This is jail pending prison. What do you expect in that kind of scenario? You, Donna, allegedly had an innocent person killed. Already many people involved have been convicted for that. And now, you know, it's your turn to basically face the stand for that. But what did you think was going to happen here? I, for one, am not going to be Sending you any sort of sympathy card or any sort of sympathy emotions all because you have shitty food and not enough band aids. Like, get a grip, get a grip. Now what's interesting is at this same hearing, the defense also tried to get that phone call from Donna to Charlie completely thrown out of evidence because, get this. And it's kind of like this weird loophole where I can see where the defense was trying to argue this. But it turns out that when Donna was on the phone with Charlie and when she was talking about all of those things about, you know, we're finding a non extradition country that we're gonna flee to, Charlie was not even on the phone call anymore. Apparently the call had dropped. Now, this must have been unbeknownst to her because Donna just kept rattling off her mouth, just, you know, saying all these things. But the argument was because he wasn't even on the phone anymore, the recording should have stopped.

[B]

Now you heard the recording. To consent to this call, press 1 or recording of this call, press 1. Correct.

[C]

Correct.

[B]

You hung up the phone after those calls were over.

[C]

But I did.

[B]

On November 8th of 2023, the 1 I 6:30 in the morning, do you know at what point your son was no longer on the phone?

[C]

I don't. I don't remember the.

[B]

In either one of those situations. In both of those situations, did you believe the call was over?

[C]

Yeah, the call was over.

[B]

He was gone, and you went about your business?

[C]

Yes.

[B]

Now, with respect to the no. November 7, 2023 phone call, when your attorney or husband and your husband were present at your apartment, did you agree for your attorney client conversation to be recorded?

[C]

No.

[B]

Did you agree for your conversation with your husband to be recorded?

[C]

No, of course not.

[B]

Now, the following day, did you agree for your subsequent conversation with your husband if you're recording?

[C]

No. So there in the room with you during this call was you said you're one of your attorneys, Susan Brotman, your husband, and then also Susan Brotman's husband? Yes, that's correct. Okay. And he was not your attorney? He was not your attorney? No, he's not an attorney. Okay. You were informed at the beginning of that call, this is the one on November 7th that recorded you while they were all in the room, you were informed that you were being recorded if you accepted that call? Yes. Okay. And that if you do not want to be on that recorded call, that you needed to hang up the call. Is that right? Are you saying, does the recording say right. If you do not want to accept that recorded call, you should Hang up if you do not. Yeah, no, I accepted the recorded call. Okay. And you typically do hang up your calls, you said, after your calls with Charlie Adelson when he was in custody. All right. But this particular call that day, evidently you did not properly hang up. Right. Evidently. Okay. And have you ever forgotten to press the button on a call before? I mean, it may have happened. I. I don't know. Sure. Has your phone pocket dialed people before? Has it? What? Pocket dialed people before when you've been out of custody. Pocket dials, Right. I don't know what you mean. Like, if your phone is in your pocket or in your purse and it accidentally calls someone you didn't mean it to. I mean, that could have happened. Sure. Okay. And you also could have not pressed the button on your cell phone to end a call before, right? It's possible.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

It's not quite as big of a deal as it used to be when you would actually have to hang up the phone.

[B]

Right, right. Okay.

[C]

That's all. Thank you.

[B]

Redirect examination. Briefly, your honor, the consent that you gave for the call to be recorded, when did that end?

[C]

It ended when Charlie hung up or when it. Whatever, stopped the call. I mean, I don't know how it stopped, but it stopped when the call was over with Charlie. It was over.

[A]

The defense argued that since Donna thought that she had hung up on the phone, anything that she said after that call dropped should not be admissible because, again, at that point, she thought that it was a private conversation she was having, which. I'm sorry, I get the strategy here. I get the want for that to be true, but it's kind of a dumb argument, in my opinion. If you want to have a private conversation, make sure that you end your recorded call before you open your mouth and have that private conversation. And it kind of brings me back to, who is that guy? Robert Durst. Right. From the jinx. And he was involved in all these murders, and basically, like, there was this documentary that was made about him on HBO years ago, and because of this documentary, he had still been mic'd up, or the room was mic'd up, and he didn't understand that he was still being recorded since people had left the room. Was he in the room or in the bathroom at that point? I can't remember. But my point is, he muttered under his breath, thinking he was in private. Killed them all, of course, which was like a huge smoking gun in all of this. So it's like, again, no sympathy for you, Donna. Like, if you wanted to Have a private conversation where you're talking about fleeing the motherfucking country. Then maybe do it on a non recorded line, period. Hang up, walk away, go to another room, whisper it, write it on a paper in silence. I don't know, but like criminal 101. And luckily the judge agreed and he allowed these calls into evidence. Then a month later, in March, Donna's defense team wanted another piece of evidence thrown out. This time they wanted to keep Wendy's novel out of the trial. And guys, when I heard this, I almost wanted to laugh out loud because it's almost unbelievable. Basically, Wendy went out and she wrote this book, which she claims is fiction, okay? But actually it's about a woman who is a lawyer who has two kids living in Tallahassee and is unhappy in her marriage. Sounds like non fiction to me. Right? Kind of tracks with what's going on in your life. Hits a little too close to home. I mean, think about this too. Just picture this. The COVID art for this book is literally a photo of Wendy herself. This is like an autobiography. I mean, she claimed it was fiction and they were trying to get this out of the trial. But once again, the judge agreed and allowed this book into evidence as really another way to show and to illustrate that Wendy was unhappy in her marriage to Dan and giving the motive as to why they would want it to, you know, all collectively come together and have Dan killed. Then just last month, the state finalized its witness list. And honestly, it kind of sounds like this massive holiday family dinner that you would never want to be invited to. Just kind of also gives vibes of the Gossip Girl Thanksgiving, if you know, you know. But basically get this. This is who is on the witness list. All three of Donna's kids, Charlie, Wendy and Rob, who is estranged, but they all three could be called to testify. Siegfredo, Luis, Katie. I mean, it's like a full on family reunion. Everyone who was involved. Now, just recently, Donna's team once again tried to block the Vietnam trip from being entered and being mentioned at the trial at all. Which with that whole situation, the state basically their argument is saying, oh, it's like a huge flashing neon sign saying she is guilty. She was. She had consciousness of her guilt. She was trying to flee. Yet the defense is claiming that she had no idea that there was even a warrant out for her arrest. She was just traveling like a regular person, which maybe I would be able to see that argument if the circumstances were a little bit different. But the fact that she had already said on a recorded line that they were finding a non extradition country. Why would you need that in the criteria for a vacation? Why would you book a vacation with a one way ticket? Some people do if you don't know how long you're going to be gone. So like that argument would I guess, hold weight. But I don't know. Call me crazy, anytime I've ever gone on vacation, I don't have on my checklist. I, you know, I have a beach, cocktails, sunny, warm, definitely no hiking. I don't also have on there like a non extradition country. So it's like it's not adding up. And once again, of course the judge allowed it into evidence. So I can't fault them for trying to make all of this stick. But I also can because it's like get a brain and like get a better argument. Honestly, Donna should hope that her lawyers are better during the trial than they are at these evidence hearings because not a single point has been decided in their favor so far. Now, one of the last pre trial hearings that took place on August 8, 2025, a bunch of final pieces were put into place. The judge said that the details of Wendy's divorce proceedings could be shown to the jury. And he also ruled that the specific gang that Luis was a part of, the Latin Kings, can be mentioned in the trial as well. Now get this. We also have learned that Donna herself plans to testify. She is going to testify in her own defense. It's like, I know she's not representing herself, but it's kind of given like Sarah Boone a little bit again, if you know, you know, and given how badly that worked out for Katie and Charlie, I'm a little bit shocked by this, but kind of also interested to see if Donna fares any better on the stand. I can't imagine that she will, but maybe she's going to pull the, you know, meek older woman sympathy card. Who knows? So the trial was officially set to start with jury selection on August 19, and after that, apparently it's going to actually be pretty short. About a week for the prosecution and a week for the defense. A lot shorter than I was expecting given how complex this case is. People online have been speculating that Wendy might be next, that Wendy might be implicated. And there has always been a suspicion around her that she knew more than she truly let on. She testified in Charlie's trial and also the trials of Catherine and the two hitmen. And there were times on the stand where at least in my opinion, she was definitely dodging the truth and honestly not really doing that bad of a job at it. Especially because she is a lawyer herself. After all.

[B]

Georgia Kaplan, who's the lead prosecutor in this case, has a distinct animus for Wendy Adelson. She is not a fan of Wendy Adelson. And you know, whether you like somebody or not should never play into a prosecution necessarily. But we all know that there's kind of a competitive edge and competitive factor and you know, the belief is split 50, 50 really about whether she will be prosecuted. But from a, you know, sort of a revenge standpoint point, in order to pay for this crime, people want to see her tried for this case. And in my gut I feel like she will be the next domino to maybe not fall but definitely be attacked by the prosecution. It's just going to be a matter of time. They've been very systematic here and going after, you know, the hitmen first the middle woman in this case and then ultimately, ultimately Charlie Adelson and next of course Don in the fall. But I think we do see Wendy Adelson prosecuted here.

[A]

So as Donna heads to trial, which again we will be covering that trial, we will probably cover it in a similar way to the Karen Reed trial. I don't know if we will live stream it on YouTube. Let me know if you want us to. But we will do weekly trial recaps which again if it's only two weeks, it'll be very concise and very short. But we will be covering that trial. But as Donna heads to trial, there's still still a huge piece of the puzzle that's missing. And a lot of people are thinking that there will be something about this that comes down the pike. But that's whether the last two Adelsons, Wendy and her dad Harvey, will ever be charged in connection for Dan's murder. A lot of people suggest that Wendy had some involvement in either the planning, the knowledge of the COVID up, things like that. Also Harvey going alongside his wife to a non extradition country with a one way ticket certainly indicates perhaps his knowledge, who knows of his involvement. So will those two ever catch charges? What do you think? I'm going to be watching this case very closely. Not only the trial, but also the stuff with Wendy and Harvey and obviously, I mean the trial. I'm going to give you the scoop on that as we're going. So I will keep you guys up to date as everything unfolds as it happens. And I also maybe what we'll do, similar to Karen Reid is have our course correspondent give those weekly updates or. Yeah, I don't think we need to do more than once a week, you guys tell me. But maybe it's just like a weekly wrap up from the defense and the prosecution. I don't know. We'll figure that out. But let me know in the comments what you would prefer and how you want to follow this and I'll give you that update. Thank you guys so much for joining me for another episode of Serial Lessly. If you haven't already, take a quick second whatever podcast app you're listening on, just make sure you're following the podcast that you either mark it as following, it's totally free or like I don't know if you it's like market as a favorite favorite or whatever the option is so that it's in your podcast app so that you don't miss anytime we release a new episode, but also when we release these bonus episodes that are outside our normal release cadence, whether it's a trial update or a bonus episode or something like that. So just make sure you're following the podcast. And for all of you guys on YouTube, please take a quick moment like subscribe share this video and I will be back with you on Thursday with headline highlights where I will be breaking down everything going on this week in the true crime world. And I think I'm going to actually have Amy join me again this week because you love all loved hearing from her so much last week. So stay tuned for that and I will talk with you soon. Until then, be nice, don't kill people, don't join any family collusion, weirdo ness and like I will say just get a divorce, which I get if they were and it was a custody battle. But you get the sentiment right, you get it. All right guys, thanks so much. Bye.