Charlie Adelson

Opening statements established the prosecution's murder-for-hire theory — centered on a 2016 undercover restaurant recording — against the defense's extortion counter-narrative. Crime scene, autopsy, and FBI testimony followed, with Wendi Adelson beginning her examination under use immunity at day's end.

Day 2 closed out Wendi Adelson's multi-proceeding testimony, turned on a contested motion in limine that temporarily blocked then ultimately admitted Jeffrey Lacasse's account of Wendi's alleged statement that Charlie Adelson had investigated hiring a hitman, and ended with Luis Rivera's eyewitness account of the murder identifying the Adelson family as the contract's money source.

Katherine Magbanua took the stand as a convicted co-defendant, admitted lying at both her prior trials, and named Charlie Adelson as the originator of the murder-for-hire plot. The day also featured the completion of Luis Rivera's cross-examination, corroborating testimony from two Adelson Institute employees, a comprehensive forensic accounting presentation by Mary Hull, and the beginning of cell-site analyst Sgt. Christopher Corbitt's testimony, which carried over to Day 4.

Day 4 completed Sgt. Christopher Corbitt's cell-site testimony through cross, redirect, and recross — yielding key defense concessions and prosecution repairs — then moved through three FBI undercover witnesses who authenticated the bump operation and the Dolce Vita and Matsuri covert recordings, culminating in the Dolce Vita recording played for the jury.

Day 5 completed the prosecution's case through Agent Sanford's recalled wiretap testimony tracing the conspiracy's communication chain, the State formally rested, the defense's motion for judgment of acquittal was denied on all counts, and Charlie Adelson elected to take the stand — with his testimony deferred to Day 6.

Day 6 consisted almost entirely of Charlie Adelson's direct examination across five segments, during which he denied all charges, advanced an extortion defense, admitted the hitman joke and the $1 million relocation pledge, and provided his account of a $138,000 cash payment to Magbanua as a response to an extortion threat on the night of Markel's murder. Multiple evidentiary disputes over composite text exhibits and recorded phone calls were resolved outside the jury's presence.

Charlie Adelson finished direct examination, faced cross-examination by the prosecution, and completed redirect before the defense formally rested. The state declined rebuttal, closing the evidentiary record. In an afternoon charge conference, Judge Everett finalized jury instructions for all three counts over one contested ruling.

Day 8 moved from final jury instructions through competing closing arguments to a unanimous guilty verdict on all three counts — first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and solicitation to commit first-degree murder — ending with Charlie Adelson remanded into custody pending sentencing.