Charlie Adelson

The prosecution and defense delivered opening statements outlining competing theories of the killing, and the state called Dan Markel's neighbor, responding officers, the medical examiner, and the lead FBI investigator before Wendi Adelson testified under immunity and cross-examination began.

Wendi Adelson's cross and redirect concluded, including her denial of a claim later linked to Jeffrey Lacasse; the court first excluded Lacasse's account that Wendi told him Charlie explored hiring a hitman, then admitted it before the jury after Wendi denied it under recall; and confessed hitman Luis Rivera began direct testimony describing the murder-for-hire arrangement, the shooting, and payment from "the dentist."

Luis Rivera's cross and redirect concluded, then Katherine Magbanua testified for the prosecution that Charlie Adelson recruited her, handed her a sealed envelope with anti-forensic warnings, and appeared frantic with a gun the night of the murder; forensic accounting and cell-record witnesses followed with financial and communications evidence.

The court resolved a dispute over the Dolce Vita transcript demonstrative, TPD's Corbitt was cross-examined at length on cell and call records, FBI witnesses described the 2016 undercover approach to Donna Adelson and the covert Dolce Vita and Matsuri recordings, and Agent Sanford's recalled direct laid out the wiretap evidence and bump strategy before the Dolce Vita recording was played for the jury.

Day 5 completed the prosecution's case through Agent Sanford's recalled wiretap testimony presenting the prosecution's interpretation of selected post-bump calls, 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.