Wendi Adelson — Cross/Redirect

MR. RASHBAUM: Do you recall that your parents and Charlie were quite excited to come watch you in Tallahassee at this event in August?

MR. RASHBAUM: Do you recall your brother saying he couldn't wait to book a ticket, that it was fucking awesome?

MR. RASHBAUM: Do you recall discussing with Professor Markel who would have custody of the boys during various trips in August and September of 2014?

MR. RASHBAUM: Do you recall having those discussions in July of 2014?

MR. RASHBAUM: Do — you recall scheduling a whole host of meetings after July 18, 2014?

MR. RASHBAUM: Let me be more precise. Before July 18, 2014, do you recall scheduling a bunch of meetings that were to occur after July 18, 2014 in Tallahassee?

MR. RASHBAUM: Do you recall making plans with a friend moving to Tallahassee for July 25th, 2014?

MR. RASHBAUM: Let me see if I can refresh your memory.

MR. RASHBAUM: Do you know an individual named Tahira Lee?

MR. RASHBAUM: May I approach, Your Honor, with defense exhibit 15?

MR. RASHBAUM: I would direct you to the email on June 17, 2014, which I think is the fourth email on the first page, and see if that refreshes your memory, but feel free to look at the whole document.

MR. RASHBAUM: Okay, sorry, I'll repeat the question. Okay, do you recall making plans with her where you said you would make plans with her after August 25th, 2014, because your family was coming to town?

MR. RASHBAUM: — that happened, that correspondence was in late June of 2014?

MR. RASHBAUM: Do — you — do you recall in June — you can put that aside now — do you recall in June of 2014, late June of 2014, expressing interest in joining the board of a Tallahassee-based child advocacy nonprofit called American Children's Campaign?

MR. RASHBAUM: That was in Tallahassee, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: Do you recall scheduling a meeting for July 23, 2014, with a professor, Van Dern, with the FSU College of Medicine?

MR. RASHBAUM: May I approach, Your Honor?

MR. RASHBAUM: Does this refresh your recollection that you were scheduling a meeting with Professor Van Duren for July 23rd of 2014?

MR. RASHBAUM: Do you recall schedule — you can put that aside. Okay.

MR. RASHBAUM: Do — do you recall scheduling a meeting with your divorce lawyer to meet any time of the week of July 21, 2014?

MR. RASHBAUM: Do you know an individual named Cindy Jean?

MR. RASHBAUM: Do you remember emailing her and asking her if the kids were available to go swimming at the pool on July 19th to 20th?

MR. RASHBAUM: May I approach, Your Honor, with defense exhibit 20 for identification purposes only?

MR. RASHBAUM: Does — this refresh your memory about trying to set up that play date for July 20th or July 19th with Miss Jean?

MR. RASHBAUM: You can put that aside. Do — you recall that your mom planned to visit Tallahassee in November of 2014?

MR. RASHBAUM: I'm — showing — may I approach, Your Honor, with defense exhibit 21 for identification purposes only?

MR. RASHBAUM: Does — this refresh your memory that your parents planned on being in Tallahassee on November 17th? Is that a fresh memory? Do — you — recall asking your parents to come to Tallahassee on August 1, 2014, for a birthday party with Ben — for Ben?

MR. RASHBAUM: May I approach, Your Honor, with Defense Exhibit 22.

MR. RASHBAUM: Does this refresh your recollection that you were going to have a birthday party for Ben in Tallahassee in early August of 2014?

MR. RASHBAUM: You can put that aside.

MR. RASHBAUM: And that your parents were going to come up for that?

MR. RASHBAUM: Do you recall making flight reservations to travel to Newark and then back to Tallahassee? So you're going to leave from Tallahassee, go to Newark, come back to Tallahassee for a wedding in October 2014.

MR. RASHBAUM: And you made those reservations in July of 2014.

MR. RASHBAUM: Do you recall that?

MR. RASHBAUM: May I approach, Your Honor, with Defense Exhibit 23.

MR. RASHBAUM: Does this refresh your recollection that the reservation was made sometime around July 14, 2014?

MR. RASHBAUM: That you were booking tickets for a wedding in New Jersey on October 24, 2014?

MR. RASHBAUM: And the cost of those tickets were over $400, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: Put that aside. Those tickets weren't to go back to Miami, were they?

MR. RASHBAUM: Why did you — why did you make those tickets to go back to Tallahassee?

MR. RASHBAUM: We're gonna move on to another subject.

MR. RASHBAUM: Miss Cappleman talked a little bit yesterday about the litigation that occurred after the relocation litigation with Professor Markel. You recall that?

MR. RASHBAUM: And there were these pieces of litigation back and forth about money and about filing false affidavits. You remember those?

MR. RASHBAUM: It was what was called the motion against your mom that Professor Markel filed. You recall that, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: With regards to the motion that Professor Markel filed claiming that you and your attorney filed a false affidavit, did you get the sense that you were gonna prevail on that litigation?

MR. RASHBAUM: Was the judge getting frustrated with Professor Markel on that litigation?

MR. RASHBAUM: Did the judge admonish Professor Markel regarding that litigation?

MR. RASHBAUM: Were you concerned about getting disbarred?

MR. RASHBAUM: I want to talk a little bit about Jeff Lacasse.

MR. RASHBAUM: You first met Mr. Lacasse in the fall of 2013?

MR. RASHBAUM: It was casual at first?

MR. RASHBAUM: You were dating other people as well?

MR. RASHBAUM: It got more serious around March of 2014?

MR. RASHBAUM: He was, fair to say, he was in love with you?

MR. RASHBAUM: Okay. You weren't so sure about him, is that fair to say?

MR. RASHBAUM: And then they undeveloped?

MR. RASHBAUM: You were very different people from very different backgrounds, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: He didn't spend much time with your parents, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: He wanted to meet them more than once, right? He didn't like that he didn't get to see them more times.

MR. RASHBAUM: Jeff Lacasse met Charlie Adelson one time in March of 2014, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: He accompanied you on a trip with law students, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: And you decided to come down to South Florida for a day or two, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: And you had dinner at a place called Yardbird, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: Are you aware that that happened on March 11, 2014?

MR. RASHBAUM: Fair enough.

MR. RASHBAUM: You remember sitting outside on the patio?

MR. RASHBAUM: And it was you and Mr. Lacasse and Charlie and a woman named Katherine Magbanua. Do you recall that?

MR. RASHBAUM: Who was Charlie's girlfriend at the time?

MR. RASHBAUM: Are you aware that Sigfredo Garcia was watching you at that dinner?

MR. RASHBAUM: Are you aware that he was contemplating running your brother over with his car at that dinner?

MR. RASHBAUM: After dinner, you and Jeff Lacasse stayed at Charlie's house, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: Ms. Magbanua wasn't there, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: It was just the three of you?

MR. RASHBAUM: And you left the next morning?

MR. RASHBAUM: Now you and Mr. Lacasse started having issues around May of 2014, is that fair to say?

MR. RASHBAUM: You started to become nervous around him?

MR. RASHBAUM: He started accusing you of being unfaithful, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: He accused you of having an affair with someone that you had previously dated?

MR. RASHBAUM: You told him that you didn't. You denied it.

MR. RASHBAUM: And he didn't believe you?

MR. RASHBAUM: And before, this individual that you used to date, you had coffee with at a place called All Saints in Tallahassee, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: And Mr. Lacasse saw you having coffee with this individual, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: And that caused a confrontation, is that fair to say?

MR. RASHBAUM: Subsequently, he went through your phone and planner, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: This is around May, June of 2014?

MR. RASHBAUM: And you and Mr. Lacasse went to Gainesville for a weekend for his work at some point around this time frame?

MR. RASHBAUM: And that Saturday night, June 28th, he basically exploded at you?

MR. RASHBAUM: He yelled at you for hours?

MR. RASHBAUM: He accused you of having affairs with multiple people?

MR. RASHBAUM: You were very upset, to say the least.

MR. RASHBAUM: Now, you were scheduled to leave for South Florida — I believe it was on June 30th or June 29th — to celebrate your dad's 70th birthday, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: And Mr. Lacasse wasn't invited?

MR. RASHBAUM: You went down to South Florida on June 30th, and you and the boys stayed with your parents, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: You had the boys with you the whole time?

MR. RASHBAUM: Dan Markel didn't have the boys at that point in time. The boys were with you?

MR. RASHBAUM: And Charlie knew that, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: Your mom planned a big party for the birthday?

MR. RASHBAUM: I think when Ms. Cappleman asked you if the birthday fell on a Saturday, you weren't sure.

MR. RASHBAUM: May I approach, Your Honor, with Defendant's Exhibit 25?

MR. RASHBAUM: Ms. Adelson, does this refresh your recollection that July 5, 2014, was on a Saturday?

MR. RASHBAUM: And that the party was at 7:30 p.m. or thereabouts?

MR. RASHBAUM: Now, when you got back to Tallahassee, you saw Mr. Lacasse on July 13th?

MR. RASHBAUM: And when you saw him, it was not a good meeting, is that fair to say?

MR. RASHBAUM: You saw him the next day at a yoga studio?

MR. RASHBAUM: It was, and kind of tense?

MR. RASHBAUM: And he asked to see you again later that week?

MR. RASHBAUM: And you didn't want to?

MR. RASHBAUM: And when you got home that night, you sent him an email asking him not to contact you for at least seven days, that you wanted to think things over. Is that fair to say?

MR. RASHBAUM: You never saw him again, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: Are you now aware that there was a first attempt on your ex-husband's life on June 4th and June 5th of 2014?

MR. RASHBAUM: When you lived with Professor Markel on Trescott, was your address publicly listed?

MR. RASHBAUM: May I have one moment, Your Honor?

MR. RASHBAUM: I have a schedule for the Markel children.

MR. RASHBAUM: Do you need a copy, Your Honor?

MR. RASHBAUM: Thank you, Your Honor.

MR. RASHBAUM: So I want to first focus your attention on the July 17, 2014 schedule.

MR. RASHBAUM: On July 17, 2014, as Your Honor just recited, do you recall dropping the kids off at school at 8:30 in the morning?

MR. RASHBAUM: And Professor Markel picked them up at 4:45 p.m. on that day, thereabouts.

MR. RASHBAUM: You didn't pick them up that day?

MR. RASHBAUM: So it would be impossible — the person would be wrong if they said that they saw you and the kids by Professor Markel's house in the afternoon or morning of July 17, 2014, correct?

MR. RASHBAUM: You spoke to your mom probably close to daily, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: She would know when you had the kids and didn't have the kids, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: I want to go back to something briefly that we talked about yesterday before we stopped.

MR. RASHBAUM: You knew that Professor Markel posted his travel plans on Facebook and on his PrawfsBlawg, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: He would talk about places and conferences that he was speaking at, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: Are you aware that on the weekend of the 20th, he was supposed to speak at a conference in New Jersey and he posted it on PrawfsBlawg as well as on Facebook?

MR. RASHBAUM: Let's talk a little bit about Best Buy.

MR. RASHBAUM: May I approach, Your Honor?

MR. RASHBAUM: I'm showing you what's marked for identification purposes only as Defense Exhibits 29 and 30.

MR. RASHBAUM: Looking at Defense Exhibit 29, does that refresh your recollection that the warranty was under your father's name for that TV?

MR. RASHBAUM: That warranty with the Geek Squad?

MR. RASHBAUM: Now, looking at — before you look at Exhibit 20 — do you recall that your mother scheduled the appointment for the TV to be fixed with this Geek Squad?

MR. RASHBAUM: And in fact, she emailed you on July 11th and told you if you can't keep the appointment on the 18th, call this number to reschedule it, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: You — can put that aside. I — want to talk a little bit more about July 18th. Um, do you recall leaving your house that day on Aqua Ridge Way around 12:30 in the afternoon?

MR. RASHBAUM: And you were going to meet a friend for lunch at a place called Mosaic?

MR. RASHBAUM: But you had to pick up a bottle of — I don't know if it's bourbon or whiskey, I don't even know if they're the same thing — but Bulleit whiskey.

MR. RASHBAUM: Okay.

MR. RASHBAUM: And, um, I'm — showing you what's marked as Defense Exhibit 32. Is this the invitation that you received?

MR. RASHBAUM: That's it, Judge.

MR. RASHBAUM: I would move Defense Exhibit 32 into evidence at this point in time.

MR. RASHBAUM: State of mind.

MR. RASHBAUM: Do— Do you recall on the right-hand, left-hand corner of the invitation it says "help the bride and groom stock the bar for their wedding and bring a bottle of Bulleit bourbon"?

MR. RASHBAUM: Do you recall that?

MR. RASHBAUM: You can put that aside.

MR. RASHBAUM: You decided to go to ABC Liquors on Bedden Road to look for the bourbon, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: You're not a big drinker, is that fair to say?

MR. RASHBAUM: You went to that — that store — because you were familiar with it?

MR. RASHBAUM: Close to your old house?

MR. RASHBAUM: There could have been liquor stores that were closer to your current house?

MR. RASHBAUM: Now, when you drove to ABC Liquor, you tried to go through Trescott.

MR. RASHBAUM: Is that fair to say?

MR. RASHBAUM: There are other ways to go to ABC Liquor, right? You could have gone down other roads.

MR. RASHBAUM: You got to Mosaic at around 1 p.m.?

MR. RASHBAUM: And your lunch was interrupted by Investigator Isom, who told you that something had happened?

MR. RASHBAUM: You went with him voluntarily?

MR. RASHBAUM: To speak with him?

MR. RASHBAUM: You let police search your car?

MR. RASHBAUM: You were interviewed with the investigator from approximately 2:45 p.m. until 7:50 p.m.?

MR. RASHBAUM: He told you that your ex-husband had been shot and was unlikely to survive, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: You were in shock.

MR. RASHBAUM: You were pretty open with police, telling them a lot of things, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: Now, you remember on direct Miss Cappleman asked you about this interview?

MR. RASHBAUM: And she asked you about all the people you mentioned during the interview, including Charlie?

MR. RASHBAUM: And you said, "I was just reeling off names," right? In fact, isn't the first person in the interview that you mentioned — yourself?

MR. RASHBAUM: You said that you would understand if you were viewed as the prime suspect, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: Before you mentioned anyone else, you mentioned yourself.

MR. RASHBAUM: You told them about the motion to relocate.

MR. RASHBAUM: You told them about the fight you had with Professor Markel that very morning about some swimming for the boys.

MR. RASHBAUM: You were spitting out a lot of ideas.

MR. RASHBAUM: And you agreed to let the police search your phone.

MR. RASHBAUM: You agreed to let the police search your car.

MR. RASHBAUM: That's where they found that picture that I wasn't able to admit of the invitation of the Bulleit Bourbon, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: You agreed to be fingerprinted.

MR. RASHBAUM: You agreed to be checked for gunshot residue.

MR. RASHBAUM: You gave them your computer to be searched.

MR. RASHBAUM: Towards the end of your interview, you asked the police officer if you could call your parents, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: And the police allowed you to do that.

MR. RASHBAUM: And you called your mother's cell phone sometime around 7:04 p.m.

MR. RASHBAUM: You spoke to your mom. I don't know if you remember, but you remember your dad being in the shower because they were going out to dinner.

MR. RASHBAUM: Your mom didn't answer, actually, the first call, and you called back a couple minutes later and she answered. Do you recall that?

MR. RASHBAUM: And when you called your mom, she was surprised?

MR. RASHBAUM: And you asked her to call Charlie and tell him what happened, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: You didn't speak with Charlie that day, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: On July 19th, the next day, you spoke to Charlie at 10:50 in the morning.

MR. RASHBAUM: You won't know the exact time, but do you recall speaking with him in the morning?

MR. RASHBAUM: Do you recall letting him know that Professor Markel had passed away in the early morning?

MR. RASHBAUM: When your parents came directly to Tallahassee, correct?

MR. RASHBAUM: They stopped in Orlando and they got there on the morning of the 19th, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: And when they got there, they were scared and frantic, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: Your dad didn't sleep. He couldn't get police protection, so he planted his chair in the front of your window to make sure that no one was going to come to your house and shoot it up, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: Now, you all attended a memorial service on the 20th, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: And you arranged for the Markels to see the boys after the memorial service, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: And you left Tallahassee, correct?

MR. RASHBAUM: And when you left Tallahassee on the 21st, did you bring all your belongings?

MR. RASHBAUM: And when you left, you were not yourself.

MR. RASHBAUM: You got to South Florida, and you realized that you could not take care of the boys alone at this point in time.

MR. RASHBAUM: Get a little more specific. You wouldn't leave the house?

MR. RASHBAUM: And you would hardly eat?

MR. RASHBAUM: Ultimately, you decided not to come back to Tallahassee.

MR. RASHBAUM: And you had a friend who you grew up with, I think a last name Keener, go back and get more stuff at your house, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: We have one more moment here.

MR. RASHBAUM: It's — been said in this courtroom that you have tried to erase Professor Markel's memory from your boys' lives.

MR. RASHBAUM: Is that true?

MR. RASHBAUM: For the first two years after the murder, did you limit Professor Markel's family from seeing the boys?

MR. RASHBAUM: In fact, they had complete access to the boys, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: — made dinners with the boys?

MR. RASHBAUM: Every time they visited, there were sleepovers and playdates?

MR. RASHBAUM: There was no animosity at all, right? And — then in October of 2016, things changed, right?

MR. RASHBAUM: A letter was released where there was a suggestion that Professor Markel's mom was talking to the state about arranging custody for the boys in case you got arrested.

MR. RASHBAUM: And you saw that as a betrayal?

MR. RASHBAUM: You saw that as her thinking that you killed her son?

MR. RASHBAUM: And as a result of that, rightly or wrongly, you decided to limit their access?

MR. RASHBAUM: Do your children know anything about their father?

MR. RASHBAUM: Do they have a picture of him in their bedroom?

MR. RASHBAUM: Did you benefit from Professor Markel's death?

MR. RASHBAUM: Well, you got to live in South Florida.

MR. RASHBAUM: How are your boys doing?

MR. RASHBAUM: How have your job prospects been since this case hit the news?

MR. RASHBAUM: How are you doing?

MR. RASHBAUM: Has this affected your life negatively or positively?

MR. RASHBAUM: Does Charlie love his nephews?

MR. RASHBAUM: May I have one moment, Your Honor?

MR. RASHBAUM: Thank you Ms. Adelson, I have no further questions.

MR. RASHBAUM: Objection.

MR. RASHBAUM: Argument.