Day 3 - August 26, 2025

Magbanua Details Conspiracy and Payment; Financial Records and Corbitt's Evidence Begin

15 Proceedings

7 Pages

7 Witnesses

3,184 Lines

Day 3 of 9

Appearing:

Lacasse, Umchinda, Fitzpatrick, Hull, Lebredo, and Magbanua testified about the Adelson family's finances and Magbanua's account of the murder conspiracy, and Sergeant Corbitt began cell-data and email evidence linking family communications to the case.

Full day summary

Testimony spanned seven witnesses and covered the family's ties to the Adelson Institute payroll, the family's financial capacity, and Katherine Magbanua's account of the murder conspiracy. Jeffrey Lacasse, Wendi Adelson's former boyfriend, testified that Wendi told him in July 2014 that her brother had looked into hiring a hitman for about $15,000, and separately described Charlie Adelson referencing contacts in "the criminal element." The court found an inadvertent discovery violation over undisclosed expert testimony from Lacasse and instructed the jury not to consider that portion. June Umchinda, Charlie's former girlfriend, testified that the family did not appear curious about the murder, that Charlie became secretive and anxious as the investigation progressed, and that Donna Adelson told her she felt as though Dan Markel was "back from the grave" haunting her; cross-examination noted Umchinda had previously qualified that quote as not necessarily verbatim. Ryan Fitzpatrick, a friend of Charlie's, testified that Charlie carried stapled cash bundles, became agitated and anxious after an FBI "bump" operation approached Donna Adelson, and once remarked that a person could get away with anything if they kept quiet. Forensic accountant Mary Hull presented financial records showing vehicle purchases by Luis Rivera and Sigfredo Garcia shortly after the murder, 44 Adelson Institute payroll checks to Katherine Magbanua all signed by Donna Adelson, a spike in Magbanua's cash deposits in 2014, and a 2011 text in which Donna described moving $25,000 in cash between family accounts. A sidebar hearing sustained a hearsay objection to a 2012 text about cash between Harvey and Charlie Adelson. Dental assistant Clariza Lebredo described office staffing and identified a recorded call between Charlie Adelson and a coworker. Katherine Magbanua then testified that Charlie Adelson approached her on Halloween night 2013 asking if she knew someone who could harm a person, that she suggested Sigfredo Garcia, that Charlie gave her a sealed envelope she passed along unopened, and that her cut of the payment arrived stapled, wet, and moldy, which Charlie explained by saying his mother had washed the money; she also described Charlie's frantic state and possession of a gun the night of the murder. On cross, Magbanua acknowledged she never counted the payment money and agreed that Charlie Adelson was the sole point of contact linking her to Donna Adelson. Sergeant Christopher Corbitt began testimony on cell-site and financial-communication analysis, describing tower-dump records in which a number later linked to Sigfredo Garcia appeared in the Premier Health and Fitness-area return from the morning of the murder, and reading a series of 2013 emails from Donna Adelson describing Markel as "a major fucker," emphasizing relocation as non-negotiable, and referencing a financial offer and extreme measures discussed among Donna, Harvey, and Charlie Adelson. His testimony was ongoing when the day recessed.

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1. Jeffrey Lacasse — Direct/Cross

Day 3 opens with gallery instructions before Jeffrey Lacasse — Wendi Adelson's boyfriend at the time of the murder — testifies on direct about Wendi's relocation obsession, a March 2014 Miami dinner where he first met Charlie Adelson and Katherine Magbanua, and a July 13 disclosure in which Wendi told him Charlie had explored all options to resolve the custody dispute, including hiring a hitman for approximately $15,000. Cross-examination establishes that Lacasse's picture of the Adelson family came largely through Wendi, and draws a concession that Wendi was "a deeply deceitful person, depending on the topic."

Procedural

Day 3 Court Opens — Gallery Instructions

Judge Everett opens Day 3 with standard gallery conduct instructions and confirms jurors have their notepads before resuming the state's case.

Direct

Jeffrey Lacasse Georgia Cappleman

374 lines

Jeffrey Lacasse, an FSU professor who dated Wendi Adelson from late 2013 until days before Dan Markel's murder, testified about the Adelson family's involvement in the divorce dispute and a July 13, 2014 conversation in which Wendi told him, in confidence, that her brother Charlie had looked into hiring a hitman the prior summer.

Cross

Jeffrey Lacasse Joshua D. Zelman

44 lines

Defense attorney Joshua Zelman cross-examines Jeffrey Lacasse, establishing that his account of Donna Adelson's reaction to the 'grandmother motion' came entirely secondhand from Wendi Adelson, that he had only limited small talk with Donna Adelson himself, and that he considered Wendi deceitful on some topics; Zelman also revisits the damaged television and reconfirms that Lacasse's July 13, 2014 disclosure named 'her brother Charlie' specifically.

Highlights

Jeffrey Lacasse - Direct ruling Defense objected that Lacasse had not been disclosed as an expert on child memory development; after a recess to check discovery materials, the court found an inadvertent discovery violation, ruled the substance of that testimony could not be considered by the jury, and gave a curative instruction. Jeffrey Lacasse - Direct admission Lacasse testified that on July 13, 2014, Wendi Adelson said the only way she would relocate was "if something would have to happen to Danny," then, after being pressed and asking to speak confidentially, told him her brother had looked into hiring a hitman the prior summer for about $15,000. Jeffrey Lacasse - Direct “"Sure." Well — "Last summer, my brother looked into all options possible to take care of the Danny Markel problem, including hiring a hitman, and it would cost about $15,000."” — Jeffrey Lacasse Central admission testimony: the witness recounts a confidential statement by Wendi Adelson about her brother inquiring into hiring a hitman roughly a year before the murder.

Procedural

Witness Locating Delay — June Umchinda

Brief transition in which June Umchinda cannot be immediately located; Judge Everett dispatches all available court security to find her, sends jurors for a restroom break, and resumes within minutes once she is found.

Direct

June Umchinda Georgia Cappleman

187 lines

Charlie Adelson's former girlfriend June Umchinda describes behavioral changes she observed during the investigation, stapled cash she associated with an affidavit's reported payment method despite uncertain timing, and a statement she attributes to Donna Adelson.

Cross

June Umchinda Jackie L. Fulford

63 lines

Defense attorney Jackie Fulford cross-examines June Umchinda, challenging the certainty of her earlier statement that the Adelson family did not seem curious about the murder and her account of Donna Adelson's 'haunting from the grave' remark, using Umchinda's own prior testimony from Katherine Magbanua's second trial to show she had already qualified both statements.

Highlights

June Umchinda - Direct testimony highlight Umchinda confirms a statement from her recorded law enforcement interview that the Adelson family 'weren't ever curious' about who killed Markel and 'weren't upset about it,' and testifies that Charlie Adelson never told her about an April 2016 undercover law enforcement operation targeting Donna Adelson, despite the couple being together constantly at the time. June Umchinda - Direct testimony highlight Umchinda testifies that Donna Adelson appeared visibly distressed during this period — describing her as 'a mess,' crying, and taking painkillers for stress — and recounts a conversation on Donna Adelson's balcony in which Donna said she felt as though Dan Markel was back from the grave and haunting her. June Umchinda - Direct “She feels like Dan's back from the grave, like haunting her, or something.” — June Umchinda Recounts Donna Adelson's own description of her emotional state, made directly to the witness, following the murder investigation's escalation. June Umchinda - Cross impeachment Defense impeaches Umchinda's account of Donna Adelson's 'haunting from the grave' remark by reading her qualified testimony from Katherine Magbanua's second trial, where she said she did not know if those were the exact words.

3. Ryan Fitzpatrick — Direct/Cross

Ryan Fitzpatrick, a close friend of Charlie Adelson from roughly 2013 to 2020, testifies about Charlie's habitual cash-bundle payments, Donna Adelson's implied hostility toward Dan Markel, and Charlie's behavioral shift — from conspicuous silence about the murder to visible agitation after the FBI undercover operation. On cross, Jackie Fulford elicits that Fitzpatrick never heard Donna make a direct negative comment about Markel, and that the friendship with Charlie ended badly.

Direct

Ryan Fitzpatrick Georgia Cappleman

69 lines

Charlie Adelson's close friend testifies that Donna Adelson disliked Dan Markel, describes Charlie's habit of carrying stapled cash bundles, and recounts Charlie's anxious, guilty-seeming demeanor after a law enforcement operation approached his mother.

Cross

Ryan Fitzpatrick Jackie L. Fulford

33 lines

Defense attorney Jackie Fulford establishes that Fitzpatrick knew Donna Adelson less well than Charlie, found Donna and Harvey pleasant, and viewed the family's dislike of Dan Markel as implied rather than a specific statement from Donna.

Highlights

Ryan Fitzpatrick - Direct admission Fitzpatrick recounts Charlie once stating that a person could get away with anything if they kept their mouth shut, which the prosecutor characterizes as implying murder. Ryan Fitzpatrick - Direct “He made the statement at one time that you could get away with anything if you keep your mouth shut.” — Ryan Fitzpatrick Fitzpatrick recounts an ambiguous statement from Charlie Adelson that the prosecution offers as an implied reference to the murder.

Procedural

Sidebar — Slide 38 Hearsay Ruling & Hull Late-Disclosure Accommodation

Judge Everett admonishes Fulford for a speaking objection in front of the jury, grants an early lunch so defense can confer with financial investigator Mary Hull, sustains a hearsay objection to a PowerPoint slide showing Harvey Adelson's 2012 'too much cash' text, and warns Zelman that late exhibit objections risk being deemed waived.

Direct

Mary Hull Sarah Kathryn Dugan

778 lines

Forensic accountant Mary Hull walks the jury through years of bank, credit card, and vehicle records for the Adelson family and codefendants Luis Rivera, Sigfredo Garcia, and Katherine Magbanua, tracing cash deposits, vehicle purchases, and Adelson Institute paychecks that cluster around Dan Markel's July 2014 murder.

Cross

Mary Hull Jackie L. Fulford

39 lines

Defense attorney Jackie Fulford's cross-examination of forensic accountant Mary Hull narrows the scope of her financial review, shows that a $1,700 car payment had no bank-record proof of a cash source, offers an alternative explanation for a cash-payment discount that Hull does not confirm from her records, and gets Hull to confirm Harvey Adelson did not become an owner of Adelson Institute until 2020, years after he became a manager.

Redirect

Mary Hull Sarah Kathryn Dugan

23 lines

On brief redirect, the prosecution clarifies that the cash-discount text messages involved Adelson Institute payroll employees and walks Hull through corporate records showing Harvey and Charlie as managers in October 2015, Magbanua receiving checks through spring 2016, and Charlie listed as registered agent by July 2016.

Procedural

Afternoon Recess and Next Witness Announcement

Afternoon recess; Cappleman identified Clariza Lebredo as next witness.

Highlights

Sidebar — Slide 38 Hearsay Ruling & Hull Late-Disclosure Accommodation ruling Judge sustains hearsay objection to Slide 38 — Harvey Adelson's 2012 'too much cash' text — after rejecting the prosecution's non-hearsay framing as functionally indistinguishable from offering the statement for its truth. State may elicit Hull's testimony from financial records but may not display the slide. Mary Hull - Direct testimony highlight Hull details 44 Adelson Institute checks deposited into Katherine Magbanua's accounts, all signed by Donna Adelson. The Institute supplied a QuickBooks summary in response to an employment-record subpoena. Asked whether the sequence made it possible Donna stopped writing checks after the April 2016 approach, Hull answers, “It appears that way.” Mary Hull - Direct testimony highlight Hull's year-by-year analysis shows Magbanua's cash deposits were highest in 2014, the year of the murder — roughly three times the prior year and the largest single source of her income — with August, October, and July 2014 the three highest cash months. Mary Hull - Direct “So the first block is from Donna, says: "Good morning, Charlie. I need to take 25,000 from your office checkbook and put it in dad's office checkbook in order to break even this month. Can we do that? Do you have enough money in your office account for us to write that check? If you do, then dad will move 25,000 in cash in the safe into your pile. Please let me know as soon as possible so dad can take care of it today. You can call, I am home, or text me, whatever is best for you. I love you, honey. Mom." And he says, "No problem." He says, "No problem."” — Mary Hull Hull reads a 2011 text from Donna Adelson to Charlie Adelson describing tens of thousands of dollars moved between family accounts and kept in cash in a safe, establishing the family's practice of handling large amounts of cash years before the murder.

5. Clariza Lebredo — Direct/Cross/Redirect

Clariza Lebredo, a 40-year employee of the Adelson Institute, testifies about Donna Adelson's role as office manager and Katherine Magbanua as a dental patient whom Lebredo never saw working at the Institute and knew of no remote role. Cross-examination elicits that Lebredo never heard Donna speak negatively about Dan Markel. The page closes with Judge Everett admonishing Donna Adelson against visible reactions during testimony and the calling of Katherine Magbanua as the next witness.

Direct

Clariza Lebredo Sarah Kathryn Dugan

143 lines

Longtime Adelson Institute employee Clariza Lebredo describes the practice's staffing and payroll, says she knew Katherine Magbanua only as a patient and never saw her work there, and identifies Erica Johnson and Charlie Adelson as the speakers on State's Exhibit 100.

Cross

Clariza Lebredo Joshua D. Zelman

10 lines

Defense attorney Joshua Zelman briefly cross-examines Clariza Lebredo, establishing that the dental office used an old-style answering machine in 2013-2014 and securing her agreement that Donna Adelson never spoke badly of Dan Markel and that the Adelson family was hard-working.

Redirect

Clariza Lebredo Sarah Kathryn Dugan

24 lines

Brief prosecution redirect limits the defense's 'never heard anything negative about Markel' concession by establishing that Lebredo's relationship with Donna was confined largely to the workplace.

Procedural

Transition — Magbanua Called; Judge Admonishes Donna Adelson on Courtroom Conduct

Brief transition before Katherine Magbanua's testimony; Judge Everett preemptively admonishes Donna Adelson — noting it is a reminder — not to display emotional reactions during testimony.

Direct

Katherine Magbanua Georgia Cappleman

536 lines

Katherine Magbanua, a convicted codefendant serving life for Dan Markel's murder, testifies that Charlie Adelson recruited her in 2013 to find someone to harm Markel and that she passed a sealed envelope to Sigfredo Garcia; she says Charlie later told her his mother had washed the wet murder-payment cash, and she identifies Donna as the signer of all her Adelson Institute checks.

Cross

Katherine Magbanua Jackie L. Fulford

193 lines

Defense attorney Jackie Fulford cross-examines convicted codefendant Katherine Magbanua, tracing her admitted history of lying under oath, probing her account of the payment, and eliciting her agreement that Charlie Adelson was the intermediary between her and Donna Adelson.

Procedural

Transition — Corbitt Setup Break and Summary Exhibit Agreement

Judge Everett calls a jury break while Sergeant Corbitt sets up; the parties agree that a summary offered with him may be moved into evidence subject to the court's ruling.

Highlights

7. Christopher Corbitt — Direct

Cell-records expert Sergeant Christopher Corbitt begins direct examination, presenting tower-dump and call-detail analysis in which a number later identified as Garcia's appeared near one location Markel visited that morning, while explaining that the records support location consistency rather than precise placement and tracing contact patterns among Garcia, Katherine Magbanua, Charlie Adelson, and Donna Adelson. Corbitt also reads emails and texts from the shared Adelson family account in which Donna Adelson expresses hostility toward Markel, presses for relocation, and references a financial offer coordinated with Harvey and Charlie. The court recesses for the day before his testimony concludes.

Direct

Christopher Corbitt Sarah Kathryn Dugan

518 lines

TPD Sergeant Christopher Corbitt, a cell-phone-records analyst, begins direct testimony linking codefendants' phone contacts to the Adelson family and reading into evidence more than a year of Donna Adelson's emails and texts about the custody dispute, a financial offer, and a message she asked Charlie Adelson to erase.

Procedural

End-of-Day Recess — Day 3

Judge Everett closes Day 3, grants Zelman time overnight to review expert materials, and sets an 8:40 resumption for Day 4.