People

Florida State University law professor and father of two who was shot and killed at his Tallahassee home on July 18, 2014 — the victim whose death underlies every case in this record.

Charged as an intermediary in the murder-for-hire of Dan Markel, tried as a defendant in both the Garcia/Magbanua 2019 trial and the 2022 Magbanua retrial, then a prosecution witness in the 2023 Charlie Adelson and 2025 Donna Adelson trials.

Wendi Adelson's brother, named across four trials in the State's murder-for-hire theory and a testifying defendant in his own 2023 trial.

Mother of Charlie and Wendi Adelson, discussed across three earlier Dan Markel murder proceedings and convicted on all three counts as the defendant in the 2025 Donna Adelson trial.

The man convicted as the gunman in the 2014 killing of Dan Markel, tried as a defendant in 2019 and discussed as a central figure in the three later Markel-case trials.

Cooperating co-defendant who testified as a prosecution witness in all four Dan Markel murder trials, giving a firsthand account from inside the car on the day of the killing.

Judge who presided over the joint Garcia–Magbanua trial, ruling on evidence and instructions and overseeing deliberations, Garcia’s verdict, and Magbanua’s mistrial.

Judge Stephen Everett presided over both the Charlie Adelson and Donna Adelson trials.

Judge who presided over the Magbanua retrial, ruling on evidence and jury instructions and receiving guilty verdicts on all three counts.

Chief Assistant State Attorney Georgia Cappleman, lead prosecutor for the State of Florida in all four Dan Markel murder-for-hire trials.

Second-chair prosecutor across the Markel conspiracy trials, handling opening statements and key evidentiary examinations.

Second-chair prosecutor who presented much of the State’s digital-forensics, cell-site, wiretap, and financial-record evidence through direct, redirect, and rebuttal.

Prosecution attorney who argued the State's positions on jury instructions and trial procedure across four Tallahassee murder-case trials.

Defense attorney for Katherine Magbanua in both the 2019 Garcia–Magbanua joint trial and the 2022 Magbanua retrial.

Defense attorney for Katherine Magbanua in the Garcia-Magbanua 2019 trial and the Magbanua 2022 retrial, and named in testimony during the Donna Adelson 2025 trial.

Defense attorney who served as lead counsel for Sigfredo Garcia at the Garcia–Magbanua 2019 Joint Trial.

Lead defense attorney for Charlie Adelson, later referenced as Charlie's counsel during Donna Adelson's trial.

Defense co-counsel for Donna Adelson who delivered the opening statement and closing argument and cross-examined key prosecution witnesses on the absence of direct evidence.

Lead defense attorney for Donna Adelson who examined witnesses, litigated evidence disputes, presented most of the defense case, and argued acquittal and jury instructions.

Defense co-counsel in the Charlie Adelson trial who conducted the Kristin Adamson examination and proposed corrections to jury instructions before deliberations.

Defense attorney for Katherine Magbanua, appearing at the jury-instruction conferences in both the 2019 Garcia–Magbanua trial and the 2022 Magbanua retrial.

Tallahassee Police Department sergeant and cell-site analyst who testified as the State's phone-records expert in all four Markel-murder trials.

A certified fraud examiner and state financial investigator who testified for the prosecution as a forensic accounting expert in all four Dan Markel murder trials.

Retired Tallahassee Police Department forensic specialist who processed the Dan Markel crime scene and testified as a State witness in four trials.

Forensic pathologist who performed the July 19, 2014 autopsy of Dan Markel and testified as a State witness in four Markel-case trials.

Tallahassee Police Department digital forensics investigator who testified as a witness in both the 2019 Garcia–Magbanua trial and the 2022 Magbanua retrial.

Forensic audio engineer who authenticated enhanced restaurant recordings, including the Dolce Vita and Matsuri recordings, as a prosecution witness in the Magbanua retrial, Charlie Adelson trial, and Donna Adelson trial.

Defense digital-forensics examiner who reviewed Donna, Charlie, and Harvey Adelson call records, including disputed totals and July 18 cell-site activity.

Digital-forensics and cell-tower expert retained by Sigfredo Garcia's defense.

Forensic video analyst who testified for the State in the 2019 Garcia–Magbanua trial and the 2022 Magbanua retrial about Premier Gym and city-bus footage, with the 2022 record additionally covering ATM still images.

TPD forensic supervisor whose assumption-dependent bullet-path opinion favored a shooter near six feet tall; he acknowledged formal trajectory analysis was not possible.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement firearms analyst who testified for the State as an expert witness in both the 2019 Garcia–Magbanua trial and the 2022 Magbanua retrial.

Retired Tallahassee Police Department digital forensic investigator who testified in both trials about the Cellebrite extraction of Wendi Adelson's iPhone 4.

Fingerprint examiner and investigator with the State Attorney's Office, Second Judicial Circuit, who testified as an expert in the 2019 Garcia–Magbanua trial.

Forensic document examiner with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Tallahassee forensic specialist who searched the crime scene for prints and casings and received two projectiles recovered during Dan Markel's autopsy.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement forensic biology analyst who tested DNA swabs from Dan Markel's car and garage door.

FBI special agent and lead investigator on the Dan Markel murder case, who testified as a prosecution witness in all four trials.

Retired Tallahassee Police Department lead detective on the Dan Markel homicide, and the prosecution's primary investigative witness across the Markel-related trials.

Leon County State Attorney's Office investigator who testified in the Garcia–Magbanua 2019 trial, the 2022 Magbanua retrial, and the Donna Adelson 2025 trial.

Tallahassee police officer who guarded the Trescott Drive perimeter on the day of Dan Markel's shooting and testified as a prosecution witness in four trials.

Miami-Dade law enforcement investigator who testified for the prosecution as an evidence-collection witness in the Garcia-Magbanua 2019 trial and the Donna Adelson 2025 trial.

Retired Tallahassee police sergeant who was the first officer to reach Dan Markel's car, called as a prosecution witness in all four trials.

Leon County detective who authenticated silent jail video involving Donna Adelson and Drina Bernhardt.

Florida Highway Patrol trooper, later sergeant, who issued Luis Rivera a speeding citation on June 4, 2014.

Tallahassee Police Department investigator whose work included wiretap-recording custody and a recorded witness interview in the Dan Markel investigation.

Tallahassee Police Department Sergeant Corey Hale was referenced as an investigator in Katherine Magbanua's 2022 retrial and the 2019 Garcia-Magbanua joint trial, and testified as a corroborating witness at Charlie Adelson's 2023 trial.

Former City of Plantation police officer assigned to a federal task force who placed the covert recording device during the 2016 Matsuri restaurant surveillance operation and testified to authenticate that recording.

Dan Markel's ex-wife, who testified as a state witness under immunity in all four Tallahassee murder-for-hire trials.

Childhood friend of Katherine Magbanua who testified for the State in the 2019 Garcia and Magbanua trial and the 2022 Magbanua retrial, and was referenced in the two later Adelson trials.

Florida State University professor and Wendi Adelson's former boyfriend, who testified for the prosecution in all four Dan Markel murder trials about a statement he said she made to him five days before the killing.

Charlie Adelson's former girlfriend, who testified as a prosecution witness in four Dan Markel murder trials.

Longtime front-desk employee and assistant at the Adelson Institute for Aesthetics.

Longtime dental assistant at the Adelson Institute who testified for the prosecution in four Markel-related trials that she knew Katherine Magbanua as a dental patient and never saw her work at the practice.

Witness in the Magbanua retrial, Charlie Adelson trial, and Donna Adelson trial; friend of Charlie Adelson whose testimony on family attitude, cash practices, and post-arrest demeanor recurred across the case.

Neighbor of Dan Markel who testified as a prosecution eyewitness in all four Tallahassee murder trials.

Tallahassee man who testified for the State in the 2019 joint trial, describing a cocaine sale to Sigfredo Garcia while Luis Rivera was present and the motel room he rented in his own name the night before Dan Markel was shot.

Rental-car employee who authenticated the June 2014 rental agreements and testified for the State in both the 2019 joint trial and the 2022 retrial.

Board-certified family law attorney retained as a defense expert regarding the Adelson-Markel dissolution and related post-judgment filings.

Wendi Adelson's family law attorney, called as a defense witness in both trials.

Longtime friend of Donna Adelson who testified for the defense about Adelson's character, reaction to Markel's death, post-verdict distress, and use of WhatsApp or Viber.

Donna Adelson's oldest son, a New York physician who testified for the State at her 2025 trial and was mentioned only in passing at the 2022 Magbanua retrial.

Former Club Fate owner who testified for the State about servers' typical earnings, cash tips he could not observe, and employee records lost to hurricane flooding.

Donna Adelson's jailhouse acquaintance who alleged that Adelson wrote a proposed testimony script and promised benefits.

Leon County Jail inmate who reported an alleged admission by Donna Adelson and alleged offers of benefits concerning Katherine Magbanua.

Miami rental-car company owner identified in SunPass testimony as Darren A. Schwartz, who rented a green Toyota Prius to Luis Rivera and authenticated the vehicle's SunPass and GPS records.

StarMetro employee who authenticated July 18, 2014 bus footage.

Creative Preschool employee who recalled a grayish-green or silver Prius during Dan Markel’s July 18 drop-off, but could not see inside or identify any occupant.

JPMorgan Chase security specialist who authenticated ATM footage of a silver Prius, while stressing it could not show whether the transaction was a deposit or withdrawal.

Longtime Premier Health and Fitness director who authenticated July 18 surveillance footage and its full unedited source; he had reviewed about 75% of the footage.

Investigator for Donna Adelson's former defense team who conducted an unrecorded August 2024 jail interview with Patricia Byrd.

Longtime Adelson family friend who helped Donna Adelson obtain a Vietnam visa and arrange travel.

Defense private investigator who testified about her January 2025 jail interview with Patricia Byrd, including what Byrd told her and how Khan documented it.

FDOT SunPass records custodian who authenticated toll data and described a Prius-account search, while noting a transponder did not identify a specific vehicle.

Longtime Adelson family friend who testified for the defense that Donna and Harvey Adelson planned temporary overseas travel and expected to return for a grandchild's bar mitzvah.

Florida attorney who represented Dan Markel in his custody dispute and testified for the prosecution about the litigation and his communications with Markel on the morning of the murder.

Donna Adelson's former criminal defense attorney who testified under privilege waiver about post-verdict conversations regarding Donna's mental state and travel plans.

T-Mobile records custodian who authenticated tower-dump data in the 2019 trial; he did not identify any phone, subscriber, or location.

Tallahassee realtor who arranged a November 2011 home-showing tour for the Adelson family at Dan Markel's request.

Victim advocate with the Tallahassee Police Department who was present during Wendi Adelson's call reporting Dan Markel's shooting to Donna Adelson.

Music teacher who was speaking by phone with Dan Markel when Markel mentioned an “unfamiliar person,” then heard a loud sound followed by breathing and no further speech.

Tallahassee Memorial Hospital general surgeon who treated Dan Markel after the shooting.