Juan Marcos Vega KM
Connected to the Markel murder per phone tip from Imran Hussain.
People
91 people across the trial record.
Victim
Dan Markel
Murder victim whose July 2014 killing is the shared subject of all three trials.
Markel's killing is the singular event tying together three separate, related court cases, making his background, the crime scene evidence, and the custody dispute that preceded his death a throughline useful for readers following how the same underlying events were examined across multiple proceedings.
163 mentions
Defendants (3)
Katherine Magbanua KM
Witness in three trials: her own 2022 retrial, the 2023 Charlie Adelson trial, and the 2025 Donna Adelson trial.
Also appeared in CADA
2,372 lines · 8 appearances
Charlie Adelson CA
Charlie Adelson — Wendi Adelson's brother, Donna Adelson's son, and the named co-conspirator whose payments to Katherine Magbanua tie the family to Dan Markel's murder.
1,837 lines · 8 appearances
Donna Adelson DA
Mother of Charlie Adelson, discussed in two earlier trials as the source of family motive and a key communication link, and later tried and convicted as a defendant in the murder-for-hire conspiracy herself.
27 lines
Judges (2)
Stephen Everett CADA
Leon County Circuit Court
Judge Stephen Everett presided over both the Charlie Adelson and Donna Adelson trials.
3,348 lines
Robert R. Wheeler KM
Leon County Circuit Court
Judge who presided over the Magbanua retrial in Leon County Circuit Court, managing hearsay rulings, Crawford challenges, and jury instructions before guilty verdicts on all counts.
1,995 lines
Prosecution (3)
Georgia Cappleman KMCADA
State Attorney's Office
Prosecutor Georgia Cappleman led the state's case in all three related trials over the Dan Markel murder-for-hire conspiracy.
11,945 lines · 111 appearances
Sarah Kathryn Dugan KMCADA
State Attorney's Office
Second-chair prosecutor across the Markel conspiracy trials, handling opening statements and key evidentiary examinations.
6,016 lines · 50 appearances
Eddie Evans KMCADA
State Attorney's Office
Prosecution attorney who argued jury instruction and charge conference positions across all three Adelson Markel murder for hire trials.
107 lines
Defense (7)
Dan Rashbaum CADA
Defense team (Charlie Adelson)
Lead defense attorney for Charlie Adelson, later referenced as Charlie's counsel during Donna Adelson's trial.
4,939 lines · 38 appearances
Christopher DeCoste KM
Defense team (Magbanua)
Defense co-counsel in the Magbanua retrial who led the extended cross-examination of cooperating hitman Luis Rivera and drove the alternative-motive theory that Garcia acted on personal obsession.
4,322 lines · 28 appearances
Tara Kawass KMDA
Defense team (Magbanua)
Defense attorney who represented Katherine Magbanua at trial and was later named as the contact for a police cooperation offer.
2,797 lines · 15 appearances
Jackie L. Fulford DA
Defense team (Donna Adelson)
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.
2,121 lines · 21 appearances
Joshua D. Zelman DA
Defense team (Donna Adelson)
Lead defense attorney for Donna Adelson who conducted examinations of prosecution and defense witnesses, litigated evidentiary disputes, and argued jury instruction positions throughout the nine-day trial.
1,546 lines · 31 appearances
Kathryn Meyers CA
Defense team (Charlie Adelson)
Defense co-counsel in the Charlie Adelson trial who conducted the Kristin Adamson examination and proposed corrections to jury instructions before deliberations.
134 lines · 2 appearances
Kristen Kawass KM
Defense team (Magbanua)
Defense co-counsel in the Charlie Adelson trial who argued jury instruction positions at the charge conference and cited appellate authority on exhibit playback access.
63 lines
Co-conspirators (4)
Sigfredo Garcia KMCADA
Convicted triggerman in Dan Markel's 2014 murder, discussed across all three related court proceedings as the hired shooter linked to Katherine Magbanua and the Adelson family.
Anthony Ortiz KMCADA
Uninvestigated Latin Kings associate linked to phone activity on the morning of the alleged payment
Luis Rivera KMCADA
Cooperating witness and admitted gunman's accomplice who testified against three defendants across the Markel murder prosecutions
2,056 lines · 10 appearances
Expert witnesses (9)
Kate Butler DA
Florida Department of Law Enforcement
FDLE forensic document examiner who established through handwriting comparison that Donna Adelson authored the script jailhouse informant Bernhardt alleged Adelson wrote for her.
53 lines · 2 appearances
Anthony Clark KMCADA
District 2 Medical Examiner's Office
Forensic pathologist who performed Dan Markel's autopsy; testified for the prosecution across all three trials.
232 lines · 6 appearances
Christopher Corbitt KMCADA
Tallahassee Police Department
Cell-site and communications-record analyst who testified across all three trials
3,361 lines · 19 appearances
Brock Dietz KM
Florida Department of Law Enforcement
State forensic video analyst who authenticated surveillance footage compilations from gym cameras, ATM images, and bus cameras for the prosecution's vehicle-tracking exhibits.
25 lines · 2 appearances
Kelsey Guay DA
Defense digital forensics expert who challenged the prosecution's CDR frequency counts and cell site location analysis for Donna Adelson's AT&T records.
172 lines · 5 appearances
Mary Hull KMCADA
Mary Hull Financial Investigations
Certified fraud examiner who testified for the prosecution about cash-flow patterns tied to the Markel murder in three related trials.
1,428 lines · 9 appearances
Joanne Maltese KMCADA
Tallahassee Police Department
Retired Tallahassee Police Department forensic specialist who documented the crime scene and hospital evidence in Dan Markel's shooting.
217 lines · 6 appearances
James Keith McElveen KMCADA
Florida State University
Forensic audio engineer who authenticated the covert Dolce Vita and Matsuri restaurant recordings as a prosecution witness in all three trials.
175 lines · 8 appearances
Elizabeth Richey KM
Florida Department of Law Enforcement
FDLE firearms analyst who testified that the two projectiles recovered from Dan Markel were fired from the same firearm, consistent with a .38 Special or .357 Magnum revolver.
39 lines · 2 appearances
Law enforcement (17)
Special Agent Undercover #3 (Matsuri) CA
FBI
FBI undercover agent who testified about the covert April 2016 Matsuri restaurant surveillance operation targeting Charlie Adelson. Identity sealed by the court.
27 lines · 2 appearances
Sherry Bennett KMCA
Tallahassee Police Department
Tampa Police Department investigator who testified as a defense impeachment witness in one trial and was named in connection with witness proffer sessions in another.
41 lines · 2 appearances
Bill Brannon KMCADA
Tallahassee Police Department
Tallahassee police officer who staffed the crime-scene perimeter roadblock and testified across all three Markel murder trials about a Honda Odyssey van's suspicious turnaround.
144 lines · 7 appearances
Louis Bronstein KMCADA
FBI
FBI Special Agent who conducted covert surveillance and authenticated the Dolce Vita recording across all three Adelson-Magbanua trials.
132 lines · 7 appearances
Stephen Downing KM
Florida Highway Patrol
Florida Highway Patrol trooper. Also referred to as Trooper/Officer Downing.
Deputy Franklin DA
Leon County Sheriff's Office
Correctional deputy at Leon County detention. Potential defense witness who declined to meet defense counsel.
Jonathan Grossman DA
Miami-Dade Police Department
Miami-Dade detective who authenticated the search warrant executed at Donna Adelson's Brickell condominium and the Vietnam-destination luggage and visas recovered there.
77 lines · 2 appearances
Corey Hale KMCA
Tallahassee Police Department
TPD Sergeant Corey Hale — referenced as an investigator in one case, and a corroborating witness in the other.
52 lines · 2 appearances
Craig Isom KMCADA
Tallahassee Police Department
Retired Tallahassee Police Department lead detective and the prosecution's central investigative witness across two trials.
1,073 lines · 10 appearances
Oscar Jimenez Jr. KMCADA
FBI
Retired FBI special agent who conducted the undercover "bump" operation against Donna Adelson, testifying as a witness in all three trials.
283 lines · 8 appearances
Brian Kendall DA
FBI
Plantation police officer on federal task force duty who authenticated the covert audio-video recording from the April 2016 Matsuri restaurant surveillance operation.
20 lines · 2 appearances
Sara Newhouse DA
Tallahassee Police Department
TPD victim advocate called by the defense who testified that Donna Adelson sounded shocked when Wendi called to report Dan Markel's shooting on July 18, 2014.
20 lines · 2 appearances
Jason Newlin KMCADA
Leon County State Attorney's Office
Leon County State Attorney's Office investigator who testified about the Rivera proffer process and later sponsored Donna Adelson's divorce-era email exhibit.
540 lines · 8 appearances
Patrick Sanford KMCADA
FBI
FBI Special Agent Patrick Sanford, lead investigator, testified as a prosecution witness across all three trials.
3,243 lines · 19 appearances
David Sims KMCADA
Tallahassee Police Department
Retired Tallahassee Police Department sergeant who was the first officer on scene at Dan Markel's home
84 lines · 6 appearances
Josh Turner DA
Leon County Sheriff's Office
Leon County detective called by the defense to authenticate jail surveillance footage and confirm the timeline of jailhouse informant Bernhardt's witness-tampering scheme.
95 lines · 3 appearances
Undersheriff DA
Leon County Sheriff's Office
Leon County Undersheriff who testified about jail protocols for attorney visits to Donna Adelson. Name not stated on record.
10 lines
Attorneys (6)
Gary Cohn CA
Attorney the Adelson parents consulted about legality of million-dollar relocation offer.
Chuck Collins KM
Rivera's defense attorney (Collins father-son team).
John Lauro KMCADA
Attorney who appeared as personal counsel for witness Wendi Adelson across three related trials.
15 lines
David Marcus KMDA
Attorney referenced in testimony connected to Charlie Adelson and to the timeline around Katherine Magbanua's 2016 arrest.
Shannon Novi DA
Wendi's original divorce attorney before Kristin Adamson.
Michael Weinstein DA
Family friend and attorney. Source of 'don't talk to police' advice Donna relayed to Robert.
Witnesses (27)
Kristin Adamson CADA
Wendi Adelson's family law attorney, called as a defense witness in both trials.
269 lines · 6 appearances
Wendi Adelson KMCADA
Dan Markel's ex-wife and Donna Adelson's daughter, called as a prosecution witness in all three related trials.
2,657 lines · 14 appearances
Robert Adelson DA
Donna Adelson's oldest child, called by the prosecution to testify about her controlling family role, management of Wendi's divorce, and her flat reaction to news of Dan Markel's murder.
205 lines · 2 appearances
Linda Bailey DA
Board-certified family law expert called by the defense to testify that the Adelson-Markel dissolution was routine and that Markel's post-judgment filings were legally groundless.
306 lines · 3 appearances
Drina Bernhardt DA
Prosecution jailhouse informant who testified that Donna Adelson wrote a fabricated script directing her to deliver false testimony about Katherine Magbanua in exchange for payments.
164 lines · 3 appearances
Patricia Byrd DA
Prosecution jailhouse informant who testified that Donna Adelson confessed in custody and attempted to recruit her to spread a fabricated account implicating Katherine Magbanua.
105 lines · 3 appearances
Ann Elizabeth Cunningham DA
Defense character witness and long-time friend of Donna Adelson, whose testimony about Donna's reaction to the murder was challenged by CDR records on cross-examination.
192 lines · 5 appearances
Marissel Descalzo DA
Donna Adelson's former criminal defense attorney who testified under privilege waiver about post-verdict conversations regarding Donna's mental state and travel plans.
44 lines · 3 appearances
Michael Dillmore KM
Defense exhibits foundation witness who testified about Cellebrite extraction of Garcia's phone and processing of Charlie Adelson's iCloud data.
57 lines · 2 appearances
Ryan Fitzpatrick KMCADA
Witness in all three trials; friend of Charlie Adelson whose testimony on family attitude, cash practices, and post-arrest demeanor recurred across the case.
317 lines · 7 appearances
James Geiger KMCADA
James Geiger — Dan Markel's next-door neighbor and the prosecution's first witness at each trial, describing the getaway vehicle and discovering the crime scene.
217 lines · 6 appearances
Ron Gutterson DA
Defense character witness and family friend who testified the Adelsons' post-verdict overseas travel was a temporary media escape with a firm return date.
59 lines · 2 appearances
Erika Johnson KMCADA
Adelson Institute for Aesthetics
Front-desk employee and assistant at the Adelson Institute who testified as a prosecution witness in two trials and was referenced by other witnesses in a third.
178 lines · 6 appearances
Tim Kelly DA
Tallahassee realtor called by the defense to testify about a November 2011 home-showing tour he arranged for the Adelsons at Dan Markel's request.
30 lines · 2 appearances
Tarana Khan DA
Defense private investigator who testified in rebuttal to jailhouse informant Patricia Byrd, denying any inducement was offered during a January 2025 jail interview.
51 lines · 3 appearances
Jeffrey Lacasse KMCADA
Wendi Adelson's former boyfriend and a recurring prosecution witness across three trials to the timeline of her pre-murder disclosure about Charlie Adelson.
865 lines · 14 appearances
Clariza Lebredo KMCADA
Adelson Institute for Aesthetics
Longtime Adelson Institute dental assistant called by the prosecution in all three trials to testify about office staffing and payroll practices.
224 lines · 8 appearances
Ruth Markel DA
Mother of Dan Markel. Delivered victim impact statement at Donna Adelson sentencing (Day 9).
12 lines
Yindra Velazquez Mascaro KMCADA
Friend and former childhood associate of Katherine Magbanua who testified about her employment history and the murder-night cover story.
606 lines · 5 appearances
Ramzi Naber KM
Former owner of Club Fate who testified about the nightclub's modest finances and Katherine Magbanua's brief employment, countering her claimed tip income.
158 lines · 3 appearances
Waldo Mesa Nunez KM
Comfort Rental
Former Comfort Rent-A-Car employee who authenticated the rental records placing Sigfredo Garcia at the Miami airport counter on June 2, 2014.
134 lines · 3 appearances
Marcia Rodriguez KM
Records custodian who authenticated Cellebrite extraction data from Wendi Adelson's iPhone 4 for the prosecution.
19 lines · 3 appearances
Jessica Rodriguez KMCADA
Prosecution witness in the Magbanua retrial; a peripheral background figure in the two Adelson trials.
464 lines · 3 appearances
Richard Shagran DA
Defense character witness and 37-year Adelson family friend who testified to provide an innocent explanation for the one-way ticket to Vietnam.
58 lines · 3 appearances
June Umchinda KMCADA
Charlie Adelson's former girlfriend who testified across three trials about his behavior and cash holdings
565 lines · 7 appearances
Eddie Varnes DA
Defense private investigator who testified about an unrecorded jail interview of jailhouse informant Patricia Byrd, introducing the basis of the defense's extortion counter-narrative.
63 lines · 3 appearances
Stephen Webster CADA
Florida attorney who represented Dan Markel in his custody dispute and testified for the prosecution; separately named as Charlie Adelson's divorce attorney in phone records from the morning of the murder.
59 lines · 2 appearances
Mentioned (12)
Harvey Adelson KMCADA
Harvey Adelson, Donna Adelson's husband and Adelson Institute co-owner, discussed across all three trials but never called as a witness.
Jerome Obed KMCADA
Broward County dermatologist and Charlie Adelson's former roommate whose office employed Katherine Magbanua.
Stephanie Carmona KMCA
Sigfredo Garcia's girlfriend, referenced as a cell-location anchor in testimony about his movements after the murder.
Jane McPherson CA
Wendi's friend and doctoral program colleague. Named Lacasse as potential suspect to TPD.
Annie Diaz KM
Mother of Rivera's children. Normandy Isle residence relevant to cell phone location analysis.
Carrie Rosana KM
Mentioned in testimony. Also spelled Rosanna.
Dave Atell CADA
Peripheral figure named in testimony as one of Wendi Adelson's ex-boyfriends.
Fabian Radoslovich KM
Optima Realty employer who paid Magbanua in cash April–June 2016.
John Sawicki KM
Mentioned in testimony.
Lincoln Adelson DA
Dan Markel and Wendi Adelson's son.
Roman Adelson DA
Dan Markel and Wendi Adelson's son.
Whitney Kick CA
Charlie's girlfriend immediately before June Umchinda.