Defendant
Donna Adelson
Adelson family matriarch; discussed-person in trials 1-2, defendant in trial 3; convicted of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and solicitation to commit first-degree murder in the Dan Markel killing.
Defendant Donna Adelson
27 lines · 114 mentions · 3 trials
About
Donna Adelson appears in all three accepted trial rollups, making her the only individual in this case archive documented as a discussed person across successive trials before becoming a named defendant in the third. Her record spans the prosecution's core evidentiary threads — motive emails, financial transactions, post-bump communications — and includes the most extensive on-record sworn procedural colloquy of any individual in the archive, providing a continuous case-wide thread against which evidence framing, defense strategy evolution, and verdict resolution can be traced.
Trial Record (114)
KM Magbanua Retrial May 18, 2022 – May 27, 2022
Trial Summary
Donna Adelson appeared throughout the trial record as the documented source of the Adelson family's motive — established through emails authenticated by her daughter Wendi — and as the entry point for the FBI's April 2016 undercover operation, whose approach to her triggered the wiretapped Donna→Charlie→Magbanua→Garcia communication chain central to the prosecution's case.
Mentioned (38)
Opening
Opening Statement - Sarah Kathryn Dugan
Day 1 Opening Opening Statement - Tara Kawass
Day 1 Procedural Recess — Crawford Objection Flagged on Adelson Wiretap Calls
Day 1 Direct Craig Isom - Direct
Day 1 Cross Craig Isom - Cross
Day 1 Direct Wendi Adelson - Direct
Day 2 Cross Wendi Adelson - Cross
Day 2 Redirect Wendi Adelson - Redirect Subject of disputed police-contact claim; represented by counsel; would testify only under state subpoena per Wendi.
Day 2 Direct Jeffrey Lacasse - Direct
Day 2 Direct Christopher Corbitt - Direct (Continued)
Day 3 Cross Christopher Corbitt - Cross Mentioned as person who could have been placed under wiretap intercept but was not
Day 4 Redirect Christopher Corbitt - Redirect Top of communication chain: Donna → Charlie → Magbanua → Garcia/Rivera; never directly called Magbanua
Day 4 Direct June Umchinda - Direct
Day 4 Cross June Umchinda - Cross Present at Hanukkah gathering where Umchinda met the family; previously testified to distressed remarks about Markel.
Day 4 Direct Clariza Lebredo - Direct
Day 4 Cross Clariza Lebredo - Cross
Day 4 Direct Erika Johnson - Direct
Day 4 Cross Erika Johnson - Cross
Day 4 Procedural End of Day — Jail Call Admissibility Rulings and Scheduling Recorded calls with Charlie Adelson subject to pending Crawford hearing
Day 4 Procedural Pre-Testimony Motions: Exhibit 100 Ruling and Crawford Challenge to Adelson Wiretaps Party to the FBI bump wiretap calls; Wheeler notes her statements in those calls form part of the prior non-hearsay ruling being reaffirmed
Day 5 Direct Mary Hull - Direct
Day 5 Cross Mary Hull - Cross Signed all 44 Adelson Institute paychecks to Magbanua; identified by Hull as best positioned to explain check-writing practices; not called by prosecution
Day 5 Redirect Mary Hull - Redirect Signer of all Adelson Institute paychecks to Magbanua; Fifth Amendment question about her was sustained
Day 5 Direct Oscar Jimenez Jr. - Direct Target of the FBI undercover bump; approached by Jimenez on a public Miami street on April 19, 2016 and handed the Markel flyer
Day 5 Cross Oscar Jimenez Jr. - Cross
Day 5 Direct Patrick Sanford - Direct (Part 1) Received the FBI bump; her post-bump calls to Charlie Adelson are played; she never names Katie or Markel; her 'TV/$5,000' comment is analyzed; she meets Charlie privately at Monty's the following day
Day 5 Procedural Pre-session ruling: FBI undercover bump calls (Exhibits 128 and 134) admitted over defense hearsay objection
Day 6 Direct Patrick Sanford - Direct (Part 2)
Day 6 Direct Patrick Sanford - Direct (Part 3)
Day 6 Cross Patrick Sanford - Cross received bump flyer from undercover agent; bump operation logistics discussed including the failure to photograph the flyer
Day 6 Cross Patrick Sanford - Cross (Continued)
Day 6 Redirect Patrick Sanford - Redirect
Day 6 Direct Ryan Fitzpatrick - Direct
Day 7 Direct Katherine Magbanua - Direct Mentioned as the person approached by the undercover agent (the 'bump') who was told Magbanua's and Garcia's names, triggering the Dolce Vita meeting.
Day 7 Cross Katherine Magbanua - Cross
Day 7 Closing Closing Argument - Georgia Cappleman
Day 8 Closing Closing Argument - Tara Kawass
Day 8 Rebuttal Rebuttal Closing - Georgia Cappleman Told June Umchinda she feels Dan is haunting her from the grave; invoked by Cappleman as corroborating consciousness of guilt among the Adelson circle
Day 8 CA Charlie Adelson Oct 26, 2023 – Nov 6, 2023
Trial Summary
Described by the prosecution as the originating link in the alleged conspiracy's communication chain, Donna Adelson appeared across this trial record through her pre-murder emails documenting animus toward Dan Markel, intercepted calls with Charlie Adelson following the April 2016 FBI undercover operation, cell-site data placing her near Charlie's Fort Lauderdale home on the evening of the murder, and her signature on Adelson Institute payroll checks issued to Katherine Magbanua.
Mentioned (41)
Opening
Opening Statement - Sarah Kathryn Dugan Defendant's mother; managed the Adelson Institute; described as driving the relocation problem and the first in the communication chain; received the undercover bump
Day 1 Opening Opening Statement - Dan Rashbaum
Day 1 Direct Patrick Sanford - Direct defendant's mother; documented hostility toward Markel including derogatory comments to the children; named as one-third contributor to proposed $1M bribe
Day 1 Cross Patrick Sanford - Cross Discussed as the primary author of the relocation and bribe emails and the party who discussed ideas with Charlie.
Day 1 Redirect Patrick Sanford - Redirect her primary objective of relocation to South Florida; grandmother whose proximity to the boys was achieved after the murder
Day 1 Direct Wendi Adelson - Direct
Day 1 Cross Wendi Adelson - Cross (Part 1)
Day 1 Cross Wendi Adelson - Cross (Part 2)
Day 2 Redirect Wendi Adelson - Redirect Discussed as the recipient of the undercover bump approach and as the source of the foster-care email; Wendi confirmed Donna did not call her after the bump.
Day 2 Direct Jeffrey Lacasse - Direct Wendi's mother; Lacasse met her repeatedly in Tallahassee and was aware of litigation limiting her access to Wendi's sons
Day 2 Direct Stephen Webster - Direct
Day 2 Cross Stephen Webster - Cross Referenced through prior testimony context on parental-alienation conduct; not named explicitly in this cross
Day 2 Direct June Umchinda - Direct Charlie's mother; observed by Umchinda to be stressed, appearing to have been crying, possibly on painkillers; involved with Wendi's children; never expressed curiosity to Umchinda about who killed Dan Markel.
Day 2 Cross June Umchinda - Cross
Day 2 Direct Ryan Fitzpatrick - Direct
Day 2 Cross Luis Rivera - Cross
Day 3 Direct Katherine Magbanua - Direct
Day 3 Direct Clariza Lebredo - Direct
Day 3 Direct Erika Johnson - Direct Controlled payroll at Adelson Institute; only she, Harvey, or Charlie had access to employee records
Day 3 Cross Erika Johnson - Cross Practice co-owner; out of town alongside Harvey at the time of the police visit, prompting Johnson to contact Charlie instead.
Day 3 Direct Mary Hull - Direct Signed all 44 Adelson Institute checks to Magbanua; iCloud message confirmed moving $25,000 cash between personal piles in a safe
Day 3 Direct Christopher Corbitt - Direct
Day 3 Cross Christopher Corbitt - Cross (Continued)
Day 4 Redirect Christopher Corbitt - Redirect Her iCloud messages are the focus of extended redirect testimony: the March 4 deletion-instruction text, the June birthday-gift exchange, and the July 18 'outside your house' text on the night of the murder.
Day 4 Recross Christopher Corbitt - Recross
Day 4 Direct Oscar Jimenez Jr. - Direct
Day 4 Cross Oscar Jimenez Jr. - Cross Target of the undercover bump; kept the original flyer; recorded a call denying knowledge and directing to police for the reward
Day 4 Direct Louis Bronstein - Direct
Day 4 Direct Patrick Sanford - Direct (Recall)
Day 4 Cross Patrick Sanford - Cross (Recall) Discussed as co-conspirator: her calls after the bump, her directing the undercover caller to go to police for the reward, and her conversation with Charlie in the wire call played by defense.
Day 5 Direct Kristin Adamson - Direct Named in Markel's March 2014 motion as 'the grandmother' whom Markel sought to restrict to supervised visitation with the children based on alleged inappropriate statements; Adamson characterized this as run-of-the-mill
Day 5 Cross Kristin Adamson - Cross
Day 5 Direct Charlie Adelson - Direct (Part 1) Charlie's mother; controlled the Adelson Institute checkbook; relayed divorce updates to Charlie; described as more involved in Wendi's life; originated the million-dollar relocation idea
Day 6 Direct Charlie Adelson - Direct (Part 2) Charlie's mother; manages Adelson Institute books; told about the extortion in September 2014 and instructed by Charlie not to tell Harvey, Wendi, or police.
Day 6 Direct Charlie Adelson - Direct (Part 3)
Day 6 Direct Charlie Adelson - Direct (Part 5)
Day 6 Direct Charlie Adelson - Direct (Continued)
Day 7 Cross Charlie Adelson - Cross defendant's mother; wire call conduct, family dynamics, tendency to worry, and texts calling Markel 'asshole/fucker' discussed
Day 7 Redirect Charlie Adelson - Redirect Charlie's mother; named as part of the prosecution's family-conspiracy opening theory that Charlie denies
Day 7 Closing Closing Argument - Georgia Cappleman
Day 8 Closing Closing Argument - Dan Rashbaum
Day 8 DA Donna Adelson Aug 22, 2025 – Sep 4, 2025
Trial Summary
Charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and solicitation to commit first-degree murder in connection with the 2014 killing of Dan Markel, Donna Adelson elected not to testify and was found guilty on all three counts after approximately three hours of jury deliberation.
Mentioned (35)
Jury Instruction
Preliminary Jury Instructions — Charges, Trial Procedure, and Juror Conduct
Day 1 Procedural Judge Everett Warns Donna Adelson to Control Emotional Reactions
Day 1 Redirect Craig Isom - Redirect
Day 1 Cross Luis Rivera - Cross Marked with X on Defendant's Exhibit 50 by Rivera as not involved in the conspiracy to his knowledge; the defendant in this trial
Day 1 Cross June Umchinda - Cross
Day 3 Direct Ryan Fitzpatrick - Direct
Day 3 Direct Mary Hull - Direct Signed all 44 Adelson Institute checks to Magbanua; had signing authority; managed family finances and Charlie's personal affairs; authored 2011 cash-in-safe text; checks stopped after FBI bump
Day 3 Direct Clariza Lebredo - Direct
Day 3 Cross Clariza Lebredo - Cross
Day 3 Redirect Clariza Lebredo - Redirect
Day 3 Procedural Transition — Magbanua Called; Judge Admonishes Donna Adelson on Courtroom Conduct
Day 3 Direct Katherine Magbanua - Direct Defendant; identified as signer of all 44 murder-compensation paychecks; Charlie told Magbanua Donna physically washed the hitman payment; was at Charlie's house the night of the murder
Day 3 Direct Christopher Corbitt - Direct
Day 3 Cross Christopher Corbitt - Cross CDR frequency reports, murder night timeline, drive recreation
Day 4 Redirect Christopher Corbitt - Redirect
Day 4 Direct Oscar Jimenez Jr. - Direct direct target of the undercover bump; called the undercover phone number after receiving the flyer
Day 4 Cross Oscar Jimenez Jr. - Cross
Day 4 Redirect Oscar Jimenez Jr. - Redirect
Day 4 Direct Patricia Byrd - Direct
Day 6 Redirect Patricia Byrd - Redirect
Day 6 Direct Kate Butler - Direct
Day 6 Cross Kate Butler - Cross (Waived)
Day 6 Redirect Christopher Corbitt - Redirect (Recall) Recipient of Charlie's 'good news' text and co-author of reply; also discussed regarding urgency of emergency Vietnam visa preparations
Day 6 Cross Patrick Sanford - Cross
Day 6 Cross Richard Shagran - Cross
Day 7 Direct Ann Elizabeth Cunningham - Direct (Recall)
Day 7 Cross Ann Elizabeth Cunningham - Cross (Recall)
Day 7 Procedural Franklin Witness Dispute and Defendant Testimony Deadline Defendant; whether she will take the stand is the subject of a court-ordered lunchtime decision deadline
Day 8 Cross Kristin Adamson - Cross
Day 8 Redirect Kristin Adamson - Redirect
Day 8 Cross Linda Bailey - Cross Her emotional state after the relocation denial, post-settlement communications, and behind-the-scenes involvement with Wendi's filings are substantively examined.
Day 8 Cross Marissel Descalzo - Cross
Day 8 Redirect Marissel Descalzo - Redirect
Day 8 Direct Sara Newhouse - Direct Subject of testimony — her shocked reaction to Wendi's call is the defense's evidentiary purpose
Day 8 Cross Sara Newhouse - Cross Her demeanor on the phone call is the subject of the cross; Newhouse admits she had no baseline for Donna's normal reactions
Day 8