Defendant
Katherine Magbanua
Convicted defendant who testified in her own defense at her murder trial and later as the prosecution's central cooperating witness in both Adelson trials.
Defendant Magbanua Retrial
2,372 lines · 8 appearances · 100 mentions · 3 trials
About
Magbanua is the only participant in the case to have testified under oath in all three proceedings, making her examination record the single continuous thread across the archive through which the prosecution's theory of the conspiracy's internal structure was presented, tested, and compared against successive defense counter-narratives; the evolution of her account from denial to cooperation, and the corresponding shift in defense cross-examination strategy from extortion to isolation, constitutes a primary documentary resource for understanding how the contested facts of the case were framed and reframed across trials.
Trial Record (108)
KM Magbanua Retrial May 18, 2022 – May 27, 2022
Trial Summary
Defendant called by the defense to testify in her own behalf, Magbanua denied any role in the murder-for-hire of Dan Markel across direct, cross, and redirect examination; the jury returned guilty verdicts on all three counts.
Appearances (3)
Direct
Katherine Magbanua - Direct
Day 7 Cross Katherine Magbanua - Cross
Day 7 Redirect Katherine Magbanua - Redirect
Day 7 Mentioned (30)
Jury Instruction
Preliminary Jury Instructions
Day 1 Cross Craig Isom - Cross
Day 1 Direct Wendi Adelson - Direct
Day 2 Cross Jeffrey Lacasse - Cross
Day 2 Procedural Untimely Jail Call Discovery — Richardson Hearing Ordered for Monday
Day 3 Procedural Admissibility ruling — co-conspirator statements and murder-for-hire conspiracy timeline
Day 3 Direct Christopher Corbitt - Direct
Day 3 Procedural OJP — Proffer on 'Tato' iCloud Contact / Richardson Hearing Argument
Day 3 Direct Yindra Velazquez Mascaro - Direct (Recall)
Day 4 Direct Ramzi Naber - Direct Discussed as a former Club Fate cocktail server who worked approximately three months; described as a 'shooting star'; estimated to have earned the average $200–$250 per night in tips
Day 4 Cross Ramzi Naber - Cross Central subject of cross — her income, employment records, and financial picture are the focus throughout
Day 4 Direct June Umchinda - Direct
Day 4 Cross June Umchinda - Cross Discussed as Charlie's other girlfriend during overlap period; Umchinda confirms she resembles her and that Charlie concealed this relationship from her.
Day 4 Direct Clariza Lebredo - Direct
Day 4 Redirect Clariza Lebredo - Redirect
Day 4 Cross Erika Johnson - Cross
Day 4 Redirect Erika Johnson - Redirect
Day 4 Procedural Pre-Testimony Motions: Exhibit 100 Ruling and Crawford Challenge to Adelson Wiretaps Discussed as the person conspicuously absent from the Adelson bump calls; Wheeler reaffirms that the State's proof purpose is the non-mention of her name, not the truth of anything said in the calls
Day 5 Cross James Keith McElveen - Cross Her voice was less audible in the recording due to acoustic positioning; discussed substantively as the other party in the Dolce Vita meeting
Day 5 Procedural Afternoon Recess — Defense Scheduling and Trial Calendar
Day 6 Procedural Defense case opening logistics and ruling on Rodriguez impeachment recording
Day 7 Cross Craig Isom - Cross
Day 7 Direct Jason Newlin - Direct Person Rivera named in his September 30 proffer; her arrest the following day is a key timeline anchor in the examination
Day 7 Procedural Pre-recess colloquy — Fitzpatrick preview, defendant testimony deadline, hearsay objection preview
Day 7 Direct Jason Newlin - Direct (Continued) Discussed substantively: Newlin confirmed she denied involvement during a jail interview conducted at the defense's invitation with no immunity offered, though he testified that 'nothing fit' his investigation.
Day 7 Cross Jason Newlin - Cross Referenced in Cappleman's coaching hypothetical and as the subject of the closing question about Rivera's statements.
Day 7 Redirect Jason Newlin - Redirect
Day 7 Procedural Magbanua confirms she will testify
Day 7 Closing Closing Argument - Tara Kawass
Day 8 Verdict Verdict
Day 8 CA Charlie Adelson Oct 26, 2023 – Nov 6, 2023
Trial Summary
Testified as the state's cooperating witness while serving a life sentence from her own murder conviction, providing the trial's only direct-examination account of the solicitation mechanics, pre-murder logistics, and post-murder cash delivery; her prior sworn denial at her 2022 trial was the central credibility contest on cross-examination.
Appearances (3)
Direct
Katherine Magbanua - Direct
Day 3 Cross Katherine Magbanua - Cross
Day 3 Redirect Katherine Magbanua - Redirect
Day 3 Mentioned (37)
Opening
Opening Statement - Sarah Kathryn Dugan Defendant's then-girlfriend at time of murder; described as the middleman connecting Adelson to Garcia/Rivera; received financial benefits post-murder; participated in the Dolce Vita meeting
Day 1 Opening Opening Statement - Dan Rashbaum
Day 1 Direct Patrick Sanford - Direct phantom employment at Adelson Institute beginning approximately two months post-murder; no evidence of actual duties; checks ran through early 2016
Day 1 Cross Patrick Sanford - Cross Her Adelson Institute checks — amount (~$920/month), timing (starting two months post-murder), and batch structure — were examined as potentially consistent with ongoing extortion payments rather than murder-for-hire proceeds.
Day 1 Direct Wendi Adelson - Direct
Day 1 Cross Wendi Adelson - Cross (Part 2)
Day 2 Redirect Wendi Adelson - Redirect Named by Wendi as Charlie Adelson's alleged co-conspirator per the indictment, in direct response to Cappleman's question clarifying the conspiracy scope.
Day 2 Cross Jeffrey Lacasse - Cross
Day 2 Redirect Jeffrey Lacasse - Redirect
Day 2 Direct June Umchinda - Direct Co-defendant; reporter confused Umchinda for her in 2016; Charlie's behavioral breakdown followed her October 2016 arrest; phone call frequency with Charlie was noted from phone records shown to Umchinda.
Day 2 Redirect June Umchinda - Redirect
Day 2 Direct Ryan Fitzpatrick - Direct
Day 2 Cross Ryan Fitzpatrick - Cross
Day 2 Direct Clariza Lebredo - Direct
Day 3 Direct Erika Johnson - Direct Subject of police inquiry at Adelson Institute on June 1, 2016; Johnson confirms she was only a patient and Charlie's girlfriend, never an employee or part of the cleaning service
Day 3 Direct Mary Hull - Direct Received $17,300 unexplained cash in six weeks post-murder while unemployed; Adelson Institute checks began two months after murder
Day 3 Cross Mary Hull - Cross Central subject of Hull's analysis; Rashbaum uses her sustained cash inflow and insistence on off-card payments to build the $3,000/month consistent-compensation theory
Day 3 Redirect Mary Hull - Redirect
Day 3 Cross Corey Hale - Cross
Day 3 Procedural Dolce Vita Transcript Demonstrative — Defense Objection and Ruling on Inaudible Markers Her in-trial authentication of the Dolce Vita transcript and prior inconsistent statements about audibility from her 2022 trial are the crux of the foundation dispute.
Day 4 Cross Christopher Corbitt - Cross
Day 4 Cross Christopher Corbitt - Cross (Continued)
Day 4 Direct Oscar Jimenez Jr. - Direct
Day 4 Cross Oscar Jimenez Jr. - Cross Allegedly told Charlie Adelson on wiretap that she and Garcia had called the undercover number many times and found it non-working; Jimenez confirms the number was fully operational
Day 4 Direct Louis Bronstein - Direct
Day 4 Cross Louis Bronstein - Cross
Day 4 Cross James Keith McElveen - Cross
Day 4 Direct Patrick Sanford - Direct (Recall)
Day 4 Cross Patrick Sanford - Cross (Recall) Extensively discussed: her hiding from police, flight after Garcia's arrest, serial lies to Charlie about the undercover, and her credibility-undermining proffer sessions with the FBI.
Day 5 Redirect Patrick Sanford - Redirect (Recall)
Day 5 Procedural Defense Motion for Judgment of Acquittal — Denied on All Counts
Day 5 Direct Charlie Adelson - Direct (Part 2) Central figure in Charlie's extortion account: allegedly revealed the murder, took $138,000 from the safe, structured monthly payments, and instructed silence. Charlie frames her as the extortionist, not a co-conspirator.
Day 6 Direct Charlie Adelson - Direct (Part 5)
Day 6 Redirect Charlie Adelson - Redirect Discussed throughout as the person Charlie believed was protecting him in 2014; her 'lose my number' text, continued payments, prior trial testimony, and bank account evidence all referenced
Day 7 Charge Conference Charge Conference — Jury Instructions Finalized for All Three Counts
Day 7 Jury Instruction Final Jury Instructions — Three Counts of Murder-for-Hire Conspiracy
Day 8 Closing Closing Argument - Dan Rashbaum
Day 8 DA Donna Adelson Aug 22, 2025 – Sep 4, 2025
Trial Summary
Serving a life sentence from her own trial, Magbanua testified as the prosecution's central cooperating witness, recanting prior sworn denials and describing her role as the paid intermediary who connected Charlie Adelson to the hitmen, delivered the post-murder payment, and identified Donna Adelson as the signer of all 44 ghost-employment checks.
Appearances (2)
Mentioned (33)
Opening
Opening Statement - Jackie L. Fulford
Day 1 Direct Craig Isom - Direct (Continued)
Day 1 Cross Craig Isom - Cross
Day 1 Direct Luis Rivera - Direct
Day 1 Direct Wendi Adelson - Direct Charlie's former girlfriend and cooperating codefendant. Wendi confirms meeting her twice, identifies her in the beach photo from one month before the murder, and describes her as one of Charlie's many girlfriends who 'all looked somewhat similar.'
Day 2 Cross Wendi Adelson - Cross
Day 2 Direct Jeffrey Lacasse - Direct
Day 3 Direct June Umchinda - Direct Charlie Adelson's former girlfriend and co-defendant; discussed in connection with phone contact and breast augmentation payment
Day 3 Cross June Umchinda - Cross
Day 3 Direct Ryan Fitzpatrick - Direct
Day 3 Direct Mary Hull - Direct Primary subject of financial analysis: cash deposits, Adelson Institute employment, breast augmentation payment, vehicle records
Day 3 Cross Mary Hull - Cross Car purchase and cash deposit figures discussed
Day 3 Redirect Mary Hull - Redirect
Day 3 Direct Clariza Lebredo - Direct
Day 3 Procedural Transition — Magbanua Called; Judge Admonishes Donna Adelson on Courtroom Conduct
Day 3 Direct Christopher Corbitt - Direct (Continued)
Day 4 Cross Christopher Corbitt - Cross frequency reports, communication chain
Day 4 Direct Patrick Sanford - Direct (Part 1)
Day 4 Direct Patricia Byrd - Direct
Day 6 Cross Patricia Byrd - Cross
Day 6 Redirect Patricia Byrd - Redirect
Day 6 Direct Drina Bernhardt - Direct Primary subject of the fabricated script; Bernhardt previously knew her from prior incarceration ('Kay') and denies every statement the script attributed to her.
Day 6 Cross Drina Bernhardt - Cross Referenced as the subject of the fabricated script Donna Adelson allegedly wrote — Bernhardt was to falsely testify about statements Magbanua purportedly made regarding extortion of Charlie Adelson.
Day 6 Direct Christopher Corbitt - Direct (Recall) Cooperating co-defendant; State's 62 reflects her account of the murder-night extortion conversation with Charlie; her post-murder messaging with Charlie is examined to rebut the extortion defense
Day 6 Cross Christopher Corbitt - Cross (Recall)
Day 6 Cross Patrick Sanford - Cross
Day 6 Redirect Patrick Sanford - Redirect
Day 6 Procedural Defense Motion for Judgment of Acquittal on Counts 1 and 3
Day 7 Redirect Ann Elizabeth Cunningham - Redirect
Day 7 Direct Eddie Varnes - Direct
Day 7 Cross Eddie Varnes - Cross Referenced through the quote Byrd allegedly reported to Varnes, placing Magbanua as the instigator of both the murder and the subsequent extortion attempt.
Day 7 Jury Instruction Final Jury Instructions Named in Count 2 and Count 3 elements as a named co-conspirator/solicitee
Day 9 Closing Closing Argument - Jackie L. Fulford
Day 9