Witness

Ryan Fitzpatrick

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.

Appeared Magbanua Retrial Charlie Adelson Donna Adelson

317 lines · 7 appearances · 9 mentions · 3 trials

About

Across three trials, Fitzpatrick gave recurring accounts of Charlie Adelson's cash practices and behavior after the 2016 investigation became public. The same records preserve disputes over Fitzpatrick's motives and reliability, allowing readers to trace how his accounts were used and contested in different proceedings.

Across Trials

Fitzpatrick's role shifted markedly across the three trials even though his subject matter stayed consistent. In the Magbanua retrial he appeared as a defense witness, brought in voluntarily with no subpoena and no cooperation arrangement, and the defense leaned on his account of Charlie's character and caution to argue against the prosecution's theory of the case. In the Charlie Adelson trial his position reversed: he was subpoenaed by the prosecution, said openly that he did not want to be there, and testimony painted him as a reluctant insider whose credibility the defense then attacked through a roughly two-million-dollar financial dispute, threatening texts he had sent Charlie, and social media posts wagering on the case made during the trial itself. By the Donna Adelson trial his testimony had narrowed and sharpened in purpose, again for the prosecution, focused specifically on corroborating the cash-payment method and on Donna's own attitude toward Markel, a claim tested on cross when he could not identify a specific statement she had made. Throughout, the core factual content he offered — the family's feelings toward Markel, the cash habit, and Charlie's post-arrest anxiety — remained stable, while the framing of his reliability and the side calling him evolved from friendly and voluntary to adversarial and compelled.

Trial Record (16)

KM Magbanua Retrial May 18, 2022 – May 27, 2022

Trial Summary

Testified for the defense on the trial's seventh day as a former close friend and business partner of Charlie Adelson, describing Adelson's family ties, cash-handling habits, communication practices, and behavior around Magbanua's arrest.

Testimony (3)

Direct

Ryan Fitzpatrick - Direct

Day 7 Cross

Ryan Fitzpatrick - Cross

Day 7 Redirect

Ryan Fitzpatrick - Redirect

Day 7

Mentioned (3)

Procedural

Defense case opening logistics and ruling on Rodriguez impeachment recording

Day 7 Procedural

Pre-recess colloquy — Fitzpatrick preview, defendant testimony deadline, hearsay objection preview

Day 7 Closing

Closing Argument - Tara Kawass

Day 8

CA Charlie Adelson Oct 26, 2023 – Nov 6, 2023

Trial Summary

Called by the State on the second trial day, Ryan Fitzpatrick testified as a former close friend of Charlie Adelson about stapled cash bundles, a post-murder remark, and a change in Adelson's demeanor after Katherine Magbanua's 2016 arrest, then faced defense cross on a lawsuit, threatening texts, and public commentary about the case.

Testimony (2)

Direct

Ryan Fitzpatrick - Direct

Day 2 Cross

Ryan Fitzpatrick - Cross

Day 2

Mentioned (4)

Cross

Charlie Adelson - Cross

Day 7 Closing

Closing Argument - Georgia Cappleman

Day 8 Closing

Closing Argument - Dan Rashbaum

Day 8 Rebuttal

Rebuttal Closing - Georgia Cappleman

Day 8

DA Donna Adelson Aug 22, 2025 – Sep 4, 2025

Trial Summary

Testified for the State on the third trial day as a longtime friend of Charlie Adelson, describing Charlie's stapled hundred-dollar cash bundles and his agitation after the undercover "bump" of Donna Adelson.

Testimony (2)

Direct

Ryan Fitzpatrick - Direct

Day 3 Cross

Ryan Fitzpatrick - Cross

Day 3

Mentioned (2)

Closing

Closing Argument - Georgia Cappleman

Day 9 Closing

Closing Argument - Jackie L. Fulford

Day 9