Witness

Ryan Fitzpatrick

Former close friend and one-time business partner of Charlie Adelson who testified in all three trials on Charlie's character, cash-payment practices, behavioral changes, and a post-murder statement.

Appeared Magbanua Retrial Charlie Adelson Donna Adelson

317 lines · 7 appearances · 8 mentions · 3 trials

About

Fitzpatrick is one of a small number of witnesses who appeared in all three trials and whose testimony on the same core facts — cash-payment practices, the post-murder silence statement, behavioral change — was deployed by opposing sides at different proceedings, making his appearances useful for tracking how identical witness observations were reframed as the defendant and litigation posture changed across trials.

Across Trials

Fitzpatrick's role shifted substantially between the first trial and the subsequent two. In the first trial he appeared voluntarily for the defense without a subpoena and with no cooperation agreement, and defense counsel used his testimony to argue that Charlie's communications caution and Magbanua's deference could be explained by character traits independent of conspiracy; the defense also drew on his account of Garcia's surveillance pattern and on the $100,000 payment figure raised elsewhere in evidence. By the second trial he appeared under subpoena as a prosecution witness, stated openly that he had no desire to be present, and the same observations — cash practices, behavioral change, the silence statement — were reframed by the prosecution as evidence against Charlie Adelson directly. The third trial followed the prosecution's pattern but with narrower scope, focusing on Donna's attitude toward Markel, cash practices, and Charlie's behavioral trajectory, and featured a cross-examination that undercut the Donna-hostility testimony by establishing it was implied rather than directly expressed. The silence statement appeared in all three trials but carried different qualifications each time: in the first, the witness framed it alongside an acknowledgment that Charlie was not, in fact, keeping silent; in the second, he called it a tasteless joke with no specific date or setting; in the third, he characterized it as implying murder while flagging that his description of Charlie as appearing guilty was retrospective interpretation. The credibility challenges also accrued progressively: the financial dispute and threatening texts were not a significant feature of the first-trial record but became the dominant cross-examination focus in the second trial, while the third trial's cross was narrower and the state declined redirect.

Trial Record (15)

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

Trial Summary

Called as a defense witness in the trial's final days, Fitzpatrick — a former close friend and business partner of Charlie Adelson from roughly 2011 to 2018 — provided testimony on Charlie's character, communication habits, cash payment practices, post-murder conduct, and post-arrest behavior, each strand intersecting contested issues in the state's case against Magbanua.

Appearances (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 under subpoena and testifying with stated reluctance, Fitzpatrick provided prosecution-favorable observations about Charlie Adelson's post-murder statement, cash-handling practices, and behavioral change after Magbanua's 2016 arrest; on cross, the defense established a $2 million financial dispute, threatening texts Fitzpatrick sent to Charlie referencing the FBI, and trial-week social media posts in which Fitzpatrick publicly wagered on a life sentence.

Appearances (2)

Direct

Ryan Fitzpatrick - Direct

Day 2 Cross

Ryan Fitzpatrick - Cross

Day 2

Mentioned (4)

Cross

Charlie Adelson - Cross former friend who testified Charlie made a statement about keeping quiet; Charlie flatly denies it

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

Called by the prosecution as a close personal friend of Charlie Adelson from roughly 2013 to 2020, Fitzpatrick testified about Donna Adelson's implied hostility toward Dan Markel, Charlie Adelson's stapled-cash payment practice, and a pronounced shift in Charlie's demeanor and behavior following the FBI bump operation.

Appearances (2)

Direct

Ryan Fitzpatrick - Direct

Day 3 Cross

Ryan Fitzpatrick - Cross

Day 3

Mentioned (1)

Closing

Closing Argument - Georgia Cappleman Charlie's best friend; Cappleman notes Charlie never mentioned a two-year extortion to him, undermining the defense narrative; Fitzpatrick observed Charlie's dramatic behavioral change after the bump

Day 9