Donna Adelson, the matriarch of a wealthy Florida family who was convicted of murder for the death of her former son-in-law, has been sentenced to life in prison.
On Monday, Oct. 13, Donna, 75, was sentenced to life in prison for her role in the 2014 murder-for-hire plot against Florida State University law professor Daniel Markel, who was shot and killed by hitmen in Tallahassee, Fla., the Associated Press and Tallahassee Democrat reported.
The sentencing comes after Donna was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation of murder in the for-hire killing on Sept. 4. She was arrested over the crimes in November 2023. …
Before the sentencing, Donna gave a statement in court in which she maintained her innocence in Markel’s murder and accused the state of not being able to make up its mind about who “the mastermind” was behind the murder in their case, per the Tallahassee Democrat.
“If I had become aware of this plan before Danny was murdered, I would have stopped it,” she insisted. “What happened to Danny is unforgivable. But I am an innocent woman convicted of this terrible crime without evidence,” she said. “I swear to you on my life I was not involved in any way with Danny’s murder. I was not,” she concluded. …
Multiple people have been convicted for being involved in the murder-for-hire plot against Markel, including Donna’s son, Charlie Adelson, 47, who was found guilty of the same crimes in 2023, his former girlfriend Katherine Magbanua and the two men hired to kill Markel, Latin Kings gang leader Luis Rivera and Sigfredo Garcia, who were both sentenced to time in prison. Rivera was sentenced to 19 years, per WCTV, while Garcia was sentenced to life, per the AP.
- A&E, The Murder of Dan Markel: Why Did His Ex-Mother-in-Law Donna Adelson Want Him Killed?
- ABA Journal, Donna Adelson Showed ‘Utter Lack of Remorse’ for Law Prof’s Murder, Judge Says Before Sentencing
- CNN, South Florida Matriarch Sentenced to Life in Prison for Hired Killing of Her Ex-Son-in-Law
- Court TV, Markel Family Responds to Donna Adelson’s ‘Disrespectful and Delusional Statements’
- Miami Herald, South Florida Matriarch Off to Prison After Murder of FSU Professor Ex-Son-in Law
- New York Post, Fla. Matriarch Donna Adelson Gets Life Without Parole for Hired Hit on Ex-Son-in-Law: ‘Utter Lack of Remorse’
