Donna Adelson found guilty of first-degree murder in the 2014 murder of FSU professor Dan Markel. Judgment is passed; trial session is scheduled to occur in October 14, 2025.
Key Update
- Donna Adelson is found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy, and solicitation to plan the 2014 murder-for-hire of her former son-in-law, Florida State University law professor Daniel Markel.
- They made the ruling on September 4, 2025. A case management hearing is set by the court on October 14; sentencing will take place at some later date.
- Her decision comes after prior convictions of other participants such as her own son Charles Adelson, his ex-girlfriend Katherine Magbanua and the hired gunmen.
Context & Trial Background
- It commenced trial in late August 2025 (previously scheduled to start in September 2024).
- It focused on her supposed participation in a murder-for-hire scheme to kill Dan Markel, who had been denied the opportunity to move his children with his ex-wife (the daughter of Adelson) to South Florida.
- During the trial:
o The introductory statements made Donna Adelson an astute matriarch driven by the custody battle.
o The defense objected that the evidence was insufficient, and that she was a meddler, not a murderer.
o There was a significant pretrial decision that required the state to disclose raw cellphone data, which the defense challenged.
what caused the explosion in the courtroom at the trial of Donna Adelson, the reaction of the people in the courtroom, and what comes next (including how sentencing will be done in Florida)?
- Trial coverage – what the state claimed and the evidence.
Theory of prosecutors (in brief): according to them, Donna Adelson conspired with and funded a murder-for-hire to prevent her ex-husband, Dan Markel, who stood in the way of a move that would have removed his children out of Tallahassee. Prosecutors could not find a single, so-called, smoking-gun but used mostly circumstantial evidence (communications, money trails and collaborating witnesses).
Primary themes and evidence that prosecutors highlighted.
- Communication and phone records. The prosecution introduced the jury to call/text logs and timelines that linked discussions between the family members, intermediaries and individuals who had purchased the rental car that was used in the crime. Prosecutors requested the jurors to trace long communication lines.
- Money/financing. The state offered witnesses who testified of paying and financing the hit – prosecutors claimed that over 100,000 dollars changed hands in the scheme.
- Cooperating witnesses / previous convictions. A few individuals who were already convicted in the Markel murder (Charlie Adelson, Katherine Magbanua, the hired shooters) were utilized in the story by the prosecution; one of the cooperating witnesses (Luis Rivera) had given information earlier that helped convict others.
- Family testification. Wendi Adelson (the daughter of Donna and the ex-girlfriend of Markel) also testified – she confessed that she said cruel things about Markel, but she did not plot the murder. Testimonies on family motive and family dynamics were also presented by the prosecution.
Defense position (short): the defense claimed that there is no direct evidence to connect Donna to the planning or ordering of the killing – referring to much of the case as foul words and claiming that the state time frame is circumstantial. The defense also pointed out that Donna did not testify.
- Courtroom reactions/human moments.
- Responses of Donna Adelson: the reports state that she sobbed/shook and cried in the courtroom when the verdict was announced. Video footage of the event went round trial-coverage networks.
- Victim family: Markel family statements and appearance in court with victim impact had been on record; Ruth Markel and other family members had been on record publicly emotional with respect to the outcome of the long accountability prospect. Their statements in court were reported in the news channels and other local TV stations.
- Elsewhere: case management, sentencing process and probable outcomes.
Short-term scheduling: The judge slated a case management hearing date of October 14, 2025; the court indicated sentencing will take place at a later time (the actual date of sentencing hearing will be determined during the case-management process). Local stores have the case management date/time (some say 14th of October at 2.30 p.m.).
Sentencing in Florida (1st degree murder) How it works procedurally.
- Statutory options. First-degree murder in Florida is a capital felony – which by law is punishable by death or life imprisonment including or without parole (depending on the circumstances) and the penalties and procedures involved are clearly defined in Florida laws. In case, the state is interested in death, special statutory notice and independent penalty-phase procedure are needed. Unless it seeks death, the judge (or jury under some conditions) will send it to prison.
- Practical likelihood / context in this instance. Despite the provision that the capital murder subject to the death penalty in the statute, as a matter of practice the decision to prosecute the death penalty rests with the prosecutor and requires statutory notice to be given at an early point in the case. Considering that co-defendants of this case (Charlie Adelson, Katherine Magbanua, Sigfredo Garcia) have been sentenced to life sentences (life term in the case of Charlie and Magbanua; life term in the case of Garcia), most outlets mention that life imprisonment is the perceived practical result – however, whether the prosecution pursues the death penalty (and whether the court would allow it) depends on the decision of the prosecution and the aggravating factors. Anticipate that the next case management will alter this to make it clear that the state is seeking death or will seek a life imprisonment.
At the case management hearing (Oct. 14):
- The court will also normally establish the time schedule of pre-sentence filings (presentence reports, victim impact statements), and establish a sentencing hearing date. Any evidence defense motions, sentencing motions or other legal matters could be discussed or heard as well. That is an administrative meeting that is significant in that it determines schedule. The next court event flagged by local reporters was on Oct. 14.
Quick timeline (sourced)
- Aug 19–late Aug 2025: beginning of trial / closings.
- Sept 4, 2025: jury found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy and solicitation. Sentencing scheduled yet; case management hearing set Oct. 14.
Conclusion
Donna Adelson conviction is a dramatic twist in the decades-long quest to bring justice to the 2014 murder of FSU professor Dan Markel. Following years of conjecture and several trials that included several other family members and hired hitmen, the jury found her guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy, and solicitation.
Although her defense argued that she was just an overbearing mom, prosecutors portrayed her as the instigator of the murder-to-hired plot on the grounds of an acrimonious custody dispute.
Adelson clearly showed his emotional response to the judgment, which highlighted the seriousness of the situation, and the family of Markel showed their satisfaction at finally seeing those responsible suffer.
Now that she has a case management hearing scheduled on October 14, 2025, the focus now turns on her sentencing, where she will face life imprisonment or, with less likelihood, the death penalty. The final verdict will finally put an end to one of the most famous and emotionally loaded cases in Florida.
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