A circuit judge ordered Donna Adelson to remain in jail until her trial this summer. Judge Stephen Everett denied her bond request in a three-page ruling. Her attorneys argued that the 76-year-old felt unsafe in jail, citing alleged assaults, threats, and extortion.
Adelson is charged with murdering her son-in-law, Florida State University law professor Dan Markel. Police found him shot in his garage on July 18, 2014. Her son, Charlie Adelson, along with his ex-girlfriend Katherine Magbanua and hitmen Sigfredo Garcia and Luis Rivera, have been convicted in the case. Markel was married to Adelson’s daughter, Wendi Jill Adelson, who has not been accused of involvement or prior knowledge of the plot.
Miami International Airport police arrested Adelson in November 2023 as she and her husband, Harvey, prepared to board one-way flights to Vietnam via Dubai—two countries without extradition treaties with the U.S. In the bond ruling, Everett found prosecutors had presented enough evidence to keep her in jail. He acknowledged that courts have discretion in detaining defendants but said her case did not warrant release. He cited her arrest as a key factor in the decision.
Jury selection is set to begin June 3.
Joining Nancy Grace today:
Additional Guests
- Dave Aronberg – Friend of Dan Markel, Palm Beach County State Attorney
- Tim Jansen – Criminal defense lawyer and former Federal Prosecutor, Legal Analyst for Tallahassee Democrat’s Newspaper
- Dr. Judy Ho – Clinical and Forensic Neuropsychologist, Author of ‘The New Rules of Attachment’; and ‘Stop Self-Sabatoge;’ IG & X: @drjudyho; FB: doctorjudyho
- Joel Waldman – Co-host of “Surviving the Survivor,” Author of “Surviving the Survivor: A Brutally Honest Conversation about Life (& Death) with My Mom: A Holocaust Survivor;” Therapist & My Podcast Co-Host, Co-Founder and Creative Director at Content Product Media
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace” is also a national radio show on SiriusXM channel 111, airing for two hours daily starting at 12 p.m. EST. You can also subscribe and download the daily podcasts at iHeart Podcasts.
[Feature Photo: Dan Markel/FSU College of Law faculty biographies; Donna Adelson/AP]
