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Donna Adelson, the matriarch of a wealthy South Florida family who was convicted in the murder-for-hire murder of her former son-in-law, was sentenced to life in prison Monday for her role in the 2014 murder-for-hire murder of Daniel Markell.
Markle, a prominent law professor at Florida State University, was locked in a bitter custody battle with his ex-wife, Adelson’s daughter, when he was shot to death at his home in 2014. Tallahassee,
Adelson, 75, was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy and solicitation last month after a week-long trial. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on the murder charge, with an additional 30 years to be served consecutively on the other two counts. Adelson has promised to appeal.
In an emotional statement before his sentencing in a Tallahassee courtroom, Adelson swore he was innocent and described his trial as a miscarriage of justice, overseen by a jury he said was unduly influenced by years of negative media coverage.
Adelson said, “What happened to Danny is unforgivable. But I am an innocent woman accused of this terrible crime without evidence.”
She said, “I have always respected the law. I never got a parking ticket, but I’m going to jail for a murder I didn’t commit.”
Circuit Judge Stephen Everett Detained Adelson several times, warning him that the statements showed his “complete lack of remorse” for the crime.
Shackled and wearing a purple prison jumpsuit, Adelson stood at attention while Everett delivered the sentence. “You can certainly choose to deny your involvement and maintain your innocence. The court finds that the evidence in this case is clear,” Everett said.
The case has intrigued Florida for more than a decade, involving sordid details of a murder fueled by a messy divorce, tensions with wealthy in-laws and a custody battle.
Prosecutors say Adelson was sentenced for plotting to kill Markle. Adelson’s son, Charles Adelson, is among those already serving life sentences for murder.
At trial, prosecutors portrayed Donna Adelson as the calculating and controlling matriarch of an affluent South Florida family who had the means and motive to murder a former son-in-law whom she “hated.”
Defense attorneys insisted that the state did not have enough evidence to link the elderly grandmother to the murder plot, instead emphasizing the roles played by others and casting suspicion on Adelson’s two adult children. Wendy Adelson has denied any involvement in the murder and has not been charged.
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Kate Payne is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.