Charlie Adelson gets life in prison for arranging murder of Dan Markel

Publish date: 2024-06-13

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The Florida dentist convicted of arranging the murder of his ex-brother-in-law who was a well-known Florida State professor will spend the rest of his life in prison, a judge ruled Tuesday.

A haggard-looking Charlie Adelson, 47, was hit with a life sentence after he was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy and solicitation last month in the 2014 shooting death of Dan Markel.

Before he was hit with the lifelong prison rap, he once again insisted he was innocent.

“I would just like to say that I maintain my innocence,” a stoic Adelson told the judge.

Adelson, who was clean-shaven during the trial, sported salt and pepper scruff as he appeared emotionless and resigned to the ensuing prison sentence, according to footage and images of his courtroom appearance Tuesday.

The victim’s father, Phil Markel, slammed Adelson, whose sister was married to the slain professor.

Charlie Adelson is cross examined by Assistant State Attorney Georgia Cappleman during his trial for the murder of Dan Markel. AP
A Florida dentist charged with orchestrating the murder of his law professor brother-in-law nervously denied any role in the crime Thursday at his trial in Tallahassee. FSU College of Law

He told the court he and his family have “suffered tremendously,” noting he no longer has a relationship with his grandsons, who were only 3 and 4 years old when their dad was murdered.

The kids’ mother, Wendi Adelson, shared custody of the two boys with Dan Markel following their divorce. She wanted to move from Tallahassee to South Florida, but Markel refused to allow her to take the kids so far away before his death.

She has not been charged in the case and has denied any involvement.

Florida dentist Charlie Adelson gets life in prison in death of his ex-brother-in-law, a prominent professor. WCTV
Charlie Adelson looks at jurors as his defense attorney presents closing arguments. AP

Prosecutors argued that Adelson had his girlfriend hire the father of his two children, Sigfredo Garcia, to fatally shoot Markel. Garcia enlisted the help of buddy Luis Rivera to help carry out the crime.

Adelson’s gal pal, Katherine Magbanua, and Garcia are serving life sentences for the murder, and Rivera got a 19-year sentence for testifying against the pair.  

Prosecutors presented wiretaps and secretly recorded conversations that implicated Adelson during the eight-day trial.

Adelson claimed when he testified that he was the victim of extortion and did not orchestrate the murder scheme, even as he conceded he joked about hiring a hitman to kill Markel.

In another curveball, Donna Adelson, the 73-year-old matriarch of the Adelson family, was arrested last month at Miami International Airport on charges of arranging the murder of Markel.

She and her husband were about to jump on a flight to Dubai and Vietnam, neither of which had extradition treaties with the US.

With Post wires

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