The pursuit of justice for the murder of Florida State Law professor Dan Markel may have taken nearly a decade, but developments are now gaining momentum. In 2014, Markel was killed in his driveway by hired gunmen. The former mother-in-law of the slain law professor, Donna Adelson, has now been apprehended in relation to the case.
Just last week, Charlie Adelson, Markel’s former brother-in-law, was found guilty for orchestrating the murderous plot. Named as the shooters behind the crime were Sigfredo Garcia and Luis Rivera, who claimed to be commissioned for the job because “the lady wants her two kids back,” an insinuated reference to Wendi Adelson, Markel’s ex-wife, with whom he was involved in a contentious custody dispute. Katherine Magbanua, mother to Garcia’s children who at the time was also dating Charlie Adelson, was implicated as the intermediary in the plot.
Recent events suggest that authorities have grounds to believe Donna Adelson, Markel’s ex-wife’s mother and Charlie Adelson’s mother, was also complicit in the plot. Donna Adelson was arrested at the Miami International Airport, charged with conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation of murder, and first-degree murder – the identical charges on which Charlie Adelson was convicted.
As reported by the Tallahassee Democrat, Donna Adelson, along with her husband Harvey, had bought one-way tickets to Vietnam, with a two-day layover in Dubai, forcing authorities to take swift action:
“We started talking to some of our law enforcement partners about the complexities of trying to bring someone back from either Dubai or Vietnam. And that might be a very complicated and lengthy process. So that’s why we had to make a decision quickly,” Campbell said.
As of now, Donna Adelson is being held without bail.