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In 2014, Florida dentist Dan Markel was shot and killed. Nine years later, in Dec. 2023, Charlie Adelson, Markel’s former brother-in-law, was found guilty on charges related to the crime. How was Adelson’s sister, Wendi Adelson, involved in the true crime case, and will Wendi also be tried for Markel’s murder?
According to The New York Times, Dan Markel was shot in the garage of his home and later died. When he was killed, Markel and Wendi Adelson had divorced and were in the midst of a custody battle for their two sons. Wendi was living with the two boys in South Florida, despite the fact her petition to relocate was denied by a judge.
So far, Charlie is just one of three people convicted on charges related to Markel’s death, including first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and solicitation of murder. In Dec. 2023, he was sentenced to life in prison, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. Charlie says he’s innocent.
According to the prosecution in the case, however, members of Charlie’s family — including his sister, Wendi Adelson — were all co-conspirators. But does that mean that Wendi — the murder victim’s ex-wife — will also go on trial?
Wendi Adelson was never indicted
Despite Wendi Adelson’s relationship with the murder victim, and the fact the prosecution in the case considered her a co-conspirator, Wendi was never indicted on charges related to the murder of her ex-husband, Dan Markel. Wendi was offered limited immunity, however, and has testified in all three trials related to Markel’s murder. According to Local10.com, however, as of 2023, Wendi and her father were part of an ongoing investigation related to the case.
Another member of Wendi and Charlie’s family, however — their mother, Donna Adelson — has been charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy, and solicitation stemming from Markel’s murder. Donna was arrested while boarding a flight at Miami International Airport, and less than a day after her son, Charlie, was found guilty, Donna appeared at an arraignment hearing and pleaded not guilty.
Charlie Adelson’s defense
According to Charlie, the Adelson family, including Wendi Adelson, simply intended to pay Dan Markel to let his sons leave with their mother, but the two people who planned and committed the murder killed Markel instead, and then tried to extort the money from the Adelson family.
In 2019, Sigfredo Garcia, who reportedly pulled the trigger, was found guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced to life in prison. Katherine Magbanua, who helped plan the crime, was also convicted of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and solicitation of murder and received a life sentence plus two consecutive thirty-year sentences for her crimes.