Tallahassee, Florida– TALLAHASSEE, FL (AP) – Donna AdelsonThe matriarch of a wealthy South Florida family who was convicted of the contract killing of her former brother-in-law was sentenced Monday to life in prison for her role in 2014. Murder for hire to Daniel Markel.
Markel, 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 in 2014 at his Tallahassee home.
Adelson was 75 years old Found guilty Last month of first-degree murder, conspiracy and abetment after a A trial lasting weeks. She was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for the murder charge, with an additional 30 years for the other two charges, to be served consecutively. Adelson vowed to appeal.
In an emotional statement before the sentencing in a Tallahassee courtroom, Adelson swore she was innocent and called her trial a miscarriage of justice, which was overseen by a jury that she said was unduly influenced by years of negative media coverage.
“What happened to Danny is unforgivable. But I am an innocent woman who was convicted of this terrible crime without evidence,” Adelson said.
“I’ve always respected the law. I’ve never gotten a parking ticket, but I’m going to prison for a murder I didn’t commit,” she added.
Circuit Judge Steven Everett interrupted Adelson several times, warning her that the statements showed what he described as a “complete lack of remorse” for the crime.
Adelson, handcuffed and wearing a purple prison jumpsuit, stood at attention as Everett handed down the sentence. “You can certainly choose to deny your involvement and maintain your innocence. The court found the evidence in this case to be clear,” Everett said.
The case has captivated people in Florida for more than a decade amid sordid details of a messy divorce, tensions with wealthy in-laws and custody battles that led to the murder.
Adelson was the fifth person to be sentenced for what prosecutors say was a plot to kill Markel. Among those already serving a life sentence for murder is Adelson’s son, Charles Adelson.
At trial, prosecutors portrayed Donna Adelson as the calculating and controlling matriarch of a wealthy South Florida family, with the means and motive to orchestrate the murder of her former brother-in-law whom she “hated.”
Defense attorneys insisted 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 He denied his involvement In the murder, no charges were brought against him.
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Kate Payne is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America It is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.