Donna Adelson, the 75-year-old matriarch of a wealthy Florida family, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for orchestrating the 2014 murder-for-hire plot that claimed the life of her former son-in-law, Florida State University law professor Daniel Markel.
According to reports by the Associated Press and Tallahassee Democrat, Adelson was found guilty on September 4 of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and solicitation of murder. She was arrested in November 2023 and sentenced on Monday, October 13, in a Tallahassee courtroom.
Appearing in court in a purple prison jumpsuit and shackles, Adelson maintained her innocence, insisting she had no role in Markel’s death.
“If I had become aware of this plan before Danny was murdered, I would have stopped it,” she told the court. “What happened to Danny is unforgivable. But I am an innocent woman convicted of this terrible crime without evidence. I swear to you on my life, I was not involved in any way with Danny’s murder.”
However, Circuit Judge Stephen Everett rejected her claims, stating that Adelson showed “an utter lack of remorse” and that the evidence against her was overwhelming.
“You certainly can choose to deny your involvement and maintain innocence,” the judge said. “But the court finds the evidence in this case is clear.”
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