Donna Adelson Moved to Prison 30 Miles From Her Old Miami Life — And the Wendi Question STILL Isn't Answered

Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski | True Crime News & Commentary

True Crime Today

True Crime, News, News Commentary

3 • 791 Ratings

🗓️ 11 December 2025

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Donna Adelson is officially back in South Florida — just not the way she planned. According to Florida Department of Corrections records, the convicted mastermind behind the Dan Markel murder-for-hire has been transferred from the Ocala reception center to Homestead Correctional Institution in Miami-Dade County. It's the exact placement her defense team requested at sentencing, when Judge Stephen Everett recommended she be housed close to her husband Harvey. The woman who allegedly funded a contract killing because she couldn't accept her grandchildren living in Tallahassee is now thirty miles from her former life, behind razor wire, serving life without parole. Her son Charlie Adelson is serving his own life sentence in South Dakota after being transferred in 2024 over security concerns. Katherine Magbanua remains at Lowell Annex in Ocala.

The hitmen are locked up. Five people convicted. Eleven years from murder to final judgment. But one question refuses to go away: What about Wendi? Prosecutors identified Dan Markel's ex-wife as an unindicted co-conspirator in court documents. She testified at every trial under limited immunity. She has repeatedly and consistently denied any involvement in or knowledge of the plot. She has never been charged. State Attorney Jack Campbell said his office would "make decisions in the coming weeks" after Donna's conviction — and months later, no decision has been announced. Meanwhile, Donna's "jailhouse daughter" has been talking publicly about the family fractures behind bars, the strain between mother and daughter, and Donna's fears about Harvey's deteriorating health. The Markel family is still fighting for access to their grandchildren under the Markel Act — the law that exists because of this case. This is where the story sits. For now.

#DonnaAdelson #DanMarkel #WendiAdelson #HomesteadPrison #MurderForHire #TrueCrime #AdelsonFamily #FloridaCrime #JusticeForDanMarkel #TrueCrimeNews

Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video?

Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod

Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This is Hidden Killers with Tony Brewski.
0:03.2	Here now, Tony Brewski.
0:06.7	For the better part of a decade, this woman moved heaven and earth, trying to get her daughter and grandchildren, not at Tallahassee and down to Miami.
0:16.7	She fought in court.
0:17.7	She schemed about it in email.
0:20.1	She allegedly funded a murder over it.
0:23.0	And now, at 75 years old, Donna Adelson is finally home.
0:27.5	A place for mom.
0:29.9	Not quite.
0:31.2	30 miles south of her old life behind Razor Wire at Homestead Correctional Institution.
0:36.8	You know, a place for mom.
0:38.7	According to Florida Department of Correction Records updated this week,
0:42.4	she's been transferred from the reception center in Ocala to the Miami-Dade facility
0:46.8	her defense team specifically requested.
0:49.4	Judge Stephen Everett granted that request and recommended to the state that she be incarcerated near the
0:55.6	Miami area so here we are the woman who orchestrated the killing because she couldn't stand the
1:01.6	idea of her grandchildren growing up 500 miles away now lives in a cage close enough to smell
1:08.0	the ocean she'll never see again.
1:13.3	There's a word for that.
1:17.9	I think it's irony.
1:20.0	Or maybe justice.
1:21.8	Depends on who you ask.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 24 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from True Crime Today, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of True Crime Today and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.