Donna Adelson Trial: Friend Ryan Fitzpatrick Testifies on Charlie & Donna’s Close Bond
True Crime Today | Daily True Crime News & Interviews
Tony Brueski
4.3 • 598 Ratings
🗓️ 26 August 2025
⏱️ 8 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The Trial of Donna Adelson turned deeply personal when Ryan Fitzpatrick, once a close friend of Charlie Adelson, stepped forward to testify. Fitzpatrick painted a picture of a son tightly bound to his mother and sister, describing Charlie’s family as unusually close-knit—sometimes to the point of dysfunction. He also corroborated testimony about Charlie’s odd cash-handling habits, recalling how Charlie would staple money in $1,000 bundles, echoing the same detail June Umchinda shared.
Fitzpatrick’s testimony mattered because it reinforced the theme prosecutors are driving home: that the Adelson family operated as a unit, with Donna at the center of decision-making. His words added context to how influential Donna was over her children’s lives and how family loyalty could evolve into something darker when faced with challenges like custody battles and relocation disputes.
The defense may try to frame this as nothing more than cultural or familial closeness, but Fitzpatrick’s account landed heavily in the courtroom. It gave jurors an insider’s view into Charlie’s priorities, his reliance on family approval, and how far that loyalty may have stretched. For a mother now on trial for orchestrating murder, that closeness is a double-edged sword.
#DonnaAdelsonTrial #RyanFitzpatrick #CharlieAdelson #DonnaAdelson #DanMarkel #CourtroomTestimony #TrueCrime #FloridaJustice #AdelsonFamily #TrialCoverage
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is continuing coverage in the trial of Donna Adelson from the Hidden Killers podcast and true crime today. |
| 0:07.5 | Now, back to the courtroom. |
| 0:17.3 | Please raise your right answer. |
| 0:19.3 | Do you swear or phone? The testimony you're about to give will be the truth? |
| 0:23.6 | Yes, Your Honor. |
| 0:24.6 | You may take your seat. |
| 0:25.6 | Please speak loud and then clearly. |
| 0:28.6 | Sir, please introduce yourself and spell your name. |
| 0:30.6 | Ryan Fitzpatrick, R-Y-A-N, F-I-T-P-A-T-R-C-K. |
| 0:36.6 | Sir, do you know the defendant in this case, Donna Adelson? |
| 0:39.3 | Yes, ma'am. |
| 0:40.3 | How do you know her? |
| 0:41.3 | She was Charlie's mother. |
| 0:42.3 | Okay. Were you friends with Charlie? |
| 0:44.3 | Yes, ma'am. |
| 0:45.3 | What was the timeframe that you all were friends? |
| 0:48.3 | Probably 2013, 2014 to 2019, 2020. |
| 0:55.0 | I can't really. |
| 0:57.0 | And during the time y'all were friends, |
| 0:59.0 | were you like best friends? |
| 1:01.0 | We're very close friends, yes, ma'am. |
| 1:03.0 | Close friends. |
... |
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