Donna Adelson Trial | Hitman Luis Rivera Testifies: "Wendi Wanted Dan Dead"
True Crime Today | Daily True Crime News & Interviews
Tony Brueski
4.2 • 612 Ratings
🗓️ 23 August 2025
⏱️ 36 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
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Summary
In this explosive courtroom clip from the trial of Donna Adelson, convicted hitman Luis Rivera takes the stand to describe his firsthand role in the murder of Florida State law professor Dan Markel. Rivera, already serving time for his part in the 2014 ambush-style killing, doesn’t hold back as he walks the jury through the planning, surveillance, and ultimate execution of the murder—bluntly stating that “Wendi wanted her husband dead.”
According to Rivera, he and his partner Sigfredo Garcia traveled from Miami to Tallahassee, tracking Markel for days. Rivera drove the car while Garcia pulled the trigger. He says the money they were paid—bundles of crisp hundred-dollar bills—came from the Adelson family, though he adds a surprising twist: he believed Wendi Adelson was behind the murder, not Donna or her son Charlie. This admission, while helping the prosecution connect the murder to the family, also opens a door for the defense to create reasonable doubt about Donna Adelson’s direct involvement.
Rivera’s testimony is critical to the state's case. Not only does it put the Adelson family at the center of the murder-for-hire plot, but it also injects a level of uncertainty that the defense can exploit. The courtroom was tense as Rivera spoke, his words sometimes mumbled, but his message clear: this wasn’t a random act—it was a calculated hit driven by family tensions and custody battles.
Whether jurors believe Rivera is telling the whole truth remains to be seen, but this raw footage is essential viewing for anyone following this high-profile trial.
#DonnaAdelson #LuisRiveraTestimony #DanMarkelMurder #WendiAdelson #CharlieAdelson #TrueCrimeCourtroom #MurderForHire #FloridaTrial #RawCourtroomVideo #AdelsonFamily
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | A Better Help ad. |
| 0:02.3 | Lewis Capaldi partnered with Better Help to get word out about how important therapy can be. |
| 0:07.6 | I struggle most weeks to get up, get myself up and ready and go to therapy or whatever. |
| 0:13.0 | Even like to open the laptop to talk to, my therapist sometimes could be really difficult. |
| 0:17.4 | But I do it because I realize how important it is for me to continue to feel good. |
| 0:21.8 | Because I felt the best I've felt in a long time through therapy. |
| 0:24.9 | Learn more about online therapy at betterhelp.com. |
| 0:28.7 | A better help ad. |
| 0:30.6 | Lewis Capaldi partnered with Better Help to get word out about how important therapy can be. |
| 0:36.6 | I struggle most weeks to get up, get myself up and ready and go to therapy or whatever. |
| 0:42.2 | Even like to open the laptop to talk to, my therapist sometimes could be really difficult. |
| 0:46.6 | But I do it because I realise how important it is for me to continue to feel good. |
| 0:51.2 | Because I felt the best I've felt in a long time through therapy. |
| 0:54.1 | Learn more about online therapy at betterhelp.com. to feel good because I felt the best I've felt in a long time through therapy. |
| 0:57.9 | Learn more about online therapy at betterhelp.com. |
| 1:02.2 | This is continuing coverage in the trial of Donna Edelson from the Hidden Killers podcast and True Crime Today. |
| 1:06.0 | Now, back to the courtroom. |
| 1:18.6 | May I address the court while she's working on the jury? |
| 1:27.0 | I would like some clarification on the hearing that is going to be conducted outside the presence of the jury regarding States Exhibit 60. My takeaway from our sidebar was that I was going to authenticate every single page. |
| 1:33.2 | The defense has now advised me. |
| 1:35.3 | They only have limited objections to state 60, so I would ask for some clarification on what we're doing there. |
| 1:41.6 | Starting 60, the defense can be heard. |
... |
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