This is the Hidden Killers podcast with Tony Brewski and continuing coverage of the case against Donna Adelson.

It's not every day you see a 70-something grandmother trying to get a murder trial judge kicked off her case.

But then again, this isn't your average grandmother, and this definitely isn't your

average trial. Donna Adelson, the matriarch at the center of a murder for higher conspiracy,

nearly a decade in the making, is locked in a legal battle that's finally heading to trial.

But in April 2025, just weeks before she set to face a jury,

her legal team made one last dramatic push to shake up the game by trying to disqualify

the judge presiding over the entire case. So let's be clear, this wasn't some procedural

formality. Donna's defense didn't quietly file a motion and move on.

No, they filed the legal equivalent of slamming the brakes on the whole trial and yelling,

We want a new driver.

Judge Stephen Everett has been overseeing this case, and by all public accounts, doing so with a pretty even hand.

But after a series of rulings that didn't go their way, most

notably his comments about possibly allowing certain evidence to be used against them, Donna's

lawyers decided to go after the man. With the gavel, the exact details of the motion were sealed,

but the playbook here isn't hard to read. They likely argued the judge was biased or had created

the appearance of bias, legal buzzwords used when you want to suggest the referees wearing the

other team's jersey. And while Florida law does allow for disqualification under certain

conditions, it's a tough sell. The standard is high. The motion has to show a well-founded fear that the judge can't be impartial.

It's not code for, we don't like your rulings.

It means something more like,

Your Honor has a personal stake in this or has said something so prejudicial.

...