GUILTY: "MOTHER-IN--LAW-FROM-HELL" SOBS FOR MURDER HIT PLOT ON LAW PROF SON-IN-LAW
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace
iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline
4.2 • 8.1K Ratings
🗓️ 6 September 2025
⏱️ 77 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Donna Adelson, accused mastermind in the shooting death of her former son-in-law, Dan Markel, was arrested at Miami International Airport in an alleged attempt to flee to a non-extradition country. Investigators believe Adelson had Markel killed after a failed push by ex-wife Wendi to move their children to South Florida, closer to her family.
Donna Adelson is the fifth person charged in the murder-for-hire plot of her former son-in-law, a Florida State University Law Professor and well-known throughout Tallahassee. The first person brought to justice Luis Rivera, agreed to a plea deal. Rivera testifies he and his lifelong friend, Sigfredo Garcia, drove from Miami to Tallahassee to carry out the hit and Garcia was the triggerman. Rivera, once a Latin Kings gang leader, accepted a 19-year prison sentence in exchange for flipping on his close friend.
This week, in Donna Adelson's trial, some of the most dynamic pieces of evidence is the money changing hands and the wiretaps. Mary Hull, from Florida Department of Financial Services, breaks down financial records before and after the murder of Dan Markel. Rivera admits on the stand he received over $33,000 for the hit. Also, the jury hears the feds wiretaps, Charlie and Donna Adelson talk in code and the bump which was orchestrated to trap the co-conspirators into a phone frenzy.
Joining Nancy Grace today,
Eric Faddis - Trial Lawyer and TV Legal Analyst, Founding Partner of Varner Faddis Elite Legal, former felony prosecutor and current criminal defense and civil litigation attorney
Dr. Shari Schwartz - Forensic Psychologist (specializing in Capital Mitigation and Victim Advocacy), www.panthermitigation.com, Twitter: @TrialDoc, Author: "Criminal Behavior" and "Where Law and Psychology Intersect: Issues in Legal Psychology"
Ron Bateman - Former Sheriff for Anne Arundel [AIR -un-dull] County, Maryland - Former Homicide and undercover narcotics detective, Author of his crime trilogy "Silent Blue Tears" and he is currently directing and producing a film documentary on the murders at the Capital Gazette Newspaper in Annapolis. Website: Ronbatemanbooks.com , TikTok: @Ron.Bateman.655
Dr. Kendall Crowns - Chief Medical Examiner Tarrant County (Ft Worth), NEW Podcast "Mayhem in the Morgue” launched last week, Lecturer: Burnett School of Medicine at TCU (Texas Christian University)
Gigi McKelvey -) Journalist, Host of the podcast “Pretty Lies and Alibis” prettyliesandalibis.org, Facebook, IG, TikTok: @PrettyLiesAndAlibis, Twitter: @PrettiesLiesAlibi
Dave Mack - Crime Stories Investigative Reporter
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
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| 0:41.6 | Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. |
| 0:47.5 | Good evening, everybody. |
| 0:49.6 | I'm Nancy Grace and this is the Friday night's special crime stories. |
| 0:55.0 | And tonight, the so-called killer mother-in-law suspect guilty. |
| 1:02.0 | And a murder case where the state alleges she masterminded an execution, a paid hit on her own son-in-law, the law professor. |
| 1:14.7 | That's right, a so-called killer mother-in-law, but for real. |
| 1:20.9 | I'm Nancy Grace. |
| 1:21.9 | This is crime stories. |
| 1:23.2 | So consumed with rage, with anger over her daughter's divorce, and subsequently not having |
| 1:35.9 | visitation with her grandchildren, that she commits murder? |
| 1:43.8 | She murders her own son-in-law over visitation? |
... |
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