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Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski | True Crime News & Commentary

Judge Rules Wendi Adelson's Novel Can Be Used in Donna Adelson Murder Trial

Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski | True Crime News & Commentary

True Crime Today

True Crime, News, News Commentary

3791 Ratings

🗓️ 2 April 2025

⏱️ 14 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Judge Rules Wendi Adelson's Novel Can Be Used in Donna Adelson Murder Trial
In a dramatic legal twist, the judge presiding over the Donna Adelson murder trial has ruled that prosecutors may question Wendi Adelson about the novel she wrote years before her ex-husband, Dan Markel, was murdered. The book, This Is Our Story, features a storyline that bears unsettling similarities to Wendi's real life—leading prosecutors to argue it offers insight into her mindset and possible motive. While Wendi Adelson has not been charged in the case, her testimony is expected to play a key role in her mother’s defense, and this ruling could be a game-changer.
In this episode, we dive deep into what’s in the book, why the prosecution wants to use it, and what the judge’s ruling really means. We also explore how this novel—centered on a fictional immigration lawyer and her strained marriage—could affect how jurors view Wendi’s credibility, and how that, in turn, could influence the fate of Donna Adelson. Legal experts are calling it one of the most unusual and high-stakes rulings in the ongoing fallout from the Dan Markel murder.

Whether you’re following the Donna Adelson trial, the ongoing implications of Charlie Adelson’s conviction, or simply trying to make sense of how a novel written in 2011 could echo so loudly in a 2025 courtroom, this is an episode you won’t want to miss. We break it all down with clarity, legal insight, and deep reporting on one of the most complex and emotionally charged cases in recent memory. 
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Transcript

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0:00.0

This is a true crime, new crime report. The latest on new cases we're following at true crime today

0:06.3

and the Hidden Killers podcast. On March 27th, 2025 in a Tallahassee courtroom, Judge Stephen Everett

0:14.0

made a decision with potential ramifications for Donna Adelson's murder trial. He ruled that prosecutors

0:20.5

could question Wendy Adelson,

0:22.6

the defendant's daughter and ex-wife of the slain law professor Dan Markell, about her novel,

0:28.5

This is Our Story, if she contradicts prior statements or the established record while testifying.

0:35.2

This ruling, seemingly procedural, carries significant weight. To understand

0:40.5

its importance, it's crucial to grasp the context of Donna Adelson's trial. She is not solely

0:46.2

accused of murder, but also of being part of a family conspiracy that allegedly began when

0:51.9

her daughter felt trapped in Tallahassee due to a post-divorce custody battle.

0:57.1

The prosecution's motive theory hinges on Wendy Adelson's desire to relocate to South Florida with her children,

1:03.4

a move opposed by Dan Markell, and legally blocked by a judge.

1:08.4

Prosecutors contend that this restriction fueled Wendy's family to orchestrate the

1:13.0

murder. This is our story, published in 2011, introduces a layer of complexity. The novel features

1:21.0

Lily, a lawyer who leaves her D.C. career to follow her academic husband to a university town in

1:27.1

North Florida, becomes

1:28.4

dissatisfied and eventually excludes him from her life, adopting a child independently.

1:34.5

The parallels between Lily's experiences and Wendy's life are striking, particularly in the

1:40.3

emotional undercurrents of discontent and resentment. The prosecution views this not as coincidence,

1:46.2

but as a potential insight into Wendy's state of mind,

1:49.4

and the family dynamics that they believe motivated Donna Adelson.

1:53.8

However, the legal admissibility of fiction as evidence is complex.

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