"MONSTER-IN-LAW" DONNA ADELSON LIES TIL BITTER END, LEARNS HER FATE IN COURT FOR MASTERMINDING SON-IN-LAW'S MURDER
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace
iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline
4.2 • 8.1K Ratings
🗓️ 25 October 2025
⏱️ 74 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Donna Adelson receives a life sentence for her role in the murder of former son-in-law Dan Markel. After nearly three weeks of testimony, a jury takes just three hours to find the 75-year-old guilty of all three charges levied against her.
Adelson is convicted of conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation to commit killing, and first-degree murder in the hit on her former son-in-law Dan Markel.
Adelson has filed a motion for a new trial, claiming multiple instances of jury misconduct, bias from the judge, and a lack of evidence to support the verdict.
The 18-page motion comes just two weeks after Adelson’s conviction and includes a request to interview two of the jurors who decided her fate.
Adelson accuses the jury foreperson, juror number seven, of failing to follow the judge’s instructions on speaking out about the case.
Joining Nancy Grace today:
- Philip Dubé - Former Court-Appointed Counsel, Los Angeles County Public Defenders: Criminal & Constitutional Law, Forensics & Mental Health Advocacy; X: PhilipCDube, IG: PhilipDube, YouTube: PhilipDube3922
- Dr. Judy Ho - Clinical and Forensic Neuropsychologist, Author of 'The New Rules of Attachment'; and 'Stop Self-Sabatoge;' IG & X: @drjudyho; FB: doctorjudyho
- Robert Crispin - Private Investigator with “Crispin Special Investigations," Former Federal Task Force Officer for the United States Department of Justice, DEA and Miami Field Division, and Former Homicide and Crimes Against Children Investigator; Facebook: Crispin Special Investigations Inc.
- Dr. Kendall Crowns - Chief Medical Examiner Tarrant County (Ft Worth), NEW Podcast: "Mayhem in the Morgue," and Lecturer: Burnett School of Medicine at TCU (Texas Christian University)
- Evan Higginbotham - Juror #6 in the Donna Adelson trial
- Gigi McKelvey - Journalist, Host of the Podcast “Pretty Lies and Alibis;" Facebook, IG, TikTok: @PrettyLiesAndAlibis/ X: @PrettiesLiesAlibi
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is an I-Heart podcast. |
| 0:04.8 | Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. |
| 0:11.0 | The mother-in-law from hell, the real-life monster-in-law, |
| 0:17.2 | Donna Edelson learns her fate in court for masterminding her son-in-law's murder. |
| 0:26.7 | Still insisting, quote, I'm an innocent woman. |
| 0:32.0 | Okay. |
| 0:33.4 | I'm Nancy Grace. |
| 0:34.6 | This is Crime Stories. |
| 0:35.8 | I want to thank you for being with us. |
| 0:38.3 | Monster-in-law Donna Adelson learns her fate in court for the murder for hire. |
| 0:45.8 | Shooting death of her son-in-law, esteemed law professor Daniel Markell. |
| 0:53.1 | As you recall, the Florida grandma found guilty of murder just weeks ago as she was sentenced |
| 1:02.7 | in court. |
| 1:03.8 | Edelson insists she's innocent. |
| 1:07.3 | Quote, I swear to you on my life, I was not involved in any way with Danny's |
| 1:13.6 | murder. You know what? Just shut your pie hole because the evidence proves you were very much |
| 1:23.7 | involved in fact that you masterminded it and I have spoken to a Gerard who agrees. |
| 1:30.9 | Donna Edelson, the matriarch of an extremely wealthy Florida family, gets a sentence of life |
| 1:38.6 | behind bars. She deserves that, and so much more, and this is why. |
| 1:45.0 | Let me just start with our friends at Crime Online. |
| 1:50.0 | Donna Edelson, the mother of recently convicted murderer Charlie Edelson, is caught by police trying to board a plane, leaving Miami and heading to Vietnam. |
| 2:00.0 | Her husband Harvey is with her as police take her into custody, the latest person to be arrested in the murder for higher plot killing of Dan Markell. |
... |
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