3.9 • 7.6K Ratings
🗓️ 28 August 2025
⏱️ 50 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
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.
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
0:00.0 | This is an IHeart podcast. |
0:04.8 | Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. |
0:11.4 | The so-called killer mother-in-law suspect preps fixing her hair as she goes to trial in a murder case where the state alleges she masterminded |
0:27.4 | an execution, a paid hit on her own son-in-law, the law professor. |
0:36.1 | That's right, a so-called killer mother-in-law, but for real. I'm Nancy |
0:42.1 | Grace. This is Crime Stories. I want to thank you for being with us. A loving father and esteemed |
0:48.5 | law professor is gunned down at his own home in his own vehicle. |
0:55.0 | We heard and looked in the garage door was up. |
0:58.0 | And I thought the gentleman was backing out and I went back to my house, but he never backed |
1:03.0 | out and I came back over. |
1:04.0 | Is he breathing? |
1:05.0 | I can't tell that. |
1:06.0 | I'm assuming he's breathing if he's moving his head around. |
1:09.0 | Did you ever hear him talk or anything? |
1:12.4 | No. |
1:13.3 | Okay. |
1:14.1 | Now, that's a great place to launch a trial playing for the jury, the 911 call. |
1:20.8 | In most cases, that is the closest thing we have to what really happened. |
1:26.7 | So let's start right there. Listen. |
1:28.7 | 9-1. Once the address of your emergency, |
1:30.8 | okay, tell me exactly what happened. We heard I looked in the garage door was up and |
1:37.8 | I thought the gentleman was backing out and I went back to my house but he never |
... |
Transcript will be available on the free plan in 27 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.