Jackie Fulford delivering closing argument for the defense. "You've heard an awful lot. And I'd like to take you back to my opening statement."
She says she didn't call witnesses to attack Dan Markel.
"That is not true," she said. She said the state, not the defense, put into evidence things Dan Markel filed in the divorce.
"They've been calling this a bitter custody battle for years," Fulford said, "and they started this case by saying the same thing."

Judge Everett asked Donna Adelson whether she wanted to waive her right have the jury consider lesser and included charges as they weigh her guilt or innocence. She affirmed that she did. Joshua Zelman renews motion for judgment of acquittal. Judge Everett says the state has met its burden and said his earlier ruling on the issue remains.

Donna Adelson lawyer Josh Zelman tells Judge Stephen Everett he has witnesses to call this morning. Everett says there will be a longer lunch break today. "That will be your opportunity to have any final conversations concerning whether she will in fact testify," Everett said. Zelman called Kristin Adamson, a Tallahassee lawyer who represented Wendi Adelson in her divorce proceedings with Dan Markel.

Everett: "Inferences and a confession and you're saying the state hasn't met the burden?" Zelman said the confession was the Donna Adelson wrote the checks. "What she did after the murder is not evidence of her intent prior to the murder. That's what (the Williams appellate decision) said."

The state will be calling Drina Bernhardt and Patricia Byrd to the stand after the lunch break. Both were incarcerated at the Leon County Detention Facility with Donna Adelson. Byrd was arrested in 2019 on a charge of sexual activity with a 16 or 17 year old & sentenced to over three years in prison & five years of probation. She was arrested again in 2024 for violating her probation and ordered held without bond in the Leon County Detention Facility.

Assistant State Attorney Georgia Cappleman is asking FBI Agent Pat Sanford about when the convicted conspirators were arrested in the case. The killers, Sigfredo Garcia and Luis Rivera, were arrested in May and June 2016, respectively. Katherine Magbanua was arrested in October 2016 & Charlie Adelson in 2022. All are serving life sentences in Dan Markel's murder except for Rivera, who cooperated & got 19 years.

Assistant State Attorney Georgia Cappleman calls Oscar Jimenez, retired FBI special agent, who played a direct role in "the bump" operation. He portrayed a gang member to contact Donna Adelson. "A bump is a law enforcement operation during which an undercover agent ... would conduct a face to face meeting or encounter with a subject or a person of interest in an investigation."

Donna Adelson's oldest son, Robert Adelson, takes the stand. Leon Circuit Judge Stephen Everett cautions Rob Adelson, a New York physician, not to express any opinions about whether his mom or family committed a crime.

“Were you in any way involved in the plot to kill your ex husband?” Cappleman asked.
“No,” Wendi Adelson said. “What information do you have regarding your mother’s involvement in the plot to kill your ex-husband?” Cappleman said.
“I have no information,” Wendi Adelson said.
“I was not involved in any plot to kill Danny,” Wendi Adelson added as Cappleman persisted with tough questioning.

ASA Georgia Cappleman doing a proffer with Jason Newlin, veteran investigator for the State Attorney's Office. She's asking about the work he put into state's Exhibit 60, which shows Donna Adelson had knowledge of pleadings in the divorce of Dan Markel and Wendi Adelson.

Jackie Fulford, a former top prosecutor in the State Attorney's Office who served as a Leon Circuit judge before her involuntary retirement in 2015, is giving the defense's opening statement. "You heard an awful lot about what other people did in this case, but not a single piece of evidence was discussed that shows Donna Adelson planned this, hired anybody to do this or intended for it to happen," Fulford said.

The murder trial of Donna Adelson is set to continue at 8:30 a.m. today, when lawyers were told by the judge to report to the courtroom. Jurors should be in Courtroom 3G not long after that for opening statements and the first of the state's witnesses. The state is expected to roughly follow the sequencing of witnesses in past trials. That means Wendi Adelson, Donna Adelson's daughter and the ex-wife of Dan Markel, may take the stand today. She was subpoenaed by the state and will testify with immunity, as she has previously.

Leon Circuit Judge Stephen Everett presiding over hearing on defense motion to change venue in Donna Adelson case. The defense's lone witness, a media expert, is testifying over Zoom. Todd Murphy, president of the Truescope firm, is testifying for the defense.

Everett says the defense's suppression motion will be taken up first. The defense motion for bond will be taken up at 10:30 a.m. Josh Zelman, one of Adelson's lawyers, calls Jason Newlin, longtime investigator with the State Attorney's Office, as his first witness. He's asking about the jail phone system and how it makes recordings.

Donna Adelson was arrested at the Miami airport last night on charges of murder, conspiracy and solicitation, according to State Attorney Jack Campbell. She and her husband Harvey had bought one-way tickets to Vietnam, with a layover in Dubai. Campbell said investigators had the evidence to charge Donna Adelson but that the trip to the airport changed prosecutors' timeline. "That's what forced our hand," Campbell said. 1/2

Judge Stephen Everett going over last minute jury instruction changes with Charlie Adelson's defense. The parties waived lesser and included charges in the instructions. The jury in the Charlie Adelson trial will hear jury instructions and closing arguments today before starting their deliberations.

Charlie Adelson is back on the witness stand this morning, marking the seventh day of testimony in his murder trial. Once his lawyer, Dan Rashbaum, is done with direct examination, the state will have its turn for cross-examination. Rashbaum asking about text the undercover FBI agent/"blackmailer" sent Donna Adelson at 2 a.m. on May 4, 2016. He said he went to meet with his parents the next day. He saw the text as "much more threatening." "My mom was upset."

Judge Stephen Everett admonishes people watching the trial in the gallery from nodding their heads in agreement or disagreement as Charlie Adelson testifies. He says this is last warning and that anyone in the courtroom who does will be removed by bailiffs. Charlie Adelson back on the stand after a full morning of direct examination by Dan Rashbaum, his Miami attorney. Rashbaum told Judge Stephen Everett before lunch that his direct questioning of Adelson could last all afternoon and spill into Friday morning.

Charlie Adelson is about to tell his side of the story publicly for the first time since Dan Markel was fatally shot on July 18, 2014. His defense lawyer, Dan Rashbaum, said in opening statements that Adelson was extorted by the killers and did not arrange the hit on Markel. Dan Markel's parents, Ruth & Phil Markel, and his sister, Shelly, are sitting in the 2nd row in Courtroom 3G, waiting to hear what Adelson will say. Adelson's parents, Donna & Harvey Adelson, are not present. The state & defense agreed earlier they would not be called to testify.

Jury coming in for Day 5 of testimony in the Charlie Adelson murder trial. FBI Special Agent Pat Sanford, who testified yesterday about wire taps and the Dolce Vita recording, is back on the stand. Jurors listened to the entire recording yesterday afternoon. Assistant State Attorney Georgia Cappleman questioning Sanford on direct.

Next witness, FBI agent says he recorded Charlie Adelson and his dad Harvey Adelson at the Matsuri restaurant on April 21, 2016. The two were sitting at the sushi bar, and the agent sat next to Harvey Adelson. Under direct questions, he said he couldn't hear the conversation. Under cross, the agent says Charlie Adelson surrendered peacefully during his arrest last year.