Donna and Harvey Adelson Won’t Testify in Charles Adelson’s Murder Trial

Charlie Adelson, an assistant Florida State University professor accused of hiring hit men to kill his wife, will not have his parents Donna and Harvey called as witnesses in his trial. At a hearing held earlier today, assistant state attorney Georgia Cappleman decided against subpoenaing them.

Mary Hull, a forensic accountant, testified regarding payments made to Katherine Magbanua and her co-conspirators Sigfredo Garcia and Luis Rivera.

Early Life and Education

Harvey and Donna Adelson, Wendi Adelson’s parents, have been described as unindicted co-conspirators in her trial. For months now they have been appearing before courts due to their refusal to submit to polygraph testing or give testimony at her trial, claiming they are exercising their Fifth Amendment rights.

They have consistently denied involvement in Magbanua’s murder and claim they were victims of his killers; furthermore they assert that their son did not participate in any plot devised by Magbanua and her colleagues.

After her marriage ended, Wendi Adelson relocated to South Florida with their two sons. Unfortunately, Leon County judge denied their motion for relocation based on her desire to be close to family – this led her to want to reside near Coral Springs where her father and brother run Adelson Institute for Esthetics and Implant Dentistry.

Professional Career

Charles Adelson is a periodontist working out of Tamarac, Florida. Both his parents, Harvey and Donna Adelson, also operate dental practices in this region. Charles attended J.P. Taravella High School before enrolling at University of Central Florida to further his training.

Prosecutors believe he hired Sigfredo Garcia and Luis Rivera as hitmen to kill Wendi, his former wife who attempted to relocate with their three sons to South Florida but her petition for residency was denied by a judge in 2014. They had been married two years prior to Wendi’s attempt at relocation being denied by a judge.

His mother and himself are accused of hiding assets worth over $200,000 on financial affidavits during their divorce, including a Charles Schwab account and retirement funds, along with jewelry belonging to her ancestors, as well as other valuables. Although they’ve been subpoenaed, they plan on exercising their Fifth Amendment rights during trial proceedings.

Achievement and Honors

Rashbaum attempted to portray Adelson as a good person during her opening statement, yet the evidence against him is overwhelming. Adelson stands accused of conspiracy, solicitation, and first-degree murder for Dan Markel’s death; three other individuals involved have already been convicted: hitmen Sigfredo Garcia and Luis Rivera as well as Katherine Magbanua who served as intermediary between Adelson and Markel.

Prosecutors allege that Magbanua told police that Adelson made comments joking about hiring a hit man to kill Markel after Wendi filed for divorce and wanted to move her children from Boston to Miami. They presented audio from 2016 of Magbanua and Adelson discussing ways of approaching undercover detectives while Harvey and Donna Adelson are involved with Wendi’s divorce case.

Personal Life

As a divorced woman with two young children, Wendi Adelson hired hitmen to kill Dan Markel. Additionally, she changed the last names of their offspring from Markel to Adelson.

Dugan presented evidence from Wendi and her parents Donna and Harvey Adelson regarding payments that had been made by Wendi to two convicted hitmen Sigfredo Garcia and Luis Rivera, which the prosecutor claimed had been taken up by Sigfredo Garcia and Luis Rivera as payment for services they rendered during this case.

But Wendi’s parents have not been charged in connection with her alleged plot, as she waived their right to call them as witnesses and the state withdrew subpoenas for them. Still, police and prosecutors speculated that they may know about and participate in her death.

Net Worth

Charles Adelson, an esteemed American dentist, has recently been charged with murder. Dan Markel was killed at his own home by Wendi Adelson’s ex-husband FSU law professor Dan Markel on July 14, 2014.

Prosecutors allege that Charlie hired two hit men to kill Markel after being angered by a court order which denied Wendi the ability to move with their children to Miami. According to them, Charlie joked about killing Markel himself; suggesting instead that purchasing an inexpensive TV might suffice instead of employing professionals for such acts of murder.

At a pre-trial hearing on Friday, Charlie waived his rights to call his parents Harvey and Donna as witnesses, while prosecutors released subpoenas against them. His trial is set to start next month in Tallahassee where Corbitt plans on cross-examining both Sigfredo Garcia and Luis Rivera who were found guilty as well as Katherine Magbanua who collaborated in their operations.