9 years after the murder of a Florida law professor, a family gets justice

Nearly a decade after a Florida State University Law School professor used to be shot to demise at his house whilst sitting in his automotive, his family stated they’re relieved.

On Monday, a Florida jury discovered Charlie Adelson responsible of concocting a plot with a former female friend and hiring two males to kill his former brother-in-law Dan Markel in 2014.

Markel’s family had lengthy suspected the Adelson family of being interested in the taking pictures, which came about whilst Markel and his ex-wife Wendi Adelson have been in a sour dispute.

“It’s sort of tinged with this feeling of relief. It’s really been a long time coming,” Shelly Markel, the sufferer’s sister, informed journalists after the verdict.

A “20/20” episode airing Friday, Nov. 10, and airing on Hulu the subsequent day, takes a have a look at the adventure that investigators and prosecutors took to get to this week’s conviction with unique interviews, and photographs from the court as the drama spread out.

Markel had finalized his divorce from Wendi Adelson in 2013, however they have been nonetheless in a dispute over private assets, price range and allegations from Markel that his former mother-in-law, Donna Adelson, used to be disparaging him all over her visits with the couple’s two younger sons.

On July 18, 2014, Markel used to be discovered shot in the head inside of his automotive outdoor his Tallahassee house and died lower than 24 hours later in the health facility.

Tallahassee police interviewed Wendi Adelson, who informed them about the divorce problems however denied that she used to be interested in the taking pictures. She allowed investigators to view her telephone, swab her for fingerprints and {photograph} her.

As investigators looked for clues, they interviewed Wendi Adelson’s former boyfriend Jeffrey Lacasse, who informed them they must glance into Wendi Adelson’s brother, Charlie.

“[Wendi] told me that Charlie had looked into having Danny killed in the summer of 2013,” Lacasse informed police in a filmed interview. “She meant it dead serious. He said it would cost about $15,000.”

Wendi Adelson informed officials all over her preliminary interview that her brother made a lot of jokes, together with one about hiring a hitman. As the investigation persevered, extra proof fastened that might implicate him.

Investigators started to probe the Adelson family and in April 2016, they staked out Donna Adelson as phase of an undercover operation. During the sting, an undercover FBI agent dressed in a recording software approached her claiming to be the brother of one of the suspects and demanded $5,000.

“He helped your family with this problem you guys had up north,” the agent is heard pronouncing to Adelson. “He’s going through some rough times and I want to make sure that you take care of what he’s going through the way you’re taking care of Katie and Tuto.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Donna Adelson insisted.

The agent then passed her a press unencumber of Markel’s murder with a telephone quantity to name.

Adelson then known as her son, Charlie, in a dialog that used to be secretly recorded via government.

“Does it involve me or other people?” Charlie Adelson requested.

“Well, probably the both of us,” his mom spoke back. “You probably have a general idea what I’m talking about. So let’s just find some time to talk to each other.”

In some other undercover telephone recording, Charlie is heard calling Magbanua, difficult to “find out who… it is and tell them to stop playing their games… I don’t know who you have to talk to, but it needs to be nipped in the bud.”

Though police idea the conversations have been suspicious, it used to be now not a confession

At the identical time, investigators adopted up on their best clue a neighbor’s account of seeing a automotive that gave the impression of a Prius dashing away proper after the murder.

The police were given a giant damage from surveillance photos from Markel’s fitness center, a town bus and side road cameras from the day he died that confirmed a inexperienced Toyota Prius following him as he made his manner house.

Toll information for the automotive led investigators to a automotive condominium company in Miami. The condominium settlement for the automotive confirmed that it used to be rented via a guy named Luis Rivera.

Police stated Rivera used to be a chief in the North Miami department of the Latin Kings gang.

A 2nd phone quantity used to be additionally written on the condominium contract with the phrase “Brother” written beside the quantity. That cell phone quantity tracked again to Sigfredo “Tuto” Garcia of North Miami, a youth good friend of Rivera who had a lengthy felony report.

Using cell phone knowledge, surveillance video from buses, and GPS data, police stated they have been ready to resolve that the two males have been in the neighborhood of Markel’s house at the time of the murder.

In May 2016, police introduced first-degree murder fees towards Rivera and Garcia. Both entered now not responsible pleas.

Investigators would then uncover a private connection between one of the suspects and Charlie Adelson.

Police appeared into Katie Magbanua, who has two youngsters with Garcia and who dated Charlie Adelson between 2013 and 2015.

Investigators discovered Magbanua gathered common paychecks from the Adelsons’ family dental observe, Adelson Institute, signed via Donna Adelson.

According to investigators, there used to be no report of any paintings time table or task name for Magbanua in forms subpoenaed from the dentistry industry.

While the Adelsons carried on with lifestyles in Miami, Rivera used to be in jail on some other fee when he approached prosecutors and presented information.

They got here up with a plea deal: If he would describe his position in the murder of Dan Markel, and testify towards his alleged co-conspirators, he may just plead responsible and obtain a considerably lowered sentence.

In October 2016, Rivera gave a commentary to law enforcement claiming Garcia requested him to come back at the side of him to hold out a hit and confirmed him a picture of Dan Markel.

“I asked him, who’s —– hiring me? He’s like, ‘Katie [Magbanua] told me this lady’s going to hire me, but I want you to go with me. I’ll give you $35,000.’ I said, ‘All right, for the drive? All right.’ … Katie’s the one in the middle doing everything. [Garcia] put it like that,” Rivera informed prosecutors.

“I asked him, ‘Why are you going to kill this guy?’ … [Garcia said] ‘Because the lady wants her two kids back. She wants full custody of them kids,'” Rivera persevered.

Rivera informed prosecutors that during the summer season of 2014, the two discovered Markel and trailed him for a few days. He stated at one level, they adopted him house and Garcia used to be the one that fatally shot Markel..Rivera additionally informed prosecutors the first individual Garcia spoke with after the murder used to be Magbanua.

Magbanua used to be charged with first-degree murder and Rivera testified in her and Garcia’s trials.

Garcia used to be convicted on Oct. 11, 2019, of first-degree murder and later sentenced to lifestyles in jail with out the chance of parole. The identical jury that convicted Garcia could not agree on a verdict for Magbanua, leading to a mistrial.

After years of pandemic-related delays, Magbanua used to be retried and convicted of first-degree murder, conspiracy, and solicitation to dedicate murder in May 2022. She used to be sentenced to lifestyles in jail and two further 30-year sentences, to be served at the same time as.

Investigators, then again, persevered to pursue leads into Charlie Adelson, and were given a damage when a 2016 secret recording between him and Magbanua used to be enhanced in 2022 via the FBI and produced extra transparent discussion.

“If you’re going to charge me, charge me,” Adelson stated in the recording. “They didn’t mention my name, which makes me think – these people only know part of the story…or they think they know part of the story.”

“If they had any evidence, we would have already gone to the airport,” he added.

A Florida grand jury indicted Charlie Adelson on first-degree murder adjustments on April 20, 2022, and he used to be arrested the subsequent day. He pleaded now not responsible.

“I was shocked,” Ruth Markel, Dan Markel’s mom, informed “20/20.”

“It was unbelievable to hear. It was a relief because it’s taken so long,” Phil Markel, Dan Markel’s father, informed “20/20.”

Adelson’s felony trial started remaining month and his protection legal professional Daniel Rashbaum contended his shopper wasn’t the mastermind, however as a substitute used to be being extorted via Dan Markel’s convicted killers.

Prosecutors introduced again Rivera to the stand and he denied the allegations made via Rashbaum.

Magbanua additionally testified as a prosecution witness and, for the first time below oath, testified that Adelson orchestrated the plot and that she used to be concerned with paying off the two males.

“So you knew that the person that was going to be initially harmed was Wendi’s husband?” Florida Assistant State Attorney Georgia Cappleman requested.

“Yes ma’am,” Magbanua spoke back. “[Garcia] painted this picture that this was a terrible man and making his family go through a lot custody-wise with his sister.”

During cross-examination, Rashbaum wondered why Magbanua did not come blank previous and take a maintain prosecutors once they requested. She spoke back that she did not wish to surrender the father of her youngsters and denied any allegations that she blackmailed Charlie Adelson.

Charlie Adelson took the stand in his personal protection and informed the jury the prosecution’s concept of the case used to be faulty.

“The state got it wrong,” Adelson testified.

He testified that Magbanua got here to him the night time of Markel’s murder claiming that a good friend of hers killed the professor and used to be difficult Charlie pay a 3rd of a million greenbacks inside 48 hours or he, or some other family member, can be killed subsequent.

Charlie Adelson testified she would not inform him who did it till months later when she claimed it used to be Garcia and Rivera.

“And I’m like, ‘Katie, I’m not going be part of this s—. Like, I’m not going be part of paying for a murder. This is insane,” Adelson testified.

Ultimately the defendant testified that he gave Magbanua $138,000 from his secure and paid her hundreds of greenbacks extra over the subsequent couple of months claiming he requested his mom to place Magbanua on the payroll of the family dental observe.

During cross-examination, prosecutors wondered Charlie Adelson why he by no means went to the police with the information. He testified he used to be afraid for his lifestyles.

Cappleman additionally wondered Charlie Adelson on why he did not testify at Magbanua’s felony trial.

“I thought the truth was going to come out,” he stated.

It took the jury 3 hours sooner than they reached their verdict towards Charlie Adelson.

A pre-sentencing listening to is scheduled for December. Adelson’s legal professionals have now not in an instant commented on any long run appeals.

When requested if this used to be the remaining prosecution for Markel’s murder, Cappleman informed journalists after the verdict, “Stay tuned.”

In the intervening time, Markel’s oldsters have misplaced years of time with their two grandsons, whom they hardly ever noticed after investigators began probing the Adelsons in 2016.

“The first visit was incredible,” Phil Markel stated. “And we were shocked. The kids were smiling, they were warm.”

“And I said, ‘Can we give you a hug?’ Ruth Markel said. “And they actually spoke back.”

“It’s a spark of hope that one thing used to be going to occur, that we’d have extra conversation with them,” Phil Markel stated.

ABC News’ Allie Yang contributed to this record.