FL - FSU Law Professor Dan Markel Murdered by Hitmen *4 Guilty* #25

[Zedzded]

Link to short summary article in the Tallahassee Democrat:

Donna Adelson gives surprise testimony about jailhouse talk and family 'blackmail'​

Looks to me like: the defense team wanted judge to force 2 inmates to appear for depositions. DA testified regarding information received from these two inmates re: K. Magbaunua talking about a plot to blackmail Charlie. Defense was concerned these 2 inmates would soon be released, might go back to using drugs, and thus might be unavailable as a witness for the trial.
Judge denied the motion and suggested the defense just subpoena the witness(es) for trial. He did say he'd reconsider if the situation progressed to something more than a supposition.

If this case wasn't so tragic I'd find this motion hilarious. DA clearly knows she's screwed and is so desperate. I'm a person who carries a lot of empathy and rarely exhibit any kind of schadenfreude, but for this woman, I'm enjoying watching her pathetically try and worm her way out of this.. WA will be the proverbial icing on the cake.

 

[Going Rogue]

If this case wasn't so tragic I'd find this motion hilarious. DA clearly knows she's screwed and is so desperate. I'm a person who carries a lot of empathy and rarely exhibit any kind of schadenfreude, but for this woman, I'm enjoying watching her pathetically try and worm her way out of this.. WA will be the proverbial icing on the cake.

My gut tells me this is going to backfire on Donna in a big way. This is a clear attempt to falsify / fabricate evidence by making some kind of deal with the two inmates and have them falsely testify on her behalf. They were either offered something in exchange for their false statements or Donna is a next-level master manipulator and somehow convinced / brainwashed them to help her – both can be true as well.

I would suggest the Tally DA’s office sit these two girls down separately and question them and get to the bottom of it – shouldn’t be too hard to uncover the truth. There is absolutely no chance Katie was bragging about blackmailing Charlie.... the odds of Donna being truly innocent are greater. If the Tally DA’s office can get these girls to admit Donna offered them something for their false testimony, it will be used against Donna in a very damaging way and greatly strengthen the states case against her. This was a stupid move by Donna, and yes, true desperation. I can also see this resulting in additional charges being tacked on - add another 15 years onto her life sentence, but the true kicker is she probably tremendously helped the state case after they get the two girls to admit Donna solicited them to make these false statements. How’s that for schadenfreude. I can already see how this is going to unfold.

 

[Zedzded]

If the Tally DA’s office can get these girls to admit Donna offered them something for their false testimony

They may have approached her and offered up this information with DA's prompting. They knew she's wealthy and made up some crap to try and score some extra $$?

 

[Knitpicker]

They may have approached her and offered up this information with DA's prompting. They knew she's wealthy and made up some crap to try and score some extra $$?

So one of them-the Cassidy- shes the one being released? And she is the one they are afraid once out with go back to drugs? What about the other one? I heard it 4 times and I’m still not clear on the one remaining in jail?
There was also that guy who died in jail who was a witness for Sigfredo, right? Don’t remember all those details.
The timing of that Cassidy release..and the hearing,,,I think shes out now right? released the 31st?

 

[nhmemorymaker]

If this case wasn't so tragic I'd find this motion hilarious. DA clearly knows she's screwed and is so desperate. I'm a person who carries a lot of empathy and rarely exhibit any kind of schadenfreude, but for this woman, I'm enjoying watching her pathetically try and worm her way out of this.. WA will be the proverbial icing on the cake.

I have always loved the word schadenfrede, and it really is such a good fit for DA.
This family goes to extremes bringing in others to do their dirty work....

Watching, her now, trust inmates. Quite a show.

 

[Going Rogue]

So one of them-the Cassidy- shes the one being released? And she is the one they are afraid once out with go back to drugs? What about the other one? I heard it 4 times and I’m still not clear on the one remaining in jail?
There was also that guy who died in jail who was a witness for Sigfredo, right? Don’t remember all those details.
The timing of that Cassidy release..and the hearing,,,I think shes out now right? released the 31st?

ML had posted the deposition of the inmate that claimed Sigfredo was drunk on toilet wine and confessed that he killed Dan and implicated the Adelsons (I believe Donna specifically) and Katie. At the time of his deposition, the state’s theory had already been public for way more than a minute. The big difference with that inmate that had subsequently passed away was his story was in direct alignment with the prosecution’s theory and supported their case. At the time I warned everyone that it’s very common for inmates to fabricate information / stories in an attempt to get ‘something’ for their testimony AND it was likely BS. Despite that, I can’t tell you how many comments I saw were people insisted that he seemed credible and they thought he was telling the truth. Why? – because it supported their belief. Also, re the two female inmates, they (the defense) aren't afraid she will go back on drugs - ‘claiming’ they fear that is part of their plan. They are trying to ‘convince’ the court by raising that concern that the court should simply rely on the private investigator’s testimony of the statements he took from the girls. Far less likely for the plan to backfire that way – not going to happen! I can see through this stupid plan 1,200 miles away. I predict this is going to backfire – another twist in this crazy case.

 

[Knitpicker]

ML had posted the deposition of the inmate that claimed Sigfredo was drunk on toilet wine and confessed that he killed Dan and implicated the Adelsons (I believe Donna specifically) and Katie. At the time of his deposition, the state’s theory had already been public for way more than a minute. The big difference with that inmate that had subsequently passed away was his story was in direct alignment with the prosecution’s theory and supported their case. At the time I warned everyone that it’s very common for inmates to fabricate information / stories in an attempt to get ‘something’ for their testimony AND it was likely BS. Despite that, I can’t tell you how many comments I saw were people insisted that he seemed credible and they thought he was telling the truth. Why? – because it supported their belief. Also, re the two female inmates, they (the defense) aren't afraid she will go back on drugs - ‘claiming’ they fear that is part of their plan. They are trying to ‘convince’ the court by raising that concern that the court should simply rely on the private investigator’s testimony of the statements he took from the girls. Far less likely for the plan to backfire that way – not going to happen! I can see through this stupid plan 1,200 miles away. I predict this is going to backfire – another twist in this crazy case.

Thanks for the reminder of the SG story.
OK I thought they were saying to the court that they were afraid she couldn’t be reached once she got out so they wanted ONLY her depo.
It’s the other one I don’t know whats going on with. She’s still in jail I assume

 

[Zedzded]

At the time I warned everyone that it’s very common for inmates to fabricate information / stories in an attempt to get ‘something’ for their testimony .

I think if you have an incarcerated criminal who is probably an accomplished liar and had something to gain by making a statement re a crime then they really have no credibility. Courts can't rely on their word... I think on the rare occasions inmates statements may be given credibility is when they hear something their cell mate has said and that aligns with information the police have that has not been released to the public. e.g one cell mate tells the other he strangled his wife with a shoelace, the police found a shoelace round her neck, but this information was never released and therefore only the killer knew, thus the informant has credibility.

Although in the case of the deceased cell mate, he was pretty articulate in his police interview and came across as credible. He knew some specific information e.g the money from the hit was used by KM to buy fake , LR bought "toys" like jetskis and they got cash etc Also the informant only had 30 months left of his sentence and was explicitly told he would not get a sentence reduction.

 

[Trebor5591]

I've seen this case discussed here but never dug into it and= this is my first post. I have a question to those who have followed the case. Is the ex-wife involved, and will she eventually be arrested and tried? What say you?

 

[Zedzded]

I've seen this case discussed here but never dug into it and= this is my first post. I have a question to those who have followed the case. Is the ex-wife involved, and will she eventually be arrested and tried? What say you?

Involved, but hard to prove her involvement hence the fact she has not been arrested. I believe she will eventually be arrested and charged, but not with conspiracy to commit murder. I think she will be charged with Accessory after the fact.

 

[Going Rogue]

Thanks for the reminder of the SG story.
OK I thought they were saying to the court that they were afraid she couldn’t be reached once she got out so they wanted ONLY her depo.
It’s the other one I don’t know whats going on with. She’s still in jail I assume

Correct. The defense’s motion to perpetuate testimony is essentially requesting (forcing) the state to depose both girls in the event they can’t appear at trial because the ‘may’ be unavailable if they go back on drugs. If the state deposes them and both girls stick to the story (or lie), what do you think the odds are that they appear at trial – I say close to zero. It’s part of the plan or ‘deal’. Force the state to depose them so the can ‘hopefully’ introduce the statements given to the private investigator & or Donna as evidence during the trial when the girls are MIA. The defenses knows the girls (educated guess) will not come across as credible during cross examination at trial and the last thing they want is these girls actually being there as defense witnesses. Being able to introduce their testimony (by calling the private investigator to testify to the girls statements) would be a much better option. It’s my understanding that if the state doesn’t depose the girls AND they are MIA when subpoenaed by the defense to testify, their ‘testimony’ (statements given to the private investigator & Donna) cannot be used. This is why Cappleman objected to the motion – she is no dummy. I’m sure the state is strategizing on best options to move forward and knows these alleged statements made by Katie are fabricated.

 

[Going Rogue]

I think if you have an incarcerated criminal who is probably an accomplished liar and had something to gain by making a statement re a crime then they really have no credibility. Courts can't rely on their word... I think on the rare occasions inmates statements may be given credibility is when they hear something their cell mate has said and that aligns with information the police have that has not been released to the public. e.g one cell mate tells the other he strangled his wife with a shoelace, the police found a shoelace round her neck, but this information was never released and therefore only the killer knew, thus the informant has credibility.

Although in the case of the deceased cell mate, he was pretty articulate in his police interview and came across as credible. He knew some specific information e.g the money from the hit was used by KM to buy fake *advertiser censored*, LR bought "toys" like jetskis and they got cash etc Also the informant only had 30 months left of his sentence and was explicitly told he would not get a sentence reduction.

Yes, I specifically recall Isom starting the interview by telling him he wasn’t offering him any type of deal BUT that could have changed had they decided to use him as a states witness. If you are an inmate and willing to fabricate a story to get ‘something’ it’s a multi step process and you have to play the long game. I agree that had he (or anyone for that matter) given information that wasn’t public, his story would be more believable. To the best of my memory, at the time of his deposition, the first 20/20 episode had already aired – nothing he said was not already public. Also with the benefit of knowing that the state chose not to leverage his testimony, speaks volumes to me. It only seems logical they would have vetted his story and realized there were holes in his story simply based on the fact he wasn’t used as a states witness. He passed away after the first trial and he never made it to the witness list. I can’t say I’m familiar with his personal potential health related circumstances (e.g. maybe he too ill to testify), but based on the deposition he gave, his testimony would have been damming to Sigfredo & Katie at the first trial. I recall he was a young guy, so my speculation is the state vetted him and his story wasn’t believable or didn’t check out. There had to be a reason they opted not to use him.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Her audio played in the courtroom as she called in from the jail to testify about two women who told Adelson they were in the Leon County Jail with Katherine Magbanua, one of Adelson's alleged co-conspirators.

Donna said an inmate source heard Magbanua admit to setting the family up.

"She said 'Wait til I come back. I am going to take care of that family. Wait til they see what they're going to get and I'm going to get a reduced sentence,'" Adelson testified.

Donna Adelson provides testimony in her murder trial regarding inmate witnesses

In a dramatic turn, Donna Adelson claims two inmates have information that could aid her defense in the upcoming trial for the murder of FSU law professor, Dan Markel.

www.wtxl.com

 

[Going Rogue]

I've seen this case discussed here but never dug into it and= this is my first post. I have a question to those who have followed the case. Is the ex-wife involved, and will she eventually be arrested and tried? What say you?

Based on my objective analysis of all the evidence, the only conclusion I can make re Wendi is that it appears she had knowledge the crime was going to happen. It may be as twisted as her knowing exactly when the family was plotting the murder and fully relishing in the fact it was about to happen and knowing full well she had plausible deniability. There are way too many details to outline as to why I believe it’s very possible the family plotted this without her direct involvement. Most do not agree with the theory that it may have been done without Wendi agreeing to the plan and contributing to the plan in some way and I also acknowledge it is possible she did contribute in some manner. The issue with the state’s case against her is they don’t have evidence she performed any act to aid in the plan to murder Dan. There are many that will cite a factual detail to the case and draw a conclusion that is conjecture rather than what is provable. If you start following the case more closely you will start to notice people (in social media) confuse what are provable facts that are needed for a conviction and what are just events or details that are analyzed with a strong bias and are generally stated as evidence she is guilty.

 

[Zedzded]

Based on my objective analysis of all the evidence, the only conclusion I can make re Wendi is that it appears she had knowledge the crime was going to happen. It may be as twisted as her knowing exactly when the family was plotting the murder and fully relishing in the fact it was about to happen and knowing full well she had plausible deniability. There are way too many details to outline as to why I believe it’s very possible the family plotted this without her direct involvement. Most do not agree with the theory that it may have been done without Wendi agreeing to the plan and contributing to the plan in some way and I also acknowledge it is possible she did contribute in some manner. The issue with the state’s case against her is they don’t have evidence she performed any act to aid in the plan to murder Dan. There are many that will cite a factual detail to the case and draw a conclusion that is conjecture rather than what is provable. If you start following the case more closely you will start to notice people (in social media) confuse what are provable facts that are needed for a conviction and what are just events or details that are analyzed with a strong bias and are generally stated as evidence she is guilty.

Spot on.

 

[minusfour]

@ Going Rogue- whilst I understand and appreciate your message objectively, I must confess that I am hoping that there is evidence against Wendi within all the digital material that has been seized since DA's arrest, of which we have no knowledge. I think that there is a reasonable chance that in all those years, DA might have been less than discrete with her messages. Whether this will be enough to proceed to arresting Wendi, (if it exists!), is unclear. It's been a really long time, but it was also a long time before CA was arrested.

I am also getting used to the idea that Wendi may never be arrested.

 

[Going Rogue]

@ Going Rogue- whilst I understand and appreciate your message objectively, I must confess that I am hoping that there is evidence against Wendi within all the digital material that has been seized since DA's arrest, of which we have no knowledge. I think that there is a reasonable chance that in all those years, DA might have been less than discrete with her messages. Whether this will be enough to proceed to arresting Wendi, (if it exists!), is unclear. It's been a really long time, but it was also a long time before CA was arrested.

I am also getting used to the idea that Wendi may never be arrested.

I was also hoping the IOS devices they confiscated would uncover the truth. As time passes, it seems less likely that they will find any useful digital evidence on those devices. Also those devices were obtained about 9 years after the murder, and they’ve had them for more than a year, so realistically, the chances aren’t looking good that anything comes of it.

 

[Zedzded]

I don't think there will be much on WA's old cellbrighted phone data. DA and HA seem a bit clueless and there will be something on their devices. I think post CA conviction and shortly before they attempted to flee they gave up trying to hide their digital footprint. I think the State revealed DA's text messages and google searches for "countries that don't extradite to the US." etc etc

But then the State don't need anything more for DA, it's a slam dunk. I think HA will be arrested too especially if the money drop can be substantiated. Plus the Matsuri tape. WA will be trickier.

Re the money drop. The State seem to not be pursuing this particularly aggressively. To me, it seems critical to the case. Surely they can show that DA was at CA's house?

 

[ch_13]

Donna Adelson moved to protective custody at jail after alleged assault, extortion

Donna Adelson, an alleged mastermind in the 2014 murder of Dan Markel, claimed she was "grabbed" and extorted at the Leon County Detention Facility.

www.tallahassee.com

Donna Adelson, an alleged mastermind behind the 2014 contract killing of law professor Dan Markel, claimed she was "grabbed" and extorted late last year at the Leon County Detention Facility.

Shonda Knight, director of community and media relations for the Leon County Sheriff's Office, confirmed Thursday that Adelson complained of the incident Monday, more than a month after it allegedly happened. The Sheriff's Office is investigating the allegation.

 

[Zedzded]

Donna Adelson moved to protective custody at jail after alleged assault, extortion

Donna Adelson, an alleged mastermind in the 2014 murder of Dan Markel, claimed she was "grabbed" and extorted at the Leon County Detention Facility.

www.tallahassee.com

Donna Adelson, an alleged mastermind behind the 2014 contract killing of law professor Dan Markel, claimed she was "grabbed" and extorted late last year at the Leon County Detention Facility.

Shonda Knight, director of community and media relations for the Leon County Sheriff's Office, confirmed Thursday that Adelson complained of the incident Monday, more than a month after it allegedly happened. The Sheriff's Office is investigating the allegation.

A triple extortion!!