FL - FSU Law Professor Dan Markel Murdered by Hitmen-Donna Adelson Upcoming Trial - *5 Guilty* #27

[Niner]

I think it was Annie, but not positive

Thanks!

 

[arielilane]

@BUF is correct.

@JeffBurlew


Defense calls Anne Cunningham of Naples.


9:15 AM · Sep 2, 2025

 

[arielilane]

Posted two hours ago

Jackie Fulford is questioning Cunningham, who also resides in New Jersey part of the year.

She's a special education teacher who has known Donna Adelson since 2009. She said she her life partner cracked a tooth at a Chinese restaurant on Christmas Eve and that Harvey Adelson fixed his tooth the next day.

The Cunninghams and the Adelsons socialized together, got close and traveled together, she said under questioning from Fulford.

Anne Cunningham said she met two of Donna Adelson's kids, Wendi Adelson and Charlie Adelson. She said she never met Rob Adelson, the defendant's estranged son.

"At any time ... did she ever say she wanted to have Dan Markel killed?" Fulford asked."Never," Cunningham said."Did she ever claim she was going to do something about it?" Fulford asked."Never," the witness said.

She said she traveled many times with the Adelsons, including going overseas. They used apps like WhatsApp while traveling. Fulford asked if she ever used the encrypted apps so law enforcement wouldn't know what was going on."No," she said.

Cunningham said Donna Adelson called her after Dan Markel was shot and was "quite hysterical." She started to testify about the conversation, but the state objected. Sidebar ...

Cunningham says she talked to Donna the day Dan Markel was shot, which was July 18, 2014. He died the next day in the hospital."Was she crying?" Fulford asked."Yes," she said."Did she appear upset?" Fulford continued."Very," Cunningham replied.

"She told me that Danny had been shot, that they were going to Tallahassee, and that she was very concerned and worried about Wendi and the boys, whether they were in danger," Cunningham said. "She did not know who had shot (Markel)."

Fulford asked if she kept up with Charlie Adelson's case after he was arrested and tried."Did you watch it on the news?" Fulford asked."As little as possible," Cunningham said.

Cunningham said Donna and Harvey Adelson watched the trial from her place in Naples.

Fulford asked whether she attended one of the grandchildren's Bar Mitzvahs in 2024.

Cunningham testifying about how Donna Adelson felt after Charlie's conviction in 2023."She was very concerned about Harvey, very concerned about Charlie and just incredibly sad," she said.

Cunningham coming back to the witness stand after a short break.

Judge Everett admonishes lawyers about so many sidebar questions.

Cunningham talking about how Donna Adelson was doing after her son, Charlie Adelson, was convicted in Dan Markel's murder."She was considering taking her own life," Cunningham said.

Fulford asked if Donna Adelson ever talked about a plan to get away "to just clear her head.""Yes," Cunningham said.

Fulford asked whether Donna Adelson was excited about attending her son's upcoming Bar Mitzvah. Cunningham said yes.Assistant Georgia Cappleman asked if she knew Donna Adelson mentioned wanting to be buried in her Bar Mitzbah dress."No," Cunningham said.

Cappleman: "Did she ever tell you that she was being extorted?""Eventually," Cunningham said.

Cunningham said that she learned Charlie Adelson was being extorted by the killers, but she can't recall when.

"Did you watch the trial of Charlie Adelson?" Cappleman said."At the very end," Cunningham said.Cappleman shows Cunningham text messages between her and Donna Adelson about the trial.

"When Charlie Adelson was convicted, you disagreed with the verdict, right?" Cappleman said."Yes," Cunningham said."No Adelson had anything to do with the murder of Dan Markel, isn't that what you think?" Cappleman asked."Yes," Cunningham replied.

Cappleman asks if Donna Adelson ever told her she wanted to get out of the country before law enforcement arrived."I don't recall," Cunningham said.

Cappleman asked whether Donna Adelson wrote that Harvey Adelson was on the floor "crying like a baby" after his son's conviction.

Cunningham said her partner owned a computer consulting business and "made a lot of money" flipping apartments.

Jackie Fulford on redirect, asks whether Donna Adelson was planning to come back to the states after Vietnam."Definitely," Cunningham said.

@JeffBurlew

 

[arielilane]

@ByMattHoffmann


There was somewhat as a 'gotcha' moment when the prosecutor confronted the witness with WhatsApp not having voice calls until *after* the time in question.The witness, though, says the call must've occurred on another app.

Now up for the defense is a Mr. Richard Shchagrin. He said he is family friend of the Adelsons, as is his wife.He spoke with Harvey Adelson the day after Dan Markel's murder. He described Harvey as "in shock."

More interestingly, Mr. Schagrin helped book the trip to Vietnam.He said he's been to 75 countries. He said *he* recommended the one-way ticket for Donna Adelson.

 

[nodamselindistress]

Surprised the defense has all these witnesses, did not expect it. Do not believe any have been especially helpful.

 

[Tapeartree]

Surprised the defense has all these witnesses, did not expect it. Do not believe any have been especially helpful.

I don't see how any of this testimony is helping the defense.

 

[nodamselindistress]

Amateur hour.....

 

[shotgun09]

This is MOO, but the defenses' PI guy who was just on the stand appeared to me that he had been sipping on some 'Bullet Bourbon' for quite some time before taking the stand. ( Hick-up....Burp )

Carry on...

 

[BUF]

Had to pick up my dog at the vet. Doesn’t look like I missed anything exciting?

 

[lisette]

It seems that this video just confirms the snitch’s story…

 

[BUF]

Court ended 2+ hours early today @ 2:45.

Defense said that a witness couldn’t get there until 10:00 tomorrow. Judge said to get your witnesses there on time. He called for court @ 8:30 tomorrow.

Could this mean that a witness that could take up a lot of time? Or the defense hasn’t got a clue what they are doing yet?

 

[Kath1963]

Had to pick up my dog at the vet. Doesn’t look like I missed anything exciting?

The biggest excitement IMHO was when the judge found out that a defense witness had been sitting in the back of the courtroom listening to other testimony. Situation was resolved when it was determined that said witness hadn't heard anything relevant to his own testimony, but the judge was not happy at all.

 

[Tapeartree]

Court ended 2+ hours early today @ 2:45.

Defense said that a witness couldn’t get there until 10:00 tomorrow. Judge said to get your witnesses there on time. He called for court @ 8:30 tomorrow.

Could this mean that a witness that could take up a lot of time? Or the defense hasn’t got a clue what they are doing yet?"

Yeah, don't think the judge is too happy with the defense. First, one of their witnesses was sitting in the court room during testimony, and court recessed early because their witness couldn't be in court today. The defense is responsible for wasting the juries time.

 

[BUF]

How many excuses have there been for that one way ticket to Vietnam? Newest one today is that it would be cheaper to book it home from Vietnamese to the US…coming from the witness on the walker who is more travel savvy.

(trying to catch up on testimony I missed)

 

[opt]

How many excuses have there been for that one way ticket to Vietnam? Newest one today is that it would be cheaper to book it home from Vietnamese to the US…coming from the witness on the walker who is more travel savvy.

That's possible if the airline uses an outdated exchange rate. Savings would be minimal unless the exchange rates moved dramatically before the purchase. Would miserly Harvey try to save a couple hundred dollars on a ticket? Yes he would. This is one defense theory I could believe. But I don't.

 

[STAGNUM]

According to WA, they simply discussed the broken television and whether to have it repaired.

Yes, on direct CA said he called WA because he had a fight with Katie and wanted Wendi's opinion about it. He also said that Wendi said she was having her tv repaired because the screen was broken.

They could have picked a better code word. Perhaps the Lexus. Everyone knows you cannot fix a TV with a cracked screen.

 

[Tortoise]

I think one of the strongest pieces of evidence of the conspiracy was Donna's text to Charlie, purportedly about planning Harvey's birthday present, telling him to delete this text. And then months later out of the blue Charlie sent another text about planning Harvey's present, and Donna replied in a way that showed it was obviously a code word for planning the murder.

 

[loreet]

Today’s 2 private investigator witnesses were interesting. I am pondering whether they are being called to protect the defense attorneys themselves as much or more than Donna. Can they possibly be accused of some kind of improper defense attorney behavior in their conduct as regards the state witnesses that testified that Donna attempted to bribe these inmates?

 

[LinasK]

They could have picked a better code word. Perhaps the Lexus. Everyone knows you cannot fix a TV with a cracked screen.

Yeah, but neither of those items cost only $5,000, especially not a Lexus.

 

[opt]

Yeah, but neither of those items cost only $5,000, especially not a Lexus.

A Lexus costs $1700 if you are Katie and you buy it from the Adelsons.

You can even barter services in lieu of that $1700.