A GRANDMA accused of planning the murder of her son-in-law was seen grabbing her phone from police officers while they arrested her at an airport.
Donna Adelson, 73, was arrested at Miami International Airport in November for allegedly plotting the murder of her daughter’s ex-husband, Dan Markel, with her son Charlie Adelson.
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Markel was found dead in 2014 outside his home in Tallahassee, Florida, after dropping off his pre-school-aged kids at school.
At the time Dan and his ex-wife Wendi were in a serious custody battle.
After almost ten years, prosecutors concluded that Dan’s demise was planned by five co-conspirators, including Wendi’s brother Charlie, who orchestrated the entire thing.
On November 6, 2023, a 12-person jury unanimously found Charlie Adelson guilty of first-degree murder.
With the convicted killer now serving life in prison, police quickly set their sights on his mother.
A week after his conviction, cops were able to arrest Donna as she boarded a flight to Vietnam from Miami with her husband, bodycam footage obtained by Law & Crime revealed.
An officer can be heard telling her, “You’re under arrest for the murder of Dan Markel.”
Adelson then quickly tries to put her cell phone away, telling the officer “my attorney told me not to [handover the device]” as he tells her, “No phones.”
The officer proceeds to confiscate the phone, claiming it is evidence.
At the time, Adelson was boarding a plane with her husband who she said was “almost 80 years old” and asked how he could be safely taken home.
“Someone’s gotta help him get home. This is terrible,” she said while being cuffed. Her husband could heard at the scene asking the police to stop.
Travelers looked confused, as the video captured Adelson’s long walk to the police car.
As the elderly woman was placed in the back seat, the final moments of the video showed her with an emotionless expression before exiting into the station.
She has since been charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy, and solicitation.
ONE-WAY TICKET
Donna was arrested shortly after detectives heard the phone conversations she had with her convicted son.
“Jail calls from after Charles Adelson’s guilty verdict include multiple calls in which Donna Sue Adelson is telling Charles Adelson that she is getting things in order, creating trusts, and making sure her grandchildren are taken care of,” an affidavit showed.
On one call, she appeared to allude to suicide, saying, “Do I want to go to sleep and not see my son? I do,” according to a recording released by ABC News.
She continued saying, “We’d do it together. Leave a note, they’ll know when to come and get us and we’ll do it together.”
The mother of three revealed she had booked a one-way flight to Vietnam with her husband.
She looked into other countries, but Vietnam stuck out to her because they had no extradition treaty with the US.
Since her arrest, Donna has been accused of helping to plan Markel’s murder, so her daughter and grandchildren can relocate to Tallahassee which was closer to her, according to prosecutors.
The grandmother was the fifth person arrested in the murder of Markel, who was a Florida State University law professor.
Since landing in jail, she has been placed in solitary confinement and is on suicide watch.
During a pre-hearing, her team claimed that her current arrangement was stopping her from being able to get counsel, and she needed better treatment for her upcoming trial.
However, the judge ultimately ruled that the decision was left to the sheriff since the jail was out of their jurisdiction.
A case management conference was scheduled for last Tuesday, but severe weather caused it to be pushed back to January 30.
KILLER PLAN
It is believed that Charlie Adelson had contracted hitmen, whom he had met through his ex-girlfriend, Katherine Magbanua.
Magbanua had called on the father of her children, Sigfredo Garcia, and Luis Rivera to murder Markel.
Rivera was named as the person who drove the getaway car while Garcia was allegedly the one who pulled the trigger.
During Adelson’s trial, he claimed that both of the hitmen demanded money on the night of the gruesome murder and that an FBI agent later posed as a blackmailer.
However, the prosecutors dismissed his claims.
In 2016, Rivera was the first person to be convicted and was sentenced to 19 years in prison after taking a plea deal.
Three years later, Garcia was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison according to the Florida Department of Corrections.
In July 2022, Magbanua would also be given life in prison without parole.
Charlie would be the latest criminal in the group to be given life in prison in November 2023.
Last week, Adelson hired new lawyers – her son’s lead attorney Daniel Rashbaum and well-known criminal defense lawyer Alex Morris, court documents reveal.
A case management conference was scheduled for last Tuesday, but severe weather caused it to be pushed back to January 30.
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