After three hours of deliberation, jurors found Donna Adelson guilty in connection with the m*rder of her former son-in-law, who was shot by hired hitmen back in 2014.
Now, one juror who participated in the case has revealed how the group reached their verdict.
Last Thursday (September 4), Adelson, the matriarch of a wealthy Florida family, was found guilty of first-degree m*rder in the for-hire plot to end the life of law professor Daniel Markel.
After the verdict was read, the woman yelled out, “Oh my God!” and began sobbing and shaking.
Donna Adelson was found guilty of first-degree m*rder, conspiracy, and solicitation in the 2014 crime of her former son-in-law, Daniel Markel
Image credits: Tallahassee Democrat
When Judge Everett announced that she had also been found guilty of conspiracy to commit m*rder and solicitation, she continued crying and asked the bailiff to escort the jurors out of the courtroom.
“Within the first hour, hour and a half, everyone was agreeing that she was guilty,” said @LaceyWithAJ, who identified herself as the jury foreperson.
“It was unanimous within the first hour, hour and a half.”
Asked by commenters what evidence the group took into consideration to reach their verdict, she said, “Honestly there was sooo much.”
Image credits: FSU College of Law
Lacey wrote that the 75-year-old grandmother “is a smart woman, which is why she [avoided] being convicted for 11 [years].”
The jury reached a unanimous verdict within the first 90 minutes of deliberation, according to the foreperson
She added: “All of her emails, texts, calls indicate how power hungry she was — she meant it when she said that Daniel Markel wasn’t going to beat the Adelson family.”
Markel, a law professor at Florida State University, was involved in a custody battle with Adelson’s daughter, Wendi, over their two young sons.
Image credits: TikTok / laceywithaj
Following the couple’s bitter divorce in 2013, Markel refused to let Wendi move with the children from Tallahassee, where he worked, to South Florida, where the Adelsons lived.
The matriarch’s effort to keep her grandchildren close is believed to have driven her to hire hitmen to gun down Markel.
At first, two of the twelve jurors were “unsure” about Adelson’s guilt, Lacey said.
Jurors reviewed extensive evidence, including emails, texts, and calls
Image credits: Tallahassee Democrat
The foreperson said the group then decided to go over the evidence “point by point” using a whiteboard.
“We went over everything several times because this is a big decision and this is serious and we all took our duty very seriously, like this isn’t just fun and games,” the juror stressed.
“Although it is a very cool experience to talk about now and it’s exciting, it is someone’s life, and it is the law and we all took it very seriously.”
@laceywithaj Replying to @Arualbeth my long winded response PART 1 #donnaadelson #donnaadelsontrial #guiltyascharged #juryduty #floridalaw ♬ sonido original – user69314024372
After deliberating with the group, Lacey passed out 12 pieces of paper, asking everyone to anonymously write down the verdict to ensure they weren’t pressured by fellow jurors’ opinions.
“All 12 pieces of paper said guilty,” the woman said, adding that she asked for verbal confirmation that they found her guilty on all three counts.”
The crime was allegedly driven by Adelson’s wish to stay close to her grandchildren during a custody battle
Image credits: Tallahassee Democrat
She said the jurors were escorted out of the courtroom after Adelson was read the verdict because “there was that outburst that we all saw.”
Despite experiencing “a very intense two weeks” because of the trial, Lacey enjoyed the responsibility of being a juror.
The grandmother was arrested in November 2023 as she and her husband, Harvey Adelson, were about to board a one-way flight to Vietnam, a non-extradition country.
Markel was shot twice in the head in his Tallahassee garage after bringing the two children he shared with Wendi to preschool and then going to the gym, prosecutors said.
He was rushed to a local hospital, where he lost his life 14 hours later.
Adelson is the fifth person convicted in the case, following her son, Charlie, his ex-girlfriend, and the two hired gunmen
Wendi denied having any involvement in or knowledge of the m*rder plot.
On the stand, she insisted that calling her ex-husband derogatory names like “dark lord” and an “STD” had nothing to do with the plot to end Markel’s life.
Image credits: Tallahassee Democrat
Prosecutors alleged that Adelson masterminded the plot, estimated to cost more than $100,000, according to court documents.
“At its core, this was a m*rder of convenience so that one grandmother could live closer to her grandchildren,” said Markel’s mother, Ruth, in a statement after the guilty verdict was read.
“She k*lled their father and ripped the children from the other grandparents’ lives.”
Adelson is believed to have orchestrated the m*rder plot
As I look at this photo of #DonnaAdelson with bracelets on her wrists having been found guilty of 3 counts of murder of #DanMarkel, a thought came to mind. You are never to old to escape the long arm of the law and justice. You will be found out and held to account for your… pic.twitter.com/nYHzDPJJuD
— MaryMacElveen 🇺🇸 (@MaryMacElveen) September 6, 2025
Adelson is the fifth person convicted in the case. In 2023, her son, Charlie, was found guilty of the same three counts for which she was just convicted.
Charlie’s ex-girlfriend, Katherine Magbanua, and the two men hired to shoot Markel, Luis Rivera and Sigfredo Garcia, were also sentenced to prison.
Wendi and her father, Harvey Adelson, have not been charged in connection with the crime.
Netizens reacted to the juror’s account of how the group reached a guilty verdict for Adelson
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