Florida Woman Arrested in Connection to Murder-For-Hire Plot Following Son's Conviction

Miami, FL - Donna Adelson, a 73-year-old grandmother from Miami, was taken into custody on Monday night at Miami International Airport on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy, and solicitation, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. The arrest comes just one week after her son, Charles Adelson, was found guilty of the same charges in the 2014 shooting death of his former brother-in-law, Florida State University professor Dan Markel.

Donna Adelson and her husband, Harvey Adelson, were intercepted by the FBI and other law enforcement agents at the airport as they attempted to board a one-way flight to Vietnam. Vietnam has no extradition treaty with the United States, which raises suspicions that the couple was attempting to escape justice. Donna Adelson is currently being held without bond at TGK, a local jail in Miami.

The murder-for-hire plot stemmed from a bitter custody battle between Markel and Donna Adelson's daughter, Wendi Adelson. Wendi wanted to relocate from Tallahassee to South Florida to be closer to her family, but a judge ruled that she could not move the children without Markel's consent, which he refused to give. Prosecutors argued during the trial that Charles Adelson had paid to have Markel killed, using his girlfriend Katherine Magbanua to hire the hitman Sigfredo Garcia.

During his trial, Charles Adelson took the stand as the only defense witness and claimed that he was a victim of extortion, not the mastermind behind the murder. He stated that Magbanua had come to his home demanding over $300,000 within 48 hours, threatening him with death if he did not comply. However, prosecutors argued that there were too many inconsistencies in Adelson's testimony to be believed.

Donna Adelson's arrest comes following the release of recorded phone calls in which she discussed plans to leave the country and even contemplated suicide. The arrest warrant states that she had the financial means to finance Markel's murder and provide ongoing compensation to Magbanua. Her husband, Harvey Adelson, was not arrested but was taken into custody at the airport with her.

Donna Adelson is expected to be transferred to Leon County at a later date due to security concerns. Meanwhile, Charles Adelson is set to be sentenced next month and is facing a mandatory life sentence for his conviction. Magbanua and Garcia have already been convicted of first-degree murder, while Rivera, another accomplice, is serving a 19-year sentence after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for his testimony against them.