South Florida dentist, Charles Adelson, was convicted on Monday for the murder of Dan Markel, a prominent law professor, in a case rooted in family conflict.
Reports are that the jury found Adelson guilty of orchestrating the murder of Markel, a notable law professor at Florida State University. Markel’s death occurred amid a contentious custody dispute following his divorce from Adelson’s sister, Wendi.
The custody battle took a grave turn when Markel was fatally shot outside his home in Tallahassee, an act the prosecution claimed Adelson financed.
Adelson was convicted of first-degree murder along with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and solicitation of first-degree murder.
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Custody battle turns deadly
Central to the case was the contentious divorce between Wendi Adelson and Markel, who had two children together.
Wendi’s desire to relocate to South Florida for familial support was thwarted by a judicial ruling, necessitating Markel’s agreement, which he withheld.
A plot unfolds: The accused and the accomplices
Prosecutors told jurors at trial that Adelson paid to have the prominent professor killed and that he used his girlfriend, Katherine Magbanua, to hire the father of her two children, Sigfredo Garcia, to commit the murder.
Reports are that Garcia enlisted the help of his childhood friend, Luis Rivera.
Magbanua and Garcia were convicted of first-degree murder and Rivera is serving a 19-year sentence after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for testifying against them.
Defense claims extortion, not murder
According to reports, Adelson took the stand as the only defense witness at his trial.
He said in his testimony that he felt a sense of relief to finally tell the public that he was a victim of extortion and not the mastermind who hired the hitmen who shot Markel.
He further said that he had nothing to do with the murder and that he was shocked when Magbanua came to his home and said her friends were the killers.
He said she told him he needed to pay more than $300,000 in 48 hours or he would be killed.
Prosecutors told the jury that there were far too many inconsistencies with Adelson’s trial testimony.
