Donna Adelson is back in court for the ninth day of her trial and slated to listen to more recordings of secretly recorded phone calls between her, her son and others.
On Aug. 28, the court heard nearly eight hours of the wiretapped phone calls, some of the state’s most damning evidence against Donna. FBI Special Agent Patrick Sanford walked the courtroom through numerous recordings that he said was the Adelsons talking in “code” to discuss the murder of Dan Markel. Sanford will be back this morning to complete his testimony.
Donna, 75, is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy and solicitation in the infamous murder of Markel, a former law professor at Florida State University. The killing has led to the convictions of four others, including her son, Charlie Adelson, who was convicted in 2023.
She is accused of helping organize a murder-for-hire that led to two hitmen shooting Markel in the driveway of his home. At the time, he and his ex-wife, Wendi Adelson, were in the middle of a custody battle as Wendi attempted to move with their two young sons to Miami.
Here are the latest updates from the Adelson trial:
Why does the judge keep reminding Donna Adelson to put on her headphones?
Donna Adelson has been wearing headphones — two different kinds, no less — throughout her trial in the 2014 murder-for-hire of Dan Markel.
Why she’s using the devices has become a mini-mystery in itself and one of the most asked questions about the sensational trial, which is being live-streamed for the world to see.
The topic even came up in court Aug. 27 and Aug. 28, when Leon Circuit Judge Stephen Everett reminded the defendant to wear them while an FBI agent testified about incriminating wiretapped phone conversations.
GAVEL-TO-GAVEL COVERAGE:
For best viewing experience: Download the Tallahassee Democrat app to watch and receive text alerts on when to watch – from opening arguments to the verdict.
The Tallahassee Democrat will livestream each day of the trial of Donna Adelson from the courthouse in Tallahassee. Watch on Tallahassee.com and the Tallahassee Democrat’s Facebook and YouTube pages.
Download the Tallahassee Democrat app to watch and receive text alerts on when to watch – from opening arguments to the verdict.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Donna Adelson trial livestream: Jury hears more from wiretapped calls