A Florida grandmother planned to flee to Vietnam days after her son was convicted of murdering her son-in-law, as she now stands accused of orchestrating the execution.
Donna Adelson, 75, is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy, and solicitation in connection with the 2014 killing of Daniel Markel, a Florida State University law professor who was shot in the head in his garage.
Prosecutors allege the killing was the culmination of a plot by Adelson and other family members to eliminate Markel, who had blocked her daughter, Wendi Adelson, from moving their two young sons to South Florida.
During trial testimony on Friday, the court heard calls which revealed Adelson's plans to flee to Vietnam just one week after her son Charlie Adelson's murder conviction in 2023.
In a phone call one day after his conviction, Adelson was heard discussing 'extradition from Vietnam' and that they had 'looked at all the places,' WCTV reported.
Adelson was arrested at Miami International Airport in 2023, just one week after her son's conviction.
She and her husband, Harvey Adelson, were at the airport reportedly preparing to board a one-way flight to Vietnam - a country that does not have an extradition treaty with the United States.
The court heard phone calls between Donna Adelson, 75, and her son, Charlie, one day after his murder conviction during which Adelson discusses 'extradition from Vietnam'
Adelson (pictured) is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy, and solicitation in connection with the 2014 killing of her former son-in-law, a Florida State University law professor who was found shot in the head
After the call with her son disconnected, Adelson, unaware the call had not been disconnected, said, 'I just want to go to sleep.'
'I'm old. I had a life....We bought our cemetery property a couple months ago, we're good. I'm good,' she continued.
Adelson then read several texts from her daughter, Wendi Adelson, aloud which the phone call also recorded.
'I know you are upset by the verdict, but the anger directed at me is not justified,' Wendi wrote to Adelson.
'I am not guilty because I did not do anything wrong and I was not involved in any way with Danny death,' Wendi continued. 'Please do not text me about this case anymore.'
Adelson was then heard saying: '[I] have one son that I don't speak with, I have one son whose hopes seem dead, and my daughter, whom I love, is doing this?'
At the time, Markel and Wendi had been divorced for a year and were locked in a bitter custody dispute, the Associated Press reported.
Adelson broke down last week as a forensic specialist took the stand, describing evidence recovered from the crime scene - including Markel's eyeglasses and cell phone - found near his vehicle in the garage.
Daniel Markel, 41, was found shot dead outside his garage in what police believe was a murder for hire plot
As the specialist testified there were no signs of a struggle or burglary and the house was otherwise secured, Adelson sat in the background with her lip quivering and tears rolling down her cheeks.
During opening statements last week, prosecutors painted Adelson as a controlling and calculating matriarch of a wealthy South Florida family who 'hated' Markel and was determined to remove him as an obstacle to her daughter's move.
'The defendant said that she would never, never, never give up and never stop fighting for Wendi and the boys to be relocated to Miami. And she never did,' prosecutor Sarah Kathryn Dugan told jurors.
'The defendant acted in furtherance of this murder plot that went beyond just thinking about it or talking about it,' Dugan added.
'And these acts make her guilty as a principal in first-degree murder, just as if she was the one pulling the trigger in the garage herself,' she continued.
Four people are already serving prison sentences for their roles in the killing, including Adelson's son, Charles Adelson, who was convicted in 2023 and sentenced to life in prison.
Prosecutors allege the killing was the culmination of a plot by Adelson and other family members to eliminate Markel, who had blocked her daughter from moving their two young sons to South Florida.
Adelson, visibly emotional as trial testimony began last week, broke down as a forensic specialist took the stand, describing evidence recovered from the crime scene.
Prosecutors say the family at one point considered offering Markel $1 million to allow Wendi to move the children to Miami - before allegedly turning to murder, with Adelson as a key player.
Throughout the trial however, Adelson has remained active in her defense, taking notes on a legal pad and closely watching testimony from behind tortoise-shell-style glasses, according to the Associated Press.
Her attorneys argue there is no direct evidence linking her to the crime, and insist the prosecution's theory relies solely on motive and speculation.
'It is truly outrageous,' defense attorney Jackie Fulford said of the killing.
'But what's more outrageous is, without any evidence, only motive and theory, they put her at the top of this pyramid.'
During court on Friday, the defense took issue with the Adelson's arrest in Miami International Airport after it was revealed that no warrant was obtained for Adelson's arrest until they learnt of her travel plans.
'From the date Mr. Markel was murdered...hundreds of thousands of emails...you've got all of that,' Adelson's attorney Jackie Fulford said.
'You've got all the call detail records. No warrant.'
FBI Special Agent Patrick Sanford said in court that after intercepting the couple on the jet bridge as they began boarding the plane, Adelson resisted handing over her cellphone.
If convicted, Adelson could spend the rest of her life in prison. Her trial is expected to extend into September.
'When I grabbed a hold of it, she pulled it away and said "No,"' Sanford said. 'Another officer actually grabbed her arm and held it.'
Harvey and Wendi Adelson have denied involvement in the murder and have not been charged.
Prosecutors plan to call both Charles and Wendi Adelson as witnesses during the trial, along with Katherine Magbanua - Charles's former girlfriend - who prosecutors say acted as the go-between with the two hired gunmen, Sigfredo Garcia and Luis Rivera.
Rivera also took the stand Friday and testified that he did not believe Adelson was involved in the plot, which he said was carried out to give Wendi full custody of her two sons.
If convicted, Adelson could spend the rest of her life in prison. Her trial is expected to extend into September.