# Charles "Charlie" Adelson

> A Fort Lauderdale periodontist was convicted in 2023 of murdering his former brother-in-law, Florida State University law professor Dan Markel, by hiring killers through his former girlfriend. He testified that he was extorted after the killing, not part of it. A Florida appeals court affirmed his convictions in July 2026.

- Case: State of Florida v. Adelson · Leon County (Tallahassee), Florida · 2022
- Case status: Convicted. Convicted Nov. 6, 2023, of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and solicitation to commit first-degree murder, and sentenced Dec. 12, 2023, to life in prison plus two consecutive 30-year terms. Florida's First District Court of Appeal affirmed the judgment and sentence on July 1, 2026. At sentencing he said he maintains his innocence. He was moved to an out-of-state prison in South Dakota in May 2024. As of Oct. 29, 2026, the sources reviewed report no further appeal after the July ruling.
- Last updated: 2026-10-29
- Editorial review: approved 2026-10-29
- Web page: https://criminalbackstories.com/cases/charlie-adelson/
- All defendants are presumed innocent until found guilty by a court of law. Charges and allegations described on this site are not proof of guilt.

## Why he's in the news

On July 1, 2026, a three-judge panel of Florida's First District Court of Appeal affirmed Adelson's convictions and sentence, rejecting his arguments that the trial should have been moved out of Tallahassee because of pretrial publicity and that the jury panel should have been struck.[1][4] The court held that both claims were not preserved because the defense made its motions orally rather than in writing and did not renew them before the jury was sworn, and that the record showed no fundamental error.[1] "Adelson has failed to show that the trial court encountered difficulty in seating an impartial jury," the court wrote, as quoted by Court TV.[5] The panel had heard argument on Feb. 3, 2026.[6][5] His mother, Donna Adelson, convicted in the same killing in 2025, has a separate appeal pending in the same court.[1]

## Case at a glance

- Convictions: First-degree murder (Count 1), conspiracy to commit first-degree murder (Count 2) and solicitation to commit first-degree murder (Count 3)[18][1]
- Victim: Dan Markel, 41, a Florida State University law professor and his former brother-in-law[22][1]
- Killed: Shot twice in the head in his car in his garage in Tallahassee on July 18, 2014; he died the next day[1][3]
- Indicted: April 20, 2022, by a Leon County grand jury; arrested at his Broward County home the next day[21][16]
- Trial: Oct. 23 to Nov. 6, 2023, in Leon County; the jury deliberated about three hours[3][18]
- Sentenced: Dec. 12, 2023, to life without the possibility of parole, plus two consecutive 30-year terms[15][1]
- Judge: Circuit Judge Stephen S. Everett, Second Judicial Circuit[1]
- Appeal: *Adelson v. State*, No. 1D2024-0004 (Fla. 1st DCA July 1, 2026), affirmed[1]
- Co-defendants: Luis Rivera (pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, 19 years); Sigfredo Garcia (convicted 2019, life plus 30 years); Katherine Magbanua (convicted 2022, life plus consecutive 30-year terms); Donna Adelson, his mother (convicted 2025, life plus 30 years)[1]
- Current status: Serving his sentence; Florida Department of Corrections records listed him in South Dakota custody as of May 2024[13]

## The backstory

### The victim and the dispute

Dan Markel grew up in Toronto, graduated from Harvard Law School in 2001 and joined the faculty of Florida State University's College of Law in 2005, WTXL reported.[22] He was 41 when he was killed.[22] He and Adelson's sister had divorced and were litigating over her petition to move with their two sons to South Florida, which Markel opposed, according to the appeals court.[1] The court wrote that Adelson and his parents wanted the move as well.[1] Adelson testified that his family offered Markel $1 million to allow it and that he offered to pay a third.[19]

### The killing

On the morning of July 18, 2014, Markel was shot twice in the head while sitting in his car in the garage of his Tallahassee home, according to the appeals court; he died the next day.[1][3] Surveillance video showed a rental car following him that morning, and the car had been rented by Luis Rivera and Sigfredo Garcia, the court wrote.[1] Investigators linked Garcia to the Adelson family through Katherine Magbanua, Adelson's former girlfriend and the mother of Garcia's children.[1]

According to the court, Rivera confessed and said that Magbanua hired Garcia, who recruited him, and that the three were paid $100,000 in $100 bills stapled in $1,000 bundles.[1] The court wrote that investigators learned Adelson habitually kept his cash stapled that way.[1] Two months after the killing, Magbanua began receiving a salary from the family's dental practice, though there was no evidence she worked there, the court wrote.[1]

### The co-defendants

Rivera pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 19 years.[1] Garcia was convicted in 2019 of first-degree murder and conspiracy and sentenced to life plus 30 years.[1] Magbanua's first trial ended in a mistrial, and a jury convicted her at a 2022 retrial of first-degree murder, conspiracy and solicitation; she was sentenced to life plus consecutive 30-year terms.[3][1] The convictions of Garcia and Magbanua were affirmed on appeal.[1]

### The investigation and arrest

In April 2016, investigators had a wiretap on phone lines including Adelson's and Magbanua's, according to his appellate brief.[3] On April 19, 2016, an undercover FBI agent posing as someone seeking money for his silence approached his mother, Donna Adelson, and handed her a news article about the murder with a phone number, an operation investigators called "the bump."[3][16] Her first call afterward was to her son, the brief says.[3] In a recording of that call reported by ABC News, Adelson asked, "Does it involve me or other people?" and his mother answered, "Well, probably the both of us."[16] He later called the number himself and spoke with the agent, and the family did not pay, according to the brief.[3] In a 2016 recording of a conversation with Magbanua, enhanced by the FBI in 2022, he said, "If you're going to charge me, charge me," ABC News reported.[16]

A Leon County grand jury indicted Adelson on April 20, 2022, and he was arrested at his Broward County home the next day.[21][16] He pleaded not guilty.[16]

### The trial

The trial ran from Oct. 23 to Nov. 6, 2023, before Circuit Judge Stephen Everett.[3][1] The court individually questioned 130 prospective jurors over three days; 96 had heard of the case, and the 54 who had formed opinions were excused, according to the appeals court.[1] Prosecutors Georgia Cappleman and Sarah Dugan presented wiretaps, secretly recorded conversations, phone records and payment records.[3][14]

Rivera testified for the state, as he had in the earlier trials, under an agreement for a 19-year sentence.[3] According to the brief's summary of his testimony, he said Magbanua got the money from "the dentists" and that the day after the shooting he received cash in $100 bills stapled into $1,000 bundles.[3]

Magbanua, who had denied involvement at her own trials, testified for the state.[3] ABC News reported that she testified for the first time that Adelson orchestrated the plot and that she helped pay the two men, and that she denied blackmailing him.[16] According to the brief, she testified that she received the money from Adelson the morning after the killing.[3] She said she had not been promised anything but was "hoping" for a reduced sentence, WCTV reported.[18] A state expert testified about call records showing contacts among Adelson, Magbanua and Garcia during the trips to Tallahassee, the brief says.[3]

### His testimony

Adelson testified in his own defense on Nov. 2, 2023.[19] "They think it was murder-for-hire. It was an extortion," he told the jury.[19] He said that after the killing Magbanua told him that an ex-boyfriend had committed it and wanted more than $300,000, or he would be killed too, and that he told her, "I'm not going to be part of paying for a murder. This is insane."[19] He said she told him he had 48 hours to pay.[20] He testified that he gave her $138,000 in cash from his safe, agreed to pay $3,000 a month after that, and later agreed to pay her $1,000 a month toward her children's health insurance.[19] He said he believed Magbanua was not part of the extortion and was trying to protect him from Garcia.[19] He said he did not go to the police because he was afraid Garcia would kill him.[19] He testified that he had joked that a $5,000 television he bought his sister was cheaper than hiring a hitman, and that it was only a joke.[19][20] Asked why he did not testify at Magbanua's trial, he said, "I thought the truth was going to come out," ABC News reported.[16]

His parents had been listed as defense witnesses but were removed after the court ordered them to attend an FBI interview, according to the brief.[3]

### The verdict and sentence

On Nov. 6, 2023, after about three hours of deliberation, the jury found Adelson guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and solicitation to commit first-degree murder.[18] He was the fourth person convicted in the case.[18] The murder conviction carried a mandatory life sentence.[18] On Dec. 12, 2023, he was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole on the murder count and to consecutive 30-year terms on the other two counts, with credit for 597 days served.[15][1] "I would just like to say that I maintain my innocence," he told the court, the Associated Press reported.[14]

### The appeal

While his appeal was pending, his appellate lawyers asked the appeals court in October 2024 to return the case to Judge Everett to consider whether his trial lawyer, Daniel Rashbaum, had a conflict of interest from having also represented his mother; the court denied the request on Jan. 2, 2025.[12][2] His initial brief, filed May 7, 2025, raised five claims: the denial of a change of venue, the refusal to strike the jury panel after prospective jurors discussed the case in the assembly room, the exclusion of certain text messages, the exclusion of a 2016 recorded call offered to show his state of mind, and cumulative error.[3][8]

On July 1, 2026, the First District Court of Appeal affirmed in an opinion by Judge Lori S. Rowe, joined by Judges Thomas D. Winokur and M. Kemmerly Thomas.[1] The court held that the venue and jury-panel claims were not preserved because the motions were not made in writing as the rules require and were not renewed before the jury was sworn.[1] It found no fundamental error, noting that none of the seated jurors had formed an opinion and that defense counsel declined the trial court's offer to review recordings from the jury assembly room.[1] It affirmed the remaining claims without discussion.[1]

## Personal backstory

### Family and career

Adelson was a periodontist in Fort Lauderdale and was 47 when he was convicted.[19][17] He co-owned the family dental practice, the Adelson Institute, with his father, according to his appellate brief; his mother managed it.[3] He dated Magbanua from 2013 to 2015, ABC News reported.[16] His sister, Markel's former wife, has not been charged, the Associated Press reported.[14]

*No mental-health testimony or court findings about his health appear in the sources reviewed.*

### His mother's case

A week after his conviction, his mother, [Donna Adelson](/cases/donna-adelson/), was arrested at Miami International Airport and charged with the same crimes.[14] Her trial, set for September 2024, was halted when her lawyer withdrew because Adelson declined to waive the conflict arising from the lawyer's earlier work on his case.[12] He was brought to the Leon County Jail for her 2025 trial but was not called as a witness, Court TV reported.[10] A jury convicted her of first-degree murder, conspiracy and solicitation, and on Oct. 13, 2025, she was sentenced to life without parole plus consecutive 30-year terms.[1][9]

### In custody

After his sentencing he was held at Wakulla Correctional Institution Annex and, from February 2024, at Columbia Correctional Institution Annex in Lake City, the *Tallahassee Democrat* reported.[13] On May 16, 2024, he was transferred to an out-of-state facility in South Dakota, according to a state victim-notification alert reported by the *Democrat*.[13] *The sources reviewed do not report his current facility.*

*No statement from the Markel family about the July 2026 appellate ruling appears in the sources reviewed.*

## Where the parties stand

- Prosecution: Prosecutors argued that Adelson paid to have Markel killed and used Katherine Magbanua, then his girlfriend, to hire Sigfredo Garcia, the father of her children, to carry it out.[14] They relied on wiretaps, secretly recorded conversations, phone records and the payments Magbanua received after the killing.[14][3] After the verdict, Assistant State Attorney Georgia Cappleman said, "I'm thrilled that justice prevailed."[17] On appeal, the Attorney General's office argued that Adelson waived his objections by accepting the jury.[7][5]
- Adelson: Adelson testified that he was the victim of extortion, not the planner of a murder: "They think it was murder-for-hire. It was an extortion."[19] He said that after the killing Magbanua told him the killer wanted more than $300,000 or he would be killed too, and that he paid out of fear.[19] At sentencing he said, "I maintain my innocence."[15] On appeal, his lawyers argued that pretrial publicity made a fair Tallahassee jury impossible: "If there was ever a case for a change of venue, these facts are that case," appellate attorney Michael Ufferman told the court.[7][3]
- Markel family: At sentencing, Markel's father said the family had "suffered tremendously," losing both their son and their relationship with his two sons, the Associated Press reported.[14] After the verdict he described "unbelievable joy, happiness."[18]

## Timeline

- July 18, 2014: Dan Markel is shot in his car in the garage of his Tallahassee home; he dies the next day.[1][3]
- April 19, 2016: An undercover FBI agent approaches Donna Adelson in what investigators call "the bump"; the wiretapped call that follows is to her son.[3][16]
- 2016: Sigfredo Garcia and Luis Rivera are charged with first-degree murder; Katherine Magbanua is later charged.[16][11]
- 2019: A jury convicts Garcia; Magbanua's first trial ends in a mistrial.[1][3]
- 2022: Magbanua is convicted at a retrial of first-degree murder, conspiracy and solicitation.[1]
- April 21, 2022: Adelson is arrested a day after a Leon County grand jury indicts him.[21][16]
- Nov. 2, 2023: Adelson testifies in his own defense that he was extorted after the killing.[19]
- Nov. 6, 2023: The jury finds him guilty on all three counts after about three hours of deliberation.[18]
- Dec. 12, 2023: He is sentenced to life plus two consecutive 30-year terms.[15][1]
- May 16, 2024: He is transferred to custody in South Dakota.[13]
- Jan. 2, 2025: The appeals court denies his request to send the case back to the trial court over a claimed conflict of interest.[2]
- 2025: A jury convicts his mother, Donna Adelson; she is sentenced on Oct. 13, 2025, to life plus consecutive 30-year terms.[1][9]
- Feb. 3, 2026: The First District Court of Appeal hears oral argument.[6]
- July 1, 2026: The appeals court affirms his convictions and sentence.[1][4]

## What happens next

The July 1, 2026, opinion states that it is "not final until disposition of any timely and authorized motion" for rehearing or related relief under the Florida appellate rules.[1] *The sources reviewed, through Oct. 29, 2026, report no motion for rehearing, no request for review by the Florida Supreme Court and no postconviction motion.* His appellate brief reserved a claim that his trial lawyer had a conflict of interest, from also representing his mother, for possible postconviction proceedings; the appeals court had declined in January 2025 to return the case to the trial court to hear it.[3][2] Donna Adelson's direct appeal, No. 1D2025-2848, was pending when the court ruled on his.[1]

## Sources

1. [Charles Adelson v. State of Florida, No. 1D2024-0004 (opinion)](https://law.justia.com/cases/florida/first-district-court-of-appeal/2026/1d2024-0004.html). Florida First District Court of Appeal, July 1, 2026 (via Justia). (court or official record)
2. [Charles Adelson v. State of Florida, No. 1D2024-0004 (order denying motion to relinquish jurisdiction)](https://acis-api.flcourts.gov/courts/b82b30d5-bd3c-46d7-9451-1cb05e470873/cms/case/3a62f2be-e754-4148-9828-4d164944b578/docketentrydocuments/e6adb901-b26e-4970-abba-5199bc2ad667). Florida First District Court of Appeal, Jan. 2, 2025. (court or official record)
3. [Charles Adelson v. State of Florida, No. 1D24-0004, Initial Brief of Appellant](https://acis-api.flcourts.gov/courts/b82b30d5-bd3c-46d7-9451-1cb05e470873/cms/case/3a62f2be-e754-4148-9828-4d164944b578/docketentrydocuments/bf7ae58f-6b0b-41e6-87c6-5d0e06b1d176). Florida First District Court of Appeal docket (filed by Michael Ufferman Law Firm, P.A.), May 7, 2025. (court or official record)
4. [Florida appeals court upholds Charlie Adelson's conviction in Dan Markel murder-for-hire case](https://www.wtxl.com/news/local-news/florida-appeals-court-upholds-charlie-adelsons-conviction-in-dan-markel-murder-for-hire-case). WTXL ABC 27, July 1, 2026. (news report)
5. [Appeals court rejects Charlie Adelson's request for a new trial](https://www.courttv.com/news/appeals-court-rejects-charlie-adelsons-request-for-a-new-trial/). Court TV, July 2026. (news report)
6. ['It could take months': Legal analyst breaks down what's next in Charlie Adelson appeal](https://www.wctv.tv/2026/02/04/it-could-take-months-legal-analyst-breaks-down-whats-next-charlie-adelson-appeal/). WCTV, Feb. 3, 2026. (news report)
7. [Oral arguments heard in Charlie Adelson murder conviction appeal](https://wfsu.org/local-routes/wfsu-news/oral-arguments-heard-in-charlie-adelson-murder-conviction-appeal/). WFSU Public Media, February 2026. (news report)
8. [Charlie Adelson will return to court in bid for new trial for Dan Markel's murder](https://www.courttv.com/news/charlie-adelson-will-return-to-court-in-bid-for-new-trial-for-dan-markels-murder/). Court TV, Dec. 23, 2025. (news report)
9. [Donna Adelson is sentenced to life in prison for her role in the hired killing of Dan Markel](https://news.wfsu.org/wfsu-local-news/2025-10-14/donna-adelson-is-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-for-her-role-in-the-hired-killing-of-dan-markel). Associated Press and WFSU Public Media, Oct. 14, 2025. (news report)
10. [Charlie Adelson all smiles during transport for mother's murder trial](https://www.courttv.com/news/charlie-adelson-all-smiles-during-transport-for-mothers-murder-trial/). Court TV, September 2025. (news report)
11. [Dan Markel murder trial: How we got here](https://www.wtxl.com/downtown-tallahassee/dan-markel-murder-trial-how-we-got-here). WTXL ABC 27, Aug. 19, 2025. (news report)
12. [Charlie Adelson pushing for new trial, citing same conflict that halted his mother's trial](https://www.wctv.tv/2024/10/17/charlie-adelson-pushing-new-trial-citing-same-conflict-that-halted-his-mothers-trial). WCTV, Oct. 17, 2024. (news report)
13. [Dan Markel murder: Charlie Adelson, serving life sentence, moved to prison in South Dakota](https://www.aol.com/dan-markel-murder-charlie-adelson-001702135.html). Tallahassee Democrat (via AOL), May 16, 2024. (news report)
14. [Florida dentist gets life in prison in death of his ex-brother-in-law, a prominent professor](https://www.cleveland19.com/2023/12/12/florida-dentist-gets-life-prison-death-his-ex-brother-in-law-prominent-professor/). Associated Press (via WOIO Cleveland 19), Dec. 12, 2023. (news report)
15. [UPDATE: Charlie Adelson appeals murder conviction following Dan Markel's death](https://www.wtxl.com/downtown-tallahassee/charlie-adelson-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-for-2014-murder-of-dan-markel). WTXL ABC 27, Dec. 12, 2023 (updated January 2024). (news report)
16. [9 years after the murder of a Florida law professor, a family gets justice](https://abc7news.com/9-years-after-the-murder-of-a-florida-law-professor-a-family-gets-/14041144/). ABC News (via ABC7 San Francisco), Nov. 10, 2023. (news report)
17. [Florida dentist convicted in murder of FSU law professor](https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/11/07/us/fsu-professor-charles-adelson-murder-conviction). CNN, Nov. 7, 2023. (news report)
18. [Charlie Adelson found guilty in murder-for-hire of Dan Markel](https://www.wctv.tv/2023/11/06/charlie-adelson-found-guilty-murder-for-hire-dan-markel/). WCTV, Nov. 6, 2023. (news report)
19. [Charlie Adelson says he was blackmailed in FSU professor Dan Markel's murder](https://news.wfsu.org/wfsu-local-news/2023-11-03/charlie-adelson-says-he-was-blackmailed-in-fsu-professor-dan-markels-murder). Associated Press (via WFSU Public Media), Nov. 3, 2023. (news report)
20. [Charlie Adelson says he was a victim of extortion, not a killer](https://www.courttv.com/news/charlie-adelson-says-he-was-a-victim-of-extortion-not-a-killer/). Associated Press (via Court TV), Nov. 2, 2023. (news report)
21. [Charlie Adelson has been arrested in the murder of FSU professor Dan Markel](https://news.wfsu.org/wfsu-local-news/2022-04-21/charlie-adelson-has-been-arrested-in-the-murder-of-fsu-professor-dan-markel). WFSU Public Media, April 21, 2022. (news report)
22. [Dan Markel case: Who is Daniel Markel?](https://www.wtxl.com/news/local-news/dan-markel-case-who-is-daniel-markel). WTXL ABC 27, Sept. 23, 2019. (news report)