A Florida dentist was detained and accused with hiring hit men to murder his former brother-in-law because of a joint custody agreement.
A grand jury in Leon County, Florida, filed an indictment Thursday charging Charles Adelson with conspiracy to commit murder, first-degree murder, and solicitation to commit murder for the 2014 death of law professor David Markel. As previously reported, Katherine Magbanua, Adelson’s ex-girlfriend, was indicted on the same counts as well.
Wendi Adelson, Adelson’s sister, allegedly planned to relocate from Tallahassee to Fort Lauderdale along with her 2 children, according to the state attorney’s office. Markel and Adelson had a dispute about a shared custody arrangement.
Father of Magbanua’s children, Sigfredo Garcia, was allegedly paid by Adelson and Magbanua, together with a friend, Luis Rivera, to carry out the murder. Rivera pled guilty to a second-degree murder and is presently serving a 19-year sentence; Garcia is currently receiving a life sentence for first-degree murder.
In 2019, Magbanua was accused and tried, the trial, however, resulted in a hung jury. In May, Magbanua will be retried.
Magbanua is shown in a video released on Thursday discussing the murder with Adelson, who denies any role in the killing many times in the video . The video shows Adelson assuring Magbanua that if the cops found out anything, the pair would immediately leave for the airport. Tape evidence shows him assuring Magbanua that evidence such as getting someone into a vehicle or offering someone money is not enough to get a conviction.
WCTV reports that Assistant State Attorney Georgia Cappleman stated, “A new piece of the puzzle was added, which was the clarified audio of the restaurant recording. This recording includes statements by Charles Adelson, which can be heard clearly for the first time.”
Adelson’s lawyers argue that the secret recording demonstrates his innocence because of Adelson’s repeated denials.
Adelson, the fourth person to be accused in the alleged murder plan, appeared in court virtually on Friday for the first time since his detention.
Adelson has yet to be assigned a new trial date.
