Toronto professor Dan Markel's murder by in-laws gets true crime TV treatment
· Toronto Sun
The mother-in-law from hell trope has been popular for generations.
But most mother-in-laws don’t orchestrate their son-in-law’s cold blooded murder, as Donna Adelson did.
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Adelson, her son Charles “Charlie the Dentist” Adelson , and a gaggle of low-rents orchestrated the execution-style murder of Florida State University law professor Dan Markel.
The murder, the motive, the investigation and the trials that followed offer Grade A melodrama.
Now, A&E’s new true crime series Killer Investigations , airing Thursday at 10 p.m., takes another crack at the fascinating case.
What happened to Dan Markel
Markel was originally from Toronto and his mother and father still live here. But the esteemed professor would never see home again.
On the morning of July 18, 2014, according to cops and prosecutors, Markel was shot to death in the driveway of his Tallahassee home by Luis Rivera and Latin King gangbanger Sigfredo Garcia. For their troubles, court heard they were paid $100,000. The go-between for the paid hit was Charles Adelson’s sexual playmate du jour.
Markel was murdered in the midst of a bitter custody dispute with his estranged wife, Wendi Adelson. She wanted to take their two boys to south Florida to be closer to her parents.
What’s new in the documentary
The new documentary features exclusive new interviews and reveals how cops uncovered the custody-dispute motive behind the murder.
“The episode also reveals how authorities secured the arrest and conviction of Markel’s mother-in-law, Donna Adelson, while also highlighting the pivotal role Markel’s brother-in-law played in helping investigators break the case open,” A&E said in a release.
For the first time, prosecutor Georgia Cappleman, as well as lead investigators Craig Isom and Jason Newlin, describe how detectives built the case with the help of a confidential informant, Rob Adelson.
The role of Donna Adelson’s oldest son had not previously been discussed outside the courtroom until now.
“Right after the murder his mother called him and said, ‘Don’t talk to the FBI,'” Cappleman says in the episode. “He replied, ‘I already have — why wouldn’t I talk to the FBI?'”
She added that Rob Adelson also voiced early suspicions about his own family, telling cops he believed his brother and mother may have been involved in the Markel murder.
Cappelman said Rob Adelson’s transparency and cooperation early in the probe “helped lay the groundwork for unravelling one of the most complex and shocking murder-for-hire cases in recent memory.”
Also seen for the first time is the dramatic arrest of murderous matriarch Donna Adelson on body camera video as she was taken into custody at Miami International Airport while attempting to board a one-way flight to Vietnam.
“She forced our hand timing-wise,” Cappleman said, describing the event as a turning point. “We might not have arrested her that day had she not made plans to flee to a non-extradition country.”
Now-retired Tallahassee Police Detective Craig Isom added: “I mean, you buy a one-way ticket to Vietnam, I’m thinking that’s kind of suspicious. Justice did prevail.”
Donna Adelson pleaded not guilty to the charges but was convicted of first-degree murder, conspiracy, and solicitation at trial. She has since filed an appeal. Her son Charles “Charlie the Dentist” Adelson was sentenced in December 2023 to life in prison without the possibility of parole for his role.
This new A&E series was written and produced by Emmy and Peabody award-winning journalists Brian Ross and Rhonda Schwartz. Killer Investigations, by Law&Crime Productions, is described as delivering “front-row access to the highest profile homicide investigations” in the U.S.
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