Charlie Adelson is planning to testify in his defense. The former dentist is on trial for the 2014 murder of his ex brother-in-law Dan Markel. Adelson is accused of orchestrating what prosecutors say was a murder-for hire.
Adelson's testimony is coming in the second week of a three-week trial.
So far, jurors have heard from Markel’s ex-wife, Wendi Adelson. She testified that she did not know her brother knew who the murders were until recently.
Jurors have also heard recorded conversations between other Adelson family members, such as Charlie and Wendi's mother, Donna. She too has been implicated in the murder, but not charged.
Prosecutors have also played a conversation for the court that was taken at the Dolce Vita restaurant between Adelson and his ex-girlfriend Katherine Magbanua—who was convicted of acting as the go-between for him and convicted shooter Sigfredo Garcia, Magbanua’s common law husband. Magbanua has testified that Adelson knew of, and paid for the murder.
And the state has also shown graphic photos of Markel’s wounds, and heard from FBI agents and others who worked the case. Now, they’ll hear from Adelson.
The defense says he was blackmailed by Magbanua and Garcia and that they killed Markel on their own and tried to frame the Adelson family.
Markel was shot and killed while sitting in his car at his Betton Hills home in 2014. He was involved in a custody dispute with his ex-wife, Wendi Adelson, at the time. The case has garnered national attention, as Markel was a prominent Florida State University law professor who focused on the criminal justice system.
