Dan Markel case: New jailhouse calls from former mother-in-law of murdered FSU professor released

Donna Adelson was arrested at Miami International Airport in November after attempting to board a one-way flight to Vietnam

ByVictor Oquendo ABCNews logo
Wednesday, December 13, 2023
New jailhouse calls released in case of murdered FSU professor
We're hearing jailhouse calls between the former brother-in-law and mother-in-law of murdered FSU professor Dan Markel

TALLAHASSEE -- The jailhouse calls that led to the arrest of the former mother-in-law of murdered Florida State University professor Dan Markel have been released. Donna Adelson was arrested at Miami International Airport in November after attempting to board a one-way flight to Vietnam.

This comes as Markel's former brother-in-law and Adelson's son, Charles Adelson, was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday in connection to the murder-for-hire plot.

Markel was gunned down in his Tallahassee, Florida, garage in 2014 after a bitter divorce from his ex-wife Wendi Adelson, who wanted to move with their two sons to be closer to her family in South Florida.

RELATED: FSU professor was talking on cell phone when shot rang out

Prosecutors say Wendi's brother Charles hired two hitmen to carry out the murder. Now, the prosecution is turning their attention to the sibling's mother.

The calls reveal new details in her attempt to flee the county.

"Now, am I suicidal? No. Do I want to go to sleep and not see my son? I do, perfectly honest, I do," Donna said in a Nov. 7 jailhouse call to her son.

"What would we do?" Charles asked.

"We'd do it together," Donna responded. "Leave a note, they'll know when to come and get us and we'll do it together."

In recorded phone calls obtained by ABC News, Donna can be heard speaking with her son after Charles was convicted and before she was taken into custody herself.

"We've been looking it up over and over, because things change. If there is extradition from Vietnam? Because we, we've looked at all the places, I mean, I could go to Korea and China, but there's no extradition, but looking for places where there's no extradition," Donna told Charles.

Charles was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday after being found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy and solicitation. Donna faces the same charges but has pleaded not guilty.

The 73-year-old appeared in court Monday where her lawyers asked to have her removed from suicide watch in jail.

"There were several pieces of the conversation that were incriminating, that were not helpful to her, that led the police to really bolster their case against her," said Judie Saunders, a partner with ASK LLP.