'Implied Murder': Charlie Adelson's Ex-Friend Testifies In Mother's Murder-For-Trial

Описание: Ryan Fitzpatrick was friends with Charlie Adelson from 2013 to about 2019 and 2020, before Adelson was convicted and imprisoned for soliciting the murder of his former brother-in-law, Dan Markel, in Tallahassee, Florida.

Fitzpatrick testified in the trial of Adelson's mother, Donna Adelson, today (Tuesday, August 26, day 3).

In direct-exam with Assistant State Attorney Georgia Cappleman, Fitzpatrick described Charlie's cash-handling method and noted Charlie's non-discussion of Markel's murder. Post-arrest, Charlie showed increased anxiety and nervousness.

03:26 "He made the statement at one time that you could get away with anything if you keep your mouth shut and implied murder."

05:55 In cross-examination, Adelson's lawyer questioned Fitzpatrick about Donna's pleasant demeanor and the Adelsons' general dislike for Markel.

Case background:

Donna Adelson, 75, is accused of orchestrating the murder-for-hire of her former son-in-law because she wanted her daughter and grandchildren to move to Miami.

Adelson is accused of conspiring with her son Charlie Adelson more than a decade ago to hire hitmen to kill Dan Markel, who was a Florida State University law professor and the father of her two young grandsons.

Her defense is that she had no knowledge of what hitmen Luis Rivera and Sigfredo Garcia were going to do, and that prosecutors are only focusing on her hatred for Markel to show she had a motive to want him murdered, when there's no evidence she was actually involved.
Rivera, a former gang leader, is serving a 19-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to second-degree murder and testifying against Garcia, who fired the fatal shots, as well as the woman who linked Garcia to the victim: Katherine "Katie" Magbanua, who was Garcia's on-again, off-again girlfriend and also was in a relationship with Adelson's son Charlie Adelson.

Garcia was convicted in 2019 and Magbanua in 2022.

Rivera also testified in Charlie Adelson's trial in 2023, and Adelson was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. After their son's trial, Donna Adelson and her husband, Harvey, bought one-way tickets to Vietnam. Police arrested her on the jetway at Miami International Airport on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and solicitation of first-degree murder.

Her trial is expected to go through Sept. 5 in Leon County Circuit Court in Tallahassee, Florida.

Donna Adelson's lawyers are Josh Zelman and Jackie Fulford of Tallahassee. Assistant State Attorneys Georgia Cappleman and Sarah Kathryn Dugan are prosecuting.

The judge is Stephen Everett, who is the chief judge of Leon County Circuit Court.
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