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Jury convicts Florida matriarch in murder-for-hire killing of her former son-in-law
AP ^ | 9/5/2025

Posted on 09/05/2025 5:56:28 AM PDT by Presbyterian Reporter

Edited on 09/05/2025 6:46:12 AM PDT by Sidebar Moderator. [history]

Tallahassee, Florida (AP) — The matriarch of a wealthy South Florida family was convicted Thursday of murder in the killing of her former son-in-law, a prominent law professor who was locked in a bitter custody battle with his ex-wife when he was gunned down in 2014.


(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: adelson; crime; florida
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To: Red Badger

You didn’t attend the trial?.....isn’t that like 3 blocks over from you? 😁


21 posted on 09/05/2025 6:20:53 AM PDT by V_TWIN (America...so great even the people that hate it refuse to leave!)
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To: V_TWIN

It’s been on local TV for ten years!..............


22 posted on 09/05/2025 6:21:24 AM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegals are put up in 5 Star hotels....................)
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To: KevinB

“””I’m not in Florida, but have found myself sucked into this saga. I watched much of Donna’s trial. How sweet it was to see Donna shaking and crying while Judge Everett uttered the word “guilty” three times. Hopefully, Wendi is next. (Oh, and I think I might be in love with prosecutor Georgia Cappleman. 😁)”””


I do live in Florida and I likewise found myself sucked into this trial.

I had watched the first trial in 2019 where the hitmen got convicted. And missed/ignored the other trials. Then I happened to see in the news that the Donna Adelson trial was about to begin and as a result I watched her trial from gavel to gavel.

The bottom line in all of the five Adelson Conspiracy Trials is this. If you are going to commit a conspiracy murder do not talk on your cellphone, send a text, send an email, or drive a car with GPS.


23 posted on 09/05/2025 6:24:13 AM PDT by Presbyterian Reporter
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To: Presbyterian Reporter

it’s a complete shame that it took this long.


24 posted on 09/05/2025 6:25:54 AM PDT by spacejunkie2001
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To: KevinB

did the brother get convicted?


25 posted on 09/05/2025 6:27:30 AM PDT by spacejunkie2001
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To: Red Badger

Yep.....imagine the parents waiting a decade for justice.


26 posted on 09/05/2025 6:27:39 AM PDT by V_TWIN (America...so great even the people that hate it refuse to leave!)
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To: spacejunkie2001

The two hit men

A go between from Donna adelson to the hit men

Donna adelson’s son

And now Donna adelson herself all got life sentences in the Florida state prison system.


27 posted on 09/05/2025 6:30:03 AM PDT by V_TWIN (America...so great even the people that hate it refuse to leave!)
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To: spacejunkie2001

“””it’s a complete shame that it took this long.”””


Two main reasons for the delay.

1. It took time to pin down who the conspirators were from 2014 to 2016.

2. Covid delayed trials beginning in 2020.


28 posted on 09/05/2025 6:30:20 AM PDT by Presbyterian Reporter
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To: Presbyterian Reporter

Finally.

It only took NINE YEARS to nail the mastermind of the entire operation.

Very sad. Left two little boys fatherless.

Hope she is LWOP-ed.


29 posted on 09/05/2025 6:32:05 AM PDT by Bon of Babble (You Say You Want a Revolution?)
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To: spacejunkie2001
did the brother get convicted?

Yes, he's rotting in jail for life.

30 posted on 09/05/2025 6:33:21 AM PDT by KevinB (I don’t really care, Margaret.)
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To: Bon of Babble

“””Hope she is LWOP-ed.”””


First degree felony murder is by statute Life Without Parole.

Donna will get 30 years for the two conspiracy convictions.


31 posted on 09/05/2025 6:34:57 AM PDT by Presbyterian Reporter
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To: V_TWIN

It’s also despicable that she tried to blame her “new boyfriend” for the murder (which she KNEW about):

“Wendi tried to set-up an innocent guy, her boyfriend, Jeffrey Lacasse, so he would get fingered as the Prime Suspect because she knew Lacrasse would drive near the home of her ex husband at 11AM on his way out of town for a regularly scheduled business trip.

The hit men did the job right at that particular day and time, plus drove a rental car that closely matched the car Lacasse owned. They tried to do the hit on a earlier date when Lacasse was leaving town but failed.

The boyfriend lucked out big time by unexpectedly leaving the night before the hit.”


32 posted on 09/05/2025 6:35:45 AM PDT by Bon of Babble (You Say You Want a Revolution?)
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To: V_TWIN

Not complete immunity.


33 posted on 09/05/2025 6:37:14 AM PDT by Az Joe (Live free or die)
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To: KevinB

Here is the victim impact statement by Phil Markel and the impact the conspiracy murder of Dan Markel has had on so many families.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxQpCZlw5ds


34 posted on 09/05/2025 6:38:40 AM PDT by Presbyterian Reporter
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To: V_TWIN

thanks for the update. yes, Wendi needs to be next. shameful what these people did to him and his family


35 posted on 09/05/2025 6:52:45 AM PDT by spacejunkie2001
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To: Presbyterian Reporter
Here is the victim impact statement by Phil Markel and the impact the conspiracy murder of Dan Markel has had on so many families.

Yep, I watched it as it was happening. I loved when he said he hopes Donna lives to 120.

36 posted on 09/05/2025 6:53:19 AM PDT by KevinB (I don’t really care, Margaret.)
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To: Presbyterian Reporter

Got it, hope they all got multiple decades each


37 posted on 09/05/2025 6:53:26 AM PDT by spacejunkie2001
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To: Az Joe

“””Not complete immunity.”””


You are correct. Immunity only applies to what she said on the witness stand.

One on the major mistakes by Wendi is when she drove out of her way to go by the murder scene less than 2 hours after the killing. And after driving by the murder scene, Wendi did nothing in terms of calling anyone and asking what was going on at her ex-husband’s home. The only conclusion a future jury could reach is that Wendi wanted to make sure the hit-job had been done.


38 posted on 09/05/2025 6:53:33 AM PDT by Presbyterian Reporter
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To: KevinB

excellent


39 posted on 09/05/2025 6:54:27 AM PDT by spacejunkie2001
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To: Presbyterian Reporter

“””Immunity only applies to what she said on the witness stand.”””


Let add this. The prosecutor’s questions to Wendi were mainly along the lines of:

1. Did your mother, Donna, send this email to you?
2. Did your mother, Donna, send this text to you?
3. Did you, Wendi, send this email to your mother?
4. Did you, Wendi, send this text to your mother?


40 posted on 09/05/2025 7:00:52 AM PDT by Presbyterian Reporter
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