TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Donna Adelson pleaded not guilty Monday afternoon at the Leon County Courthouse on her murder, conspiracy and solicitation charges.
Dressed in a blue jumpsuit and shackled at her wrists, waist and ankles, the 73-year-old was visibly emotional during the hearing, shaking her head, whispering reactions to herself and twisting her face in shock and dissatisfaction.
The South Floridan is accused of conspiring to murder her ex-son-in-law Dan Markel, who was fatally shot in Tallahassee’s Betton Hills neighborhood in 2014. Her son, Charlie Adelson, was found guilty by a jury last month of conspiring to kill the former Florida State law professor.
Charlie is the fourth person behind bars in the murder-for-hire case. His defense attorney, Daniel Rashbaum, listened from the gallery during Monday’s hearing. Markel’s parents watched the proceedings via Zoom.
WATCH THE FULL HEARING HERE:
Also during the hearing, Judge Stephen Everett denied the South Florida woman’s request to be assigned house arrest or moved out of solitary confinement at the Leon County Jail.
Everett discussed why Adelson is in solitary confinement with Leon County Detention Center officials.
“The level of confinement and also the current restrictions that are in place, are these because there were at some point statements alluding to self-harm during the jail phone calls?” the judge asked.
“And at booking here,” a Leon County jail representative replied. “When she was booked into the jail here, she made a statement that she wanted to die.”
Adelson shook her head in disagreement at the representative’s comment.
As the county representative continued to speak about her making suicidal remarks on recorded phone calls, the arrestee laughed, shook her white-blonde bob and began to speak.
“Miss Adelson, please keep your comments to yourself,” the judge warned. “Let your lawyer argue on your behalf.”
The request to be moved out of isolation was part of an emergency motion her attorney filed last week alleging a slew of “inhumane” rights violations by guards at the Tallahassee-based detainment center.
Everett did not directly address allegations in the motion that jail staff were forcing the woman to eat with her hands, sleep naked and punishing her with cruelty. However, the judge did address allegations that Adelson’s Sixth Amendment right to speak with her counsel was being violated.
“I noticed within your pleading that you had quotes from your client and also some observations of what has been taking place with the correctional staff. Are you alleging that you have no ability to access your client or that there is limited contact with your client?” the judge asked.
Adelson’s attorney Marissel Descalzo clarified she did not directly observe the interactions outlined in the motion. Instead, she said Rashbaum spoke with her client during a visit originally intended to be with Charlie Adelson and then recounted that discussion with Descalzo.
Descalzo told Everett she can meet with her client in-person for an hour or speak with her over the phone, but not via video call.
“I would say that my ability to meet with her is limited, it’s not non-existent,” the defense attorney said. “However, my ability to share, for example, discovery, paperwork, the motion I filed, with Ms. Adeslon is nonexistent because she’s not permitted to have paper.”
Ultimately, Everett said he did not find that Donna’s Sixth Amendment rights are being violated, but he also instructed the detainee’s lawyer and prosecutors to discuss providing her privacy while meeting with her attorney.
Adelson was first placed under direct observation in an isolated cell after her November arrest in Miami while she was boarding a one-way flight to Vietnam with her husband, according to court papers. The FBI took her in after she spoke with her son Charlie on recorded jail lines about “getting things in order,” thoughts of suicide and plans to flee the country, according to arrest documents.
Adelson will return to the courthouse for her next case management hearing in January 9.
To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook and X (Twitter).
Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Write us here. Please include the article’s headline in your message.
Keep up with all the biggest headlines on the WCTV News app. Click here to download it now.
Copyright 2023 WCTV. All rights reserved.
