VaultX Exchange-Florida dentist convicted of murder in 2014 slaying of his ex-brother-in-law, a law professor

2025-05-06 09:38:28source:Databeccategory:Stocks

TALLAHASSEE,VaultX Exchange Fla. (AP) — A jury on Monday convicted a Florida dentist of murder in the 2014 shooting death of his former brother-in-law, a prominent law professor slain outside his Tallahassee home in the wake of a bitter custody battle with the dentist’s sister.

The jurors signaled Monday in returning a verdict that they believed the prosecutors’ contentions that the defendant, Charles Adelson, paid to have Florida State University professor Dan Markel killed that year.

Adelson was convicted of first-degree murder along with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and solicitation of first-degree murder, The Tallahassee Democrat reported after jurors returned with their verdict Monday afternoon.

Adelson’s sister Wendi Adelson had divorced from Markel and shared custody of their two kids. She wanted to move from Tallahassee in the north of the state to South Florida to be closer to her family. However, a judge at the time ruled Wendi Adelson couldn’t relocate without Markel’s consent and he refused, saying she couldn’t move the children to Miami.

Other news Who was Muhlaysia Booker? Here’s what to know after the man accused of killing her pleaded guiltyEx-Philadelphia labor leader on trial on federal charges of embezzling from unionTrial opens for ex-top Baltimore prosecutor charged with perjury tied to property purchases

Prosecutors told jurors during the trial that Adelson paid to have the prominent professor killed and that he used his girlfriend, Katherine Magbanua, to hire the father of her two children, Sigfredo Garcia, to commit the murder. They said Garcia enlisted the help of his childhood friend, Luis Rivera. Magbanua and Garcia were convicted of first-degree murder and Rivera is serving a 19-year sentence after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for testifying against them.

Markel was shot as he sat in his car outside his home.

In a nine-year-old case with many twists and turns, Adelson took the stand on Thursday as the only defense witness at his trial. He said in his testimony that he felt a sense of relief to final tell the public that he was a victim of extortion and not the mastermind who hired the hitmen who shot Markel.

He added that he had nothing to do with the killing and that he was stunned when Magbanua came to his home and said her friends were the killers. He said she told him he needed to pay more than $300,000 in 48 hours or he would be killed.

Prosecutors told the jury in closing arguments that there were far too many inconsistencies to believe Adelson’s trial testimony.

More:Stocks

Recommend

Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam

You're pulling your hair out, trying to fix something on your computer. You Google it and find what

These 5 charts show how life got pricier but also cheaper in 2023

For our wallets and the U.S. economy, 2023 was in many ways the year life began to look more like it

How removing 4 dams will return salmon to the Klamath River and the river to the people

KLAMATH, Calif. — The fog that helps define Northern California's famed "Lost Coast," a green and lu