DAN MARKEL: Florida v Magbanua, Garcia, & Adelson in murder-for-hire *Magbanua & Adelson GUILTY*

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Leon Circuit Judge James C. Hankinson set an April 13 trial date for Katherine Magbanua, whose charges in the murder of Florida State law professor Dan Markel ended in mistrial earlier this month.

Magbanua, wearing a blue Leon County Detention Center jumpsuit, appeared in the courtroom with her attorneys, Chris DeCoste and Tara Kawass. Hankinson asked about her legal representation moving forward; DeCoste said he and Kawass intend to continue defending her.

 
A judge ordered Charlie Adelson to be held without bond during his first court appearance in Leon County Tuesday morning.
Adelson appeared in court via video link from the jail and his first appearance lasted less than 10 minutes.

One of his attorneys, Margot Moss, appeared via Zoom and said she’d be filing a motion to try to get Adelson released on bond to await trial.
His defense team said last week that “Charlie is innocent and the prosecutors have no new information that led to this arrest.”

Adelson attorney David Oscar Markus reiterated those comments Tuesday and pointed to multiple passages in the newly enhanced video that he contends “clearly exonerates Charlie.”

Prosecutor Georgia Cappleman had no comment after Adelson’s appearance in court.


 

'Conspiracy to murder': Jury selection goes behind closed doors in Katherine Magbanua retrial​

The second trial of Katherine Magbanua — the alleged conduit between the hired gunmen who killed Dan Markel and his in-laws who allegedly hired them — began Monday with jury selection.

The court set aside two days to select a 12-person jury and four alternates. Because the case has gotten so much publicity, lawyers questioned potential jurors individually and behind closed doors at the Leon County Courthouse.


GAVEL-TO-GAVEL COVERAGE: The Tallahassee Democrat will livestream each day of the trial of Katherine Magbanua from the courthouse in Tallahassee. Watch on Tallahassee.com and on the Tallahassee Democrat's Facebook page. For best viewing experience: Download the Tallahassee Democrat app to watch and receive text alerts on when to watch – from opening arguments to the verdict.
 

Magbanua transported to state prison, begins serving life sentence in Dan Markel’s murder​

Florida Department of Corrections records show that Katherine Magbanua has now been booked into state prison to begin serving a life sentence in the murder of FSU professor Dan Markel.

Magbanua was picked up from the Leon County Jail at 3:03 a.m. Thursday, Leon County court records show, and has since arrived at the Florida Women’s Reception Center in Ocala.

Magbanua was found guilty of murder, conspiracy and solicitation at trial in May and was sentenced to life plus 30 years just last week.

Leon County Clerk of Courts records show Magbanua has already spent 2,125 days behind bars.


Sigfredo Garcia is serving a life sentence for the murder. His friend, Luis Rivera, is serving a 19-year prison sentence in exchange for his testimony against the others. Rivera claims they were paid $100,000 for the job and split it three ways.

Charlie Adelson was arrested just weeks before Magbanua’s trial. He is currently in the Leon County Jail. His next court date is September 9th, where he’s expected to ask a judge to release him on bond to await trial. Prosecutors told the judge last week they hope to try that case in early 2023.
 

Dan Markel murder: Katherine Magbanua turns state witness as Charlie Adelson nears trial​


Details about what Magbanua could divulge about her involvement with Markel’s former brother-in-law Charlie Adelson and the suspected murder-for-hire plot that killed the acclaimed law professor are unknown.

Also unknown is what bearing testimony against Adelson could have on Magbanua's life sentence.

But it could be a watershed moment for the prosecution in a case that has captivated Tallahassee for years.

Magbanua was convicted of being the go-between in the murder-for-hire plot that investigators say was orchestrated and financed by Markel’s former in-laws.

His former brother-in-law, Adelson, is being held in Leon County on first-degree murder, solicitation of murder and conspiracy to commit murder charges in connection with Markel’s July 2014 murder.

He was arrested in April, nearly six years after Markel’s death, and is expected to go to trial early next year.


 

Dan Markel murder: Katherine Magbanua turns state witness as Charlie Adelson nears trial​


Details about what Magbanua could divulge about her involvement with Markel’s former brother-in-law Charlie Adelson and the suspected murder-for-hire plot that killed the acclaimed law professor are unknown.

Also unknown is what bearing testimony against Adelson could have on Magbanua's life sentence.

But it could be a watershed moment for the prosecution in a case that has captivated Tallahassee for years.

Magbanua was convicted of being the go-between in the murder-for-hire plot that investigators say was orchestrated and financed by Markel’s former in-laws.

His former brother-in-law, Adelson, is being held in Leon County on first-degree murder, solicitation of murder and conspiracy to commit murder charges in connection with Markel’s July 2014 murder.

He was arrested in April, nearly six years after Markel’s death, and is expected to go to trial early next year.


I so hope she gives info on Wendy and Donna. I would love to see those two in prison-wear.
 

Charlie Adelson asks judge to keep Katherine Magbanua’s latest testimony under wraps​


Adelson is set to stand trial in April for the 2014 murder for hire of FSU professor Dan Markel.

Magbanua has already been convicted in Markel’s murder, but has since been listed as a state witness.

Court records show that Magbanua did not return to prison promptly as initially expected. Leon County Sheriff’s Office records show she is still here in the Leon County Jail, and Adelson’s attorney contends she has “submitted to one or more interviews with law enforcement” since her sentencing.

Adelson’s attorneys are now asking for a protective order to ensure that “any notes, memoranda, recordings, or transcripts of Ms. Magbanua’s interviews” are not made public until after Adelson’s trial is over.

The motion filed earlier this week says prosecutors are not objecting to the request for a protective order.

 

Jeff Burlew
Tallahassee Democrat
February 28, 2023

The trial of Charlie Adelson, the accused ringleader in the 2014 murder-for-hire of Florida State law professor Dan Markel, has been postponed at the request of the defense.

On Tuesday, Leon Circuit Judge Robert Wheeler granted the request to continue the trial, which had been set for April 24. One of Adelson’s lawyers, Daniel Rashbaum of Miami, asked for the continuance earlier this month. In a court motion, Rashbaum said the defense was still pouring over discovery, including more than a thousand wiretap conversations, many in Spanish, and “voluminous” data files including phone calls, emails texts, social media posts and bank records.

“The truth is we just need a little bit more time,” Rashbaum told Wheeler during a hearing at the Leon County Courthouse.

Rashbaum had suggested starting the trial in late July or early August. But Assistant State Attorney Sarah Kathryn Dugan said that would conflict with other murder trials scheduled for the same time. Wheeler asked the lawyers to check their calendar and propose new dates for perhaps late September and early October.
 

Loved ones remember former FSU professor Dan Markel nine years after his murder​

Tuesday marks nine years since former FSU professor Dan Markel was murdered in his driveway in Betton Hills.
 

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