Donna Adeleson: Florida woman arrested for 2014 murder of son-in-law alleges 'cruel' treatment in jail
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.
MIAMI, FLORIDA: On Monday, November 13, 2023. Donna Adelson, a Florida woman, was arrested at Miami International Airport and charged with murder and other offenses dating back to 2014.
She was accused of the fatal shooting of her former son-in-law. This arrest follows closely after her son was convicted of similar charges just a week ago.
After the arrest, Adelson's lawyer criticized the jail staff, alleging that she was being subjected to cruel treatment, facing various forms of torture, and forced to sit naked.
Further, the lawyer urged the court to allow her to be on house arrest.
Donna Adelson’s lawyer Marissel Descalzo’s request to court
Attorneys representing Donna Adelson, a Florida woman facing charges in the 2014 murder of her former son-in-law, claim she has endured "cruel and unusual punishment."
Marissel Descalzo, Adelson's lawyer, filed an emergency motion on Tuesday, outlining various allegations, including claims that jail staff are compelling the 73-year-old to sit naked and eat with her hands in a small solitary cell.
The motion further asserts that medication has been withheld, and Adelson has been deprived of showering for days.
The motion contends that this treatment violates Adelson's Sixth Amendment rights, impeding her ability to communicate with her attorney and participate in her defense.
Descalzo urges the court to consider releasing Adelson on house arrest, improving her conditions, ending her isolation, and placing her in a unit conducive to trial preparation and communication with her family.
Additionally, the motion proposes an alternative option, suggesting a "psychological evaluation" to facilitate placement in a different unit.
A spokesperson for the Leon County Sheriff’s Office assured the Tallahassee Democrat that the Leon County Detention Facility takes the care, custody, and control of all individuals in its facility very seriously as per CNN.
What exactly happened?
Last week, Dr Charlie Adelson, Donna Adelson's son, was found guilty of orchestrating the shooting of Professor Dan Markel through his girlfriend, Katie Magbanua.
Magbanua enlisted her ex-boyfriend, Sigfredo Garcia, and his friend, Luis Rivera (a member of the notorious Latin Kings gang), to carry out the murder of Markel, aged 41.
Both Magbanua and Garcia are serving life sentences, while Rivera received a 19-year sentence after pleading guilty to second-degree murder and cooperating as a witness. Charlie Adelson, aged 47, is set to face a mandatory life term when sentenced next month.
Markel, embroiled in a contentious custody battle with his ex-wife, lawyer Wendi Adelson, had obtained a court order preventing her from relocating from Tallahassee to South Florida with their two sons.
Allegedly, the Adelsons contemplated offering Markel $1 million to allow the move, but a plot to kill him unfolded instead.
During the trial, evidence revealed that Charlie Adelson paid Magbanua $138,000, with the family providing additional payments exceeding $56,000 and a no-show job at their dental practice. Charlie Adelson also gifted her a used Lexus.
Although Wendi Adelson and her father, dentist Harvey Adelson, have not been charged, investigators maintain an open inquiry, as both deny any involvement. Markel was shot in his garage after dropping his sons off at daycare and visiting the gym.
The Adelsons became immediate suspects following Wendi Adelson's statement that her parents were "very angry at Markel."
She recounted her brother's jest about hiring a hitman as a divorce gift but clarified that he gave her a TV instead.
The investigation, conducted by local, state, and federal agencies, revealed numerous phone calls between Charlie Adelson, Magbanua, and the killers, along with significant financial transactions between the family and Magbanua.
Garcia and Rivera were linked to a rented Toyota Prius used in the crime, as per AP news.
