A 75-year-old grandmother has been sentenced to life in prison over the hired murder of her son-in-law. Law professor Daniel Markel had been in a bitter divorce custody battle with his ex-wife when he was found shot dead at his home in Tallahassee, Florida, US, in 2014.
At trial, Donna Adelson was painted as a calculated and controlling matriarch of a wealthy Florida family with the means and a motive to orchestrate the murder of the ex-son-in-law who she “hated”. The grandmother was the fifth person sentenced in what prosecutors said was a plot to kill Markel, one of whom being her son, amid sordid details of a messy divorce, tensions with wealthy in-laws and custody fights.
She was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy and solicitation of the prominent Florida State University law professor after a week-long trial, according to CBS News last month.
The defence insisted there wasn’t enough evidence to link the grandmother to the murder, and cast the suspicion on two of Adelson’s own adult children. Wendi Adelson denied involvement in the killing and has not been charged.
On Monday, Donna Adelson was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the murder charge, and an additional 30 years for the other two counts, to be served consecutively. Adelson has pledged to appeal.
Adelson’s son, Charles Adelson, is already serving a life sentence.
In an emotional statement ahead of the sentencing in a Tallahassee courtroom, she swore her innocence and claimed the trial was a miscarriage of justice, overseen by a jury she said was swayed by years of negative media coverage.
“What happened to Danny is unforgivable. But I am an innocent woman convicted of this terrible crime without evidence,” Adelson said.
“I’ve always respected the law. I’ve never gotten a parking ticket, But I’m going to prison for a murder I did not commit,” she added.
Circuit Judge Stephen Everett interrupted Adelson multiple times, warning her the statements showed an “utter lack of remorse”.
Shackled and dressed in a purple jail jumpsuit, Adelson stood attentively while Everett handed down the sentence.
He said: “You certainly can choose to deny your involvement and maintain innocence. The court finds the evidence in this case is clear.”