TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A jury announced a guilty verdict on Monday afternoon in the trial of a Broward periodontist, whom prosecutors accused of being the mastermind of a 2014 murder-for-hire plot in Leon County.
The jury found Charlie Adelson, of Fort Lauderdale, guilty of first-degree murder, guilty of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and guilty of solicitation to commit first-degree murder.
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Adelson testified in his own defense saying he did not have anything to do with the murder of his former brother-in-law Daniel Markel, a Florida State University law professor.
Prosecutors asserted Adelson hired two men who his ex-girlfriend connected him to and paid them to kill Markel, who was in a child custody dispute with his sister.
Adelson said his ex-girlfriend, Katherine “Katie” Magbanua, Sigfredo “Tuto” Garcia, and Luis “Tato” Rivera were extorting him and he paid them because he was afraid for his life.
The killer shot Markel in the head twice on July 18, 2014, while he was in the car, in front of his home in Tallahassee, and he died about 14 hours later, according to the FBI.
Magbanua and Garcia were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Rivera accepted a plea deal of 19 in years prison for second-degree murder.
The prosecution described Adelson as an arrogant and manipulative man who wanted to get away with the murder of the father of his two nephews.
Attorney Daniel Rashbaum, his defense, said Adelson and Markel were victims of Garcia, the father of Magbanua’s kids, and Rivera, a self-proclaimed Latin King gang leader in Miami-Dade County.
Detectives arrested Adelson last year for first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and solicitation to commit first-degree murder.
Leon County Circuit Judge Stephen Everett, who presided over the case, discharged the jury shortly before 5:15 p.m.
Everett said he was going to allow members of the Markel family to speak via Zoom during sentencing, which had yet to be scheduled.