South Florida matriarch sentenced to life in prison for hired killing of her ex-son-in-law

TALLAHASSEE Fla AP Donna Adelson the matriarch of a wealthy South Florida family who was convicted in the hired killing of her former son-in-law was sentenced Monday to life in prison for her role in the murder-for-hire of Daniel Markel A prominent Florida State University law professor Markel was locked in a bitter custody battle with his ex-wife Adelson s daughter when he was gunned down in at his home in Tallahassee Adelson was exposed guilty last month of first-degree murder conspiracy and solicitation after a weekslong trial She was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the murder charge with an additional years for the other two counts to be served consecutively Adelson has pledged to appeal In an emotional announcement ahead of the sentencing in a Tallahassee courtroom Adelson swore she was innocent and cast her trial as a miscarriage of justice overseen by a jury she explained was unduly 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 declared I ve invariably 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 exhibited what he termed an utter lack of remorse for the crime Shackled and dressed in a purple jail jumpsuit Adelson stood attentively while Everett handed down the sentence You certainly can choose to deny your involvement and maintain innocence The court finds the evidence in this development is clear Everett commented The development had captivated people in Florida for more than a decade amid sordid details of a messy divorce tensions with wealthy in-laws and custody fights leading to the killing Adelson was the fifth person sentenced for what prosecutors say was a plot to kill Markel Among those already serving a life sentence for the killing is Adelson s son Charles Adelson At trial prosecutors had painted Donna Adelson as the calculated and controlling matriarch of an affluent South Florida family with the means and motive to orchestrate the killing of the ex-son-in-law she hated Defense attorneys insisted the state didn t have sufficient evidence to link the aging grandmother to the murder plot instead emphasizing the roles played by others and casting suspicion on two of Adelson s adult children Wendi Adelson denied involvement in the killing and has not been charged