TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Court TV) — Donna Adelson , the Florida grandmother accused of orchestrating the 2014 killing of her ex-son-in-law, FSU law professor Dan Markel , is standing trial in Tallahassee.

Adelson, 75, is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and solicitation in the shooting death of Markel, 41.

Donna Adelson whispers with the attorneys Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. (Pool/Tallahassee Democrat)

Prosecutors allege Adelson, the matriarch of a prominent South Florida family that ran a successful dental practice, arranged to have Markel killed after a judge granted him shared custody of the children he shared with the defendant’s daughter, Wendi Adelson. The custody arrangement tethered Wendi to Tallahassee, 500 miles north of Donna’s South Beach home.

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