TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Court TV) — With just weeks to go until she stands trial for murder, Donna Adelson is asking a judge to limit testimony from two investigators in her case.
Donna Adelson appears in court for a motions hearing on June 13, 2025. (Court TV)
Adelson, 75, is charged with masterminding the murder-for-hire of her former son-in-law, FSU law professor Dan Markel. Markel, who was married to Donna’s daughter, Wendi Adelson, was shot in his driveway in 2014; since then, four people have been sentenced to prison for his murder, including Donna’s son, Charlie Adelson.
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In last-minute motions filed on Monday, Donna’s attorneys are asking Judge Stephen Everett to exclude testimony from two prosecution witnesses and to limit all witnesses from “interpreting the content of emails, recorded phone calls, and/or text messages.” Judge Everett previously ruled emails, phone calls and texts that the defense had sought to suppress would be admissible. Now, Donna’s attorneys want to limit the amount of testimony related to them.
Donna’s attorneys are asking Judge Everett to exclude the “opinion testimony” of investigator Jason Newlin and Special Agent Patrick Sanford. The motion states that in their depositions, Newlin and Sanford “expressed opinions on the ‘new’ investigation,” but fails to provide any further details about what that investigation entails. In a now-sealed motion filed in May, Donna’s team had asked to re-depose both investigators after learning about wiretaps of conversations between a jailhouse informant and Donna’s husband, Harvey Adelson.
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A third motion filed by Donna’s defense asks Judge Everett to revisit his previous ruling, which allows prosecutors to present evidence that she planned to leave the country before her arrest. Donna was arrested while boarding a flight with a one-way ticket to Vietnam, a country without an extradition agreement with the United States. At a previous hearing, Donna claimed she was merely looking to get away for some “peace” following Charlie’s conviction. Prosecutors intend to introduce the evidence of her trip as “consciousness of guilt,” but Donna’s defense maintains she had no idea there was a warrant for her arrest.
Donna will appear in court for a final motions hearing on Aug. 8. Her trial is scheduled to begin on Aug. 19.
