TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Court TV) — Donna Adelson appeared in a Leon County courtroom on Friday morning, less than two weeks before the scheduled start of her murder trial, as her attorneys try to suppress evidence in her case.
Donna Adelson appears in court during a pretrial hearing on Aug. 8, 2025. (Court TV)
Adelson, 75, is charged with masterminding the murder-for-hire plot that killed her former son-in-law, FSU law professor Dan Markel. Markel was in the middle of a custody battle with his ex-wife, Wendi Adelson, Donna’s daughter, when he was shot and killed in his driveway in 2014. Donna’s son, Charlie Adelson, as well as his ex-girlfriend and two other people, have already been convicted in Markel’s murder.
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Friday’s motions hearing focused on several filings from the defense that sought to limit testimony and evidence that prosecutors can introduce related to a “new” investigation. A motion laying out the argument was heavily redacted, but documents from the defense reviewed by Court TV indicate Donna’s team is fighting to keep out the testimony from two jailhouse informants who did interviews with investigators.
Donna’s defense asked Judge Stephen Everett to exclude testimony from those investigators who interviewed the informants, as well as to suppress the substance of what those informants said. The defense also renewed its motion to suppress evidence that she was trying to flee the country when she was arrested while boarding a flight to Vietnam.
Judge Everett ruled that the evidence will be admissible, so long as it is introduced appropriately. As to the issue of testimony from investigators, prosecutors said they have no intention of eliciting testimony that would be outside the realm of admissible evidence.
Donna’s murder trial is scheduled to begin with jury selection on Aug. 19.
