TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Scripps News Tallahassee/Court TV) — A juror who helped convict Donna Adelson of first-degree murder in the death of Florida State University professor Dan Markel is sharing details about the deliberation process that led to her conviction on all three charges.
Donna Adelson is escorted out of the courtroom in handcuffs after being found guilty for the murder of Dan Markel on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025.
Evan Higginbotham, juror number 6, was one of 12 jurors who deliberated for just over three hours before finding Adelson guilty in the 2014 killing of her former son-in-law. He spoke about the experience to Scripps News Tallahassee.
“Going in, I was leaning towards guilty after seeing all the evidence laid out,” Higginbotham said.
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The jury spent nearly two hours on the first-degree murder charge alone, methodically reviewing evidence before reaching their verdict.
“For count one, we spent probably the first hour, 45 minutes, or two hours of our three and some change that we were in there. Just talking about the first count and laying out all the evidence and digging through everything that we wanted to go back and look at again,” Higginbotham said.
Higginbotham pointed to several key pieces of evidence that convinced the jury of Adelson’s guilt, including testimony from her son Robert Adelson, phone records, and an undercover operation where an agent posed as a blackmailer to test Donna’s knowledge of the murder.
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“When the operation happened and she was handed that sheet of paper,” Higginbotham said. “Just taking the paper and putting it straight into her bag without looking at it. I’m not taking anything from anyone and putting it in my bag before looking at it.”
The jury focused specifically on Donna’s role in the conspiracy, avoiding speculation about other potential suspects.
“We briefly spoke about Wendi Adelson, but she’s not the one on trial, so we tried to stay focused and follow the jury instructions and stay only discussing Donna’s part in this,” Higginbotham said.
Donna is the fifth person convicted in Markel’s murder. Her younger son, Charlie Adelson, was previously convicted, along with three others involved in the plot.
State Attorney Jack Campbell indicated the investigation continues as prosecutors examine whether additional charges could be filed.
“We will continue to work and make sure that every person who is responsible, we can hold them accountable,” Campbell said. “Now, I can’t predict where that will lead us right now, but I can guarantee you that we’re not stopping looking at the evidence.”
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The 24-year-old Higginbotham said serving on the jury changed his career path.
“I actually went and changed my major. I’ve been talking about this now. I’m now going for a pre-law degree from engineering,” Higginbotham said.
Donna’s sentencing has not yet been scheduled. When the verdict was announced Sept. 4, Markel’s parents requested the maximum sentence from Judge Stephen Everett. A case management hearing is set for Oct. 14.
This story was reported by Scripps News Tallahassee and converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
