13 things about Miami, Florida’s Donna Adelson

Donna Sue Adelson is an American woman from Miami, Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Her husband Dr. Harvey Jerome Adelson is a dentist in Tamarac, Broward County, Florida.

BIOGRAPHY

Donna is 6 years younger than Harvey. She and Harvey have three children together namely Robert Todd Adelson, Charles Jay “Charlie” Adelson and Wendi Jill Adelson.

In 2006, Wendi married Daniel Eric “Dan” Markel. They have two children together.

On February 5, 2025, Donna turned 75. Here are 13 more things about her:

1. Aside from Miami, she has lived in other parts of Florida including Miami Beach, Pompano Beach, Coral Springs and Tamarac.
2. She previously lived in Atlanta, Georgia, USA and in Washington, D.C., USA.
3. In 1973, she gave birth to Robert.
4. In 1976, she gave birth to Charlie.
5. In 1979, she gave birth to Wendi.
6. In the late 1980s, she competed on “Wheel of Fortune” and won $2,900.
7. In 2006, her daughter Wendi and Markel got married.
8. In 2013, her daughter Wendi and Markel divorced.
9. She is accused of being one of the masterminds behind the murder of Markel in 2014.
10. In 2016, the Tallahassee Police Department suggested that she was a prime suspect in Markel’s murder.
11. In 2023, she was arrested.
12. In 2024, her murder trial was stopped before it was able to start.
13. In 2025, she was sentenced to life in prison.

TIMELINE

Donna is 5’6″ tall. Her registered weight is 112 pounds.

2000s

• On February 26, 2006, her daughter Wendi married Markel.

2010s

• On September 10, 2012, her daughter Wendi filed for divorce against Markel, which was finalized on July 31, 2013. After the divorce, Wendi and Wendi’s two children relocated to her and Harvey’s residence in Coral Springs.
• On June 20, 2013, Leon County Circuit Judge Barbara Hobbs denied her daughter Wendi’s motion for relocation with Wendi’s two children. After this, she sent an email to Wendi referring to Markel as “Jibbers” and telling Wendi that it was “time for action”.
• On July 18, 2014, she and Charlie allegedly used Katherine Magbanua as an intermediary to hire Sigfredo Garcia and Luis Rivera to shoot Markel in Tallahassee, Leon County, Florida. Markel died on July 19, 2014.
• On July 20, 2014, she and Harvey contacted the Tallahassee Police Department investigator at Markel’s memorial service at the Shomrei Torah Synagogue in Tallahassee.
• On July 21, 2014, she and Harvey left Tallahassee with Wendi and Wendi’s two children.
• On April 20, 2016, Charlie visited her and Harvey in their residence in Miami Beach.

2020s

• On April 21, 2022, her son Charlie was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation to commit murder while she and Wendi were named as co-conspirators but they were not charged.
• On November 6, 2023, her son Charlie was convicted of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation to commit murder.
• On November 7, 2023, she and Harvey bought one-way tickets to Vietnam, which has no extradition treaty with the U.S.
• Shortly after 10:00 p.m. on November 13, 2023, she was arrested at the Miami International Airport in Miami. She was booked into the Miami-Dade Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami. 
• On November 15, 2023, she was indicted for Markel’s murder.
• On November 20, 2023, she was transported to the Leon County Detention Facility in Tallahassee.
• On December 11, 2023, she pleaded not guilty to murder, conspiracy and solicitation charges.
• On December 12, 2023, her son Charlie was sentenced to life in prison and 60 years for conspiracy and solicitation.
• On February 12, 2024, a judge scheduled her murder trial, which was rescheduled on April 4, 2024, canceled on September 17, 2024, rescheduled on December 20, 2024 and postponed on May 8, 2025.
• On August 19, 2025, her murder trial started.
• On August 25, 2025, her daughter Wendi took the stand to testify for the state of Florida against her.
• On September 4, 2025, a jury found her guilty of masterminding the murder-for-hire killing of Markel.
• On October 13, 2025, she was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder plus another 30 years for conspiracy and solicitation.