Dentist receives life sentence in murder-for-hire death of ex-brother-in-law

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A South Florida dentist was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Tuesday after his conviction for financing and arranging a murder-for-hire plot against his former brother-in-law in 2014.

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Charlie Adelson, a periodontist from Fort Lauderdale, learned his sentence from Leon County Circuit Judge Stephen Everett, the Tallahassee Democrat reported.

According to WPLG-TV, Adelson, 47, addressed the court before he was sentenced.

“I would just like to say I maintain my innocence,” he said.

Adelson then sat silently as the sentence was handed down, according to the Democrat. Adelson was convicted on Nov. 6 of paying to have Florida State University professor Dan Markel killed. A jury found Adelson guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy and solicitation after an eight-day trial, the newspaper reported.

Adelson received the life sentence for the first count, and consecutive 30-year sentences on the other two counts, according to the newspaper.

The jury took three hours to reach a verdict, according to the newspaper.

Tuesday, Markel’s father spoke on behalf of the family before the sentencing via a Zoom call, the Democrat reported.

“Dan’s life was abruptly cut short, and he was forever taken away from me, the boys and the rest of his family and all his many friends and colleagues,” Phil Markel said. “My life has been in total disarray since Dan’s murder. Many nights, I wake up in the middle of the night in a terrible sweat with thoughts of Dan’s murder and all that has happened.”

Prosecutors said that Dan Markel’s death was arranged through Katie Magbanua, a girlfriend of Charlie Adelson, according to The Associated Press. She employed her ex-husband and his friend, both members of the Latin Kings gang, to kill Markel.

Dan Markel, 41, was fatally shot while sitting in his car outside of his home, the Sun-Sentinel reported. Markel was killed the morning of July 18, 2014, after dropping the two sons he shared with his ex-wife, Wendi Adelson, off at daycare, going to the gym and pulling into the garage of his home. Markel was shot twice in the head at point-blank range.

He died 14 hours later.

Wendi Adelson has not been charged in the case.

Charlie Adelson’s mother, Donna Adelson, 73, of Miami, was arrested in mid-November while she and her husband attempted to board a one-way flight to Vietnam, the Sun-Sentinel reported.

Donna Adelson faces the same charges as her son, according to the newspaper.