TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Florida’s First District Court of Appeal will hear oral arguments in the Charlie Adelson case next month.
The court granted his request for oral arguments. Those are now scheduled for February 3 at 10 a.m. and each side will be given 20 minutes to argue their case.
Adelson was convicted in November 2023 in the 2014 murder for hire of his former brother-in-law, FSU Law professor Dan Markel. He is currently serving a life sentence for his conviction on murder, conspiracy and solicitation charges.
Charlie Adelson talks with his defense attorney Daniel Rashbaum before taking the stand to testify on his own behalf on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023. (Pool camera)
Charlie Adelson’s defense team argues that he was denied “a fair and impartial trial” and asks the First DCA to overturn his convictions and order a new trial.
In its appeal, it contends the judge should have granted a change of venue due to extensive pre-trial publicity and stricken the jury panel after potential jurors were overheard discussing the case.
Adelson’s defense team also contends the judge erred in refusing to admit hundreds of text messages among Charlie Adelson and his alleged co-conspirators, as well as a recorded phone call with his mother soon after the FBI “bump” in the case.
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The State refuted the claims and asked the First DCA to affirm the convictions.
“Any Florida jury would have convicted Charlie Adelson for effectuating the murder of Dan Markel,” prosecutors wrote in their answer brief.
Adelson’s mother, Donna, also has an appeal pending before the First DCA. She filed an appeal in November 2025 after she, too, was convicted of the murder for hire plot. There are no dates set for arguments in her case.
Donna Adelson looks towards her husband, Harvey Adelson during her sentencing for her role in the murder of Dan Markel, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (Alicia Devine/Pool)
In addition to Charlie and Donna Adelson, three other people are serving prison sentences for Dan Markel’s murder: convicted hitmen Sigfredo Garcia and Luis Rivera, along with convicted go-between Katherine Magbanua.
The First DCA affirmed Magbanua’s convictions in July 2025.
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