(NewsNation) — The trial of a 75-year-old grandmother accused in a murder-for-hire plot in Florida has become shocking with each passing day, observers say.
Donna Adelson is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy, and solicitation to commit first degree murder. She is accused of concocting a scheme in which two hitmen shot her former son-in-law, Danny Markel, to death in 2014.
Donna hated Markel, according to her daughter, Wendi, who is testifying at her trial.
Gigi McKelvey, host of the “Pretty Lies & Alibis” podcast, believes the prosecution doesn’t have a “smoking gun” to prove Adelson planned to kill Merkel.
“It’s largely circumstantial,” she told “Banfield” Tuesday. “You put the pieces together, you get a big picture.”
Donna Adelson trial has serious tension
McKelvey pointed out that the trial hasn’t lacked tension with Donna Adelson facing off against Wendi and Donna’s son, Charlie Adelson.
Charlie, along with his girlfriend, Katherine Magbanua, Sigfredo Garcia and Luis Rivera, have already been convicted of Markel’s murder.
“Wendi and Donna had these little glances back and forth,” she said. “When Wendi had to identify her mom in court, she sounded like she wanted to get choked up.”
Donna Adelson’s oldest son, Rob, also shot her a look of disgust as opposed to Wendi. That goes back to Donna meddling in Rob’s personal life years ago, McKelvey said.
Murder-for-hire plot
Markel was found dead with two gunshot wounds to the head inside his car in the garage of his home on July 18, 2014.
Prosecutors allege that the killing stemmed from a custody battle that followed Wendi and Markel’s divorce. Wendi wanted to move to South Florida with their children to be closer to her parents, Court TV reported. Markel, a law teacher at Florida State University, wanted to stay in Tallahassee.
A judge ruled that the children must stay in Tallahassee, which Wendi said made her mom “really upset.” She recalled telling investigators her “parents have more reasons to dislike Danny than anyone else.”
Markel took legal action against Donna Adelson, asking that she not be allowed unsupervised visits with his kids. He was killed before the case made it to court.
Donna Adelson denies any involvement in her son-in-law’s death.