The State rests its case after six days of witness testimonies in the Donna Adelson trial.
- Friday, witnesses testified about Adelson's attempted flight to Vietnam in November 2023 which followed her son's conviction.
- The State also called two inmates to the stand. One said Donna had admitted she had been involved with Dan Markel's murder.
- Watch the video to hear from these witnesses, as the defense prepares to present its case Tuesday.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The jury hearing from two Leon County Detention Center inmates Friday, Patricia Byrd and Drina Berndhart, who testified they had spent time with Donna in jail.
Patricia Byrd testifing that Donna told her she was involved with Dan Markel's murder.
"She said she did it and it was to keep her grandkids, but it wasn't supposed to go that far," said Byrd.
Drina Berndhart also said she spent 4 months in close proximity with Donna in jail, saying Donna called her her "jail daughter", gave her the nickname "sunshine", and painted pictures for her.
"I hope your life will be filled with joy and love and flowers," read one of the notes.
Berndhart said Donna spoke about her case daily to her, adding Donna wrote down a script with false information that Drina was supposed to say on the stand.
The State showed this as evidence.
"I was supposed to study it, answer it correctly, and say it on the stand," said Berndhart.
Berndhard also testified Adelson said she would reward her with various gifts including $10,000 and a grand piano.
During cross-examination, the defense argued Byrd's testimony did not align with previous interviews.
"How many times did a female investigator come to speak to you?" asked Joshua Zelman, one of Adelson's defense attorneys.
"Once," Byrd responded.
"Do you remember testifying previously that a female investigator came twice?," asked Zelman.
Court is not in session on Labor Day. The defense is expected to call their first witness on Tuesday. The trial is set to resume at 8:30 a.m.
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