TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — The First District Court of Appeal upheld Katherine Magbanua's convictions on Wednesday in the 2014 murder of Florida State University law professor Dan Markel.
Prosecutors said Magbanua acted as the go-between for her then-boyfriend Charlie Adelson and two hitmen, Sigfredo Garcia and Luis Rivera, in Markel's murder. Markel was shot in July 2014 while sitting in his car in the garage of his Tallahassee home.
Magbanua is currently serving a life sentence after jurors in her second trial found her guilty in 2022 on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and solicitation to commit murder. Her first trial ended with a hung jury.
According to court records, Markel was shot during a legal battle with his ex-wife, Wendi Adelson.
In her appeal, Magbanua claimed the trial court made three errors, including "not evaluating the fifth amendment assertions made by Markel's ex-wife, Wendi Adelson, during her deposition."
The appellate court denied the claims saying, "Magbanua has not demonstrated prejudicial error...She had "the benefit of not just Adelson's deposition testimony but also her testimony from the first trial...In the second trial, Wendi Adelson answered all questions asked by Magbanua."
Prosecutors said Charlie Adelson, Wendi's brother, was the mastermind in the murder-for-hire plot. Charlie Adelson, Garcia, Rivera, and Magbanua are all in prison.
Donna Adelson, the mother of Wendi and Charlie, is scheduled to go to trial in August for her suspected role in the crime.
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