(NewsNation) — A Florida dentist accused of being behind a murder-for-hire plot that left a Florida State University professor dead is on trial.
Charlie Adelson took the stand Thursday at his trial. Prosecutors say Adelson ordered a hit to kill professor Dan Markel, his former brother-in-law, so his sister could move to South Florida following a child custody battle.
According to authorities, Markel was gunned down near his driveway by two men in 2014. Since the shooting almost a decade ago, three people have been convicted in connection to Markel’s murder.
Sigfredo Garcia is serving a life sentence. Luis Rivera is serving 19 years in prison after reaching a plea deal with prosecutors.
What connected Garcia and Rivera to the law professor? Prosecutors insist it’s Katherine Magbanua. She’s the mother of Garcia’s children but had also previously dated Adelson.
She was found guilty last year of being the go-between in the murder-for-hire plot and is serving a life sentence. She’s now pointing the finger at Adelson, testifying that he had the idea to kill Markel and expressed that he wanted to move forward with it in 2013.
While on the stand Thursday, Adelson told the courtroom he was “really nervous.” When asked why, he reportedly replied, “My whole life depends on it.”
Adelson was arrested in April 2022. He’s charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation of murder.
