Charlie Adelson Appeal Hearing: Judges Question Whether Tallahassee Jury Was Tainted | Markel Murder Update

Three appellate judges heard oral arguments today in Charlie Adelson's bid to overturn his conviction in the murder-for-hire of Dan Markel. Adelson, currently serving life in a South Dakota prison, was not present as his attorneys argued he was denied a fair trial due to nearly a decade of pretrial publicity in Tallahassee. Defense attorney Michael Ufferman told Florida's First District Court of Appeal that 53 of 54 prospective jurors who formed an opinion believed Adelson was guilty before the trial began. He cited jurors discussing the case in violation of court orders and argued the entire panel should have been struck. The state countered that Adelson accepted the jury without objection and never filed a formal change of venue motion. Assistant Attorney General Robert Charles Lee delivered the prosecution's sharpest argument: Adelson is entitled to an impartial jury, not an impartial community. He maintained that any Florida jury would have convicted based on the evidence.

The judges pressed both sides with pointed questions but did not indicate when a ruling would come. Adelson was convicted in November 2023 for orchestrating the 2014 murder of his former brother-in-law, an FSU law professor who was shot in his garage after a custody dispute. His mother Donna Adelson, convicted in September 2025, also has an appeal pending. Both are fighting their convictions from separate prisons.

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This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.