Donna & Wendi Adelson: What Donna Allegedly Wrote in Jail

Donna Adelson's Dan Markel murder trial produced a handwritten script that prosecutors said was designed to manufacture testimony against Katherine Magbanua. Drina Bernhardt testified that Donna wrote the question-and-answer material for her to study and repeat in court, and an FDLE handwriting analyst testified that Donna was the writer.

Bernhardt said Donna offered $10,000 and a grand piano as part of the arrangement. The defense challenged Bernhardt's motives, criminal exposure, and account of how the writing happened. Jurors also heard from another jailhouse witness who claimed Donna admitted involvement in Markel's murder, an accusation Donna's lawyers contested.

The financial evidence gave jurors another fight to resolve. Prosecutors pointed to 44 checks Donna signed to Katherine Magbanua after the murder and argued they were tied to the plot. The defense said Donna signed the checks because Charlie told her he was being extorted and she believed him. One week after Charlie's 2023 conviction, authorities arrested Donna at Miami International Airport as she and Harvey prepared to travel to Vietnam on one-way tickets.

Wendi Adelson's section of the case carries a different kind of dispute. Jeffrey Lacasse testified that five days before Markel was shot, Wendi told him Charlie had explored "all options" for the "Danny Markel problem," including hiring a hitman for about $15,000. Wendi testified that she did not recall the conversation and denied saying it.
Lacasse also said Wendi questioned him about his planned Friday drive and route in the days before the murder, then asked him not to contact her for a week. Wendi was home for a Geek Squad repair on the television tied to Charlie's hitman joke and denied that the TV was code. Donna was later convicted on all three counts, while Wendi remains uncharged.

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