A Florida dentist was arrested Thursday for allegedly hiring hitmen to kill his former brother-in-law.
Daniel Markel, a Florida State University law professor, was shot and killed while sitting in his car in 2014. At the time, he was going through a bitter divorce with Charles Adelson’s sister.
Charles Adelson, 45, allegedly conspired to kill Markel because his sister was not able to relocate with her two children due to a joint custody agreement.
A grand jury charged Charles Adelson with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and solicitation to commit murder.
Adelson’s former girlfriend, Katherine Magbanua, was also named as a defendant in the indictment on the same charges.
Magbanua was already charged in the case for planning the hit but is scheduled to be retried for first-degree murder after a jury hung in 2019.
Charles Adelson and Magbanua conspired with each other to commit the murder, according to the indictment. It also states they hired the father of Magbanua’s children, Sigfredo Garcia, and his friend to carry out the crime.
Garcia is serving a life sentence for first-degree murder. His friend is serving a 19-year sentence after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for testifying against Garcia and Magbanua.
Charles Adelson was indicted after the sound on an April 2016 video recording was enhanced. The video was made secretly of him talking to Magbanua while he had been under surveillance.
The recording included statements by Charles Adelson which could be heard clearly for the first time. Charles Adelson can be heard discussing get-away information with Magbanua and many other incriminating topics.
Charles Adelson’s attorneys say prosecutors have no new information that led to this arrest and it was a desperate act.
