Full Cases · Tallahassee, FL · Four convictions
Dan Markel: eleven years and one fake knock
Status as of
- Convictions
- Four people named in our episode have been convicted: Sigfredo Garcia (2019), Katherine Magbanua (2022), Charlie Adelson (2023) and Donna Adelson (2025).
- Latest sentence
- Donna Adelson was sentenced in 2025 to life plus 30 years. She is appealing; the conviction stands.
- Appeals
- On July 1, 2026, Florida's First District Court of Appeal upheld Charlie Adelson's conviction. No ruling on Donna Adelson's appeal has been reported.
- Anyone else
- No one else has been charged. Family members who were never charged deny any involvement.
- Documentary
- Hulu's four-part series "Welcome to the Family: The Murder of Dan Markel" began streaming on Sept. 1, 2026.
Video · 8:11 · Watch on YouTube
On a July morning in 2014, Florida State University law professor Dan Markel was shot in the garage of his Tallahassee home. It was no robbery — it was targeted, and the trail led to his ex-wife's own family. It would take eleven years, and one manufactured moment, to pull the truth loose.
This is the story beneath the headline: the custody fight, the hired men traced through a silver Prius and a toll transponder, the money that ran through one woman, and the FBI "bump" that finally cracked a wall of wealth and lawyers.
Sigfredo Garcia, the gunman, was convicted in 2019; Katherine Magbanua in 2022; Charlie Adelson, the dentist prosecutors said organized it, in 2023; and in 2025 the matriarch, Donna Adelson, was convicted and sentenced to life plus thirty years. She is appealing; the conviction stands. Wendi and Harvey Adelson were never charged and deny any involvement. Dan Markel's mother, Ruth, spent years fighting for the right to see her grandsons — and Florida changed its law because of it.
Who was convicted in the Dan Markel case?
Sigfredo Garcia, the gunman, was convicted in 2019; Katherine Magbanua in 2022; Charlie Adelson, the dentist prosecutors said organized it, in 2023; and Donna Adelson in 2025. Episode sources; ABC News
Where is Donna Adelson now?
She is in a Florida prison, serving a sentence of life plus 30 years after her 2025 conviction. She is appealing, and no ruling on that appeal has been reported. Episode sources; Court TV (Aug. 13)
Did Charlie Adelson win his appeal?
No. On July 1, 2026, Florida's First District Court of Appeal affirmed his convictions for first-degree murder, conspiracy and solicitation, and rejected his request for a new trial. WCTV; Court TV (July 2026); WTXL
Is there a Hulu documentary about the Dan Markel case?
Yes. "Welcome to the Family: The Murder of Dan Markel," a four-part series, began streaming on Hulu on Sept. 1, 2026. Hulu; WFSU
Who was Dan Markel?
Dan Markel was a Florida State University law professor. He was shot in the garage of his Tallahassee home on a July morning in 2014. Episode sources; ABC News
Timeline
- July 2014Dan Markel is shot in the garage of his Tallahassee home. Episode sources; ABC News
- 2019Sigfredo Garcia, the gunman, is convicted. Episode sources
- 2022Katherine Magbanua is convicted. Episode sources
- 2023Charlie Adelson is convicted. Episode sources; WCTV
- 2025Donna Adelson is convicted and sentenced to life plus 30 years. She appeals. Episode sources; Court TV (Aug. 13)
- July 1, 2026Florida's First District Court of Appeal upholds Charlie Adelson's conviction. WCTV; Court TV (July 2026); WTXL
- Sept. 1, 2026Hulu begins streaming "Welcome to the Family: The Murder of Dan Markel." Hulu; WFSU
What happens next
No court date is on the record. Donna Adelson's appeal is pending at Florida's First District Court of Appeal, and no ruling has been reported.
Who’s who
- Dan Markel: The victim. A Florida State University law professor, shot at his Tallahassee home in July 2014.
- Ruth Markel: His mother. She spent years fighting for the right to see her grandsons, and Florida changed its law because of it.
- Sigfredo Garcia: The gunman. Convicted in 2019.
- Katherine Magbanua: Convicted in 2022.
- Charlie Adelson: The dentist prosecutors said organized it. Convicted in 2023; his conviction was upheld on appeal on July 1, 2026.
- Donna Adelson: Convicted in 2025 and sentenced to life plus 30 years. She is appealing.
Sources for the status, timeline and answers
- WCTV (July 1, 2026): appeals court upholds Charlie Adelson's conviction Reportingwctv.tv/2026/07/01/florida-appeals-court-upholds-charlie-adelsons-murder-conviction-dan-markel-case/
- Court TV (July 2026): appeals court rejects Charlie Adelson's request for a new trial Reportingcourttv.com/news/appeals-court-rejects-charlie-adelsons-request-for-a-new-trial/
- WTXL: appeals court upholds Charlie Adelson's conviction Reportingwtxl.com/news/local-news/florida-appeals-court-upholds-charlie-adelsons-conviction-in-dan-markel-murder-for-hire-case
- Court TV (Aug. 13, 2026), via Yahoo News: Donna Adelson's appeal Reportingyahoo.com/news/us/articles/medical-emergency-delays-appeal-matriarch-212302874.html
- ABC News: the case over 11 years Reportingabcnews.com/US/south-florida-grandmother-center-murder-hire-saga-spanning/story?id=128005003
- Hulu: Welcome to the Family: The Murder of Dan Markel Reportinghulu.com/series/welcome-to-the-family-the-murder-of-dan-markel-77fa109a-7f84-4e84-8a1c-f48cee4a5671
- WFSU (Sept. 10, 2026): the Hulu documentary Reportingnews.wfsu.org/wfsu-local-news/2026-09-10/how-hulu-portrays-tallahassee-in-its-dan-markel-documentary
- Episode sources: CNN, NBC, CBS News, ABC, Law&Crime, Court TV, WCTV, WFSU and the court record
Sources
- CNN
- NBC
- CBS News
- ABC
- Law&Crime
- Court TV
- WCTV
- WFSU
- court record
Real media — Dan Markel's FSU portrait, courtroom stills of the convicted defendants, and Leon County court-pool sentencing footage (audio removed) — is sourced and credited on screen.
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