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A Florida dentist accused of hiring hitmen to murder his sister’s ex-husband was denied his request for pre-trial release as a judge rules the prosecutors have provided ample evidence against him, according to a report.
Florida Second Judicial Court Judge Robert Wheeler rejected Charlie Adelson’s bid for pre-trial release during a hearing Friday morning, WXTL Tallahassee reported. Adelson’s attorney had argued that Adelson should be cleared because he can be heard in a recorded conversation telling his ex-girlfriend – who has now been convicted in connection with the murder-for-hire plot – that he has “nothing to hide,” and he hopes “it was the cops,” the outlet reported.
Adelson will be back in court in December, according to the report.
Prosecutors have said Adelson worked with his ex-girlfriend and the men whom he allegedly hired to kill Florida State University law professor Daniel “Danny” Markel over eight years ago.
Left: This photo provided by Broward County Sheriff’s Office shows Charles Adelson. Right: Florida State University law professor Daniel Markel
((Broward County Sheriff’s Office / FSU))
Markel, a prominent lawyer, was on the heels of a contentious divorce with Adelson’s sister, Wendi, when he was gunned down in his car on July 18, 2014. The pair had disagreed and sparred in court documents over certain issues, namely, Wendi’s relocation from Tallahassee to be closer to her family in south Florida.
Tallahassee Police Department investigators said Markel dropped his children off at daycare around 8:50 a.m. roughly five miles from his home and then made his way to Premier Health and Fitness Center, where he arrived around 9:12 a.m., according to a probable cause affidavit shared online in 2016.
Luis Rivera (left) and Sigfredo Garcia, the men who were said to have been hired to kill Dan Markel
(Federal Bureau of Prisons/Broward County Sheriff’s Office )
Police found that a Toyota Prius had followed Markel not only into the parking lot of the fitness facility, but was also “trailing Markel’s car” before and after his time in the gym.
“Investigators believe the suspects in the Prius followed the victim throughout the morning and back to this residence, where the victim was shot in the head as he sat in his car,” the affidavit states. “Markel’s neighbor heard what he believed to be a gunshot and looked out the window, where he saw a small silver or light-colored vehicle, resembling a Prius, backing out of the victim’s driveway.”
Dan Markel in this undated photo
(Wondery)
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Markel was rushed to a local hospital, but could not be saved.
Charlie Adelson, age 45, was arrested in April 2022 after he was indicted by a grand jury. He was charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation to commit murder. He pleaded not guilty, and has remained behind bars.
