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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (BFMG) — Attorneys for Donna Adelson, the 76-year-old woman serving a life sentence for conspiring to murder her former son-in-law, are seeking more time to file her appellate brief after she suffered what they described as a medical emergency in prison.
Adelson was convicted in 2025 of first-degree murder, conspiracy and solicitation in the 2014 killing of Florida State University law professor Dan Markel. Prosecutors said Adelson conspired with her son, Charlie Adelson, to arrange the murder-for-hire plot after Markel’s contentious divorce from her daughter, Wendi Adelson.
Her initial appeal brief was due Aug. 14 in Florida’s 1st District Court of Appeal. But in a sealed motion obtained by Court TV, Adelson’s attorneys requested an extension after saying they had been unable to speak with their client following her hospitalization.
According to the motion, Adelson called an attorney Aug. 4 and said she had been evaluated by medical staff for “excruciating pain” caused by an abscess on her arm that she described as being the size of a tennis ball.
Medical staff reportedly suspected the infection could be MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a type of staph bacteria that can be difficult to treat. Adelson said she was provided an antibiotic and instructed to use a hot compress, according to the filing.
On Aug. 7, Adelson again sought medical care, reporting an emergency. She was admitted for treatment and received an IV, her attorneys said.
The defense said planned calls with Adelson during the following week did not occur. Attorneys had intended to review the appeal brief with her before filing it, but wrote that they did not know how long she would remain in medical care or the seriousness of her condition if the infection proved to be MRSA.
“Counsel does not know how long she will stay in medical or the seriousness of her condition if it turns out to be a case of MRSA,” the motion states.
Prosecutors had not filed a response to the extension request, and the 1st District Court of Appeal had not publicly ruled on the motion as of Thursday, according to Court TV.
Adelson was the fifth person convicted in Markel’s death. Markel was shot in the driveway of his Tallahassee home on July 18, 2014, shortly after dropping off his children at preschool.
Charlie Adelson was convicted in 2023 and sentenced to life in prison. Katherine Magbanua, Charlie Adelson’s former girlfriend, was convicted of acting as a go-between in the plot. Sigfredo Garcia and Luis Rivera were also convicted for their roles in the killing.
Adelson has maintained her innocence. She is serving her sentence at Homestead Correctional Institution, according to Florida prison records.
