Key Takeaways from the Affidavit
- Same charges as Charlie — Murder, conspiracy, and solicitation to commit. The exact three charges Charlie was just found guilty on.
- The money drop — Communication records place Donna at Charlie's residence delivering laundered cash. Katie testified Charlie said "his mom had washed" the money.
- $56,000+ in signed checks — Handwritten paychecks signed by Donna going to Magbanua, who didn't work for the Adelson Institute.
- Coded conversations — The $5,000 "TV," the "just the two of us" call after the bump, and repeated secret meetings at remote outdoor locations.
- Train car communication — Every time law enforcement applied pressure, the same pattern fired: Donna to Charlie to Katie, or the reverse.
- "He's haunting me from the grave" — Donna's own words about Dan Markel after the bump, observed by June Umchinda.
- Attempted flight to Vietnam — Arrested at the airport after a jail call with Charlie about "putting things in order."
Before Donna Adelson made it to Vietnam, she was arrested at the airport. Her probable cause affidavit lays out the charges against her and the evidence behind them. This is a detailed walk through that document — what stands out, what's damning, and what a few of the more interesting side details reveal.
The Charges
Right at the top: these are the same three charges Charlie Adelson was just found guilty on — murder, conspiracy, and solicitation to commit. Donna is facing the exact same thing.
Establishing the Motive
The affidavit lays out the motive through several key points:
- Wendy's interview with police — Wendy herself suggested the murder of Dan could have been arranged by someone on her behalf, and indicated her parents were very angry at Markel.
- The relocation fight — Wendy's parents, especially Donna, were determined to have Wendy and the two Markel children relocated to South Florida — which is exactly where they ended up.
- Donna's pressure campaign — Donna repeatedly tried to convince Wendy to coerce Markel into allowing the relocation.
If you've seen the cast of characters map, you've got Luis Rivera, Sigfredo Garcia, and Katherine Magbanua on one side — doing this for money — and the Adelsons on the other, driven by power, control, resentment, and hatred. It gets a lot more complicated on the Adelson side. Dan really stepped on a bear trap when he met Wendy and didn't realize it.
The Phone Calls After Dan's Murder
After Dan's murder, Wendy finds out and contacts Donna. The call records show:
- First call: Charlie to Donna at 7:13 — 5 minutes, 47 seconds
- Second call: Charlie to Donna shortly after — 6 minutes, 31 seconds
That's under 15 minutes total. The father of Donna's grandchildren was brutally murdered — shot in his driveway — and they don't even talk about it for 15 minutes. I just talked to my mom about an apple pie recipe for 27 minutes. This struck me as incredibly strange.
At the Memorial Service
Here's something chilling I didn't know before reading this document: Harvey and Donna attended Dan Markel's memorial service. Knowing what we now know about the evidence of Donna's involvement, it is chilling to think she was standing there.
Harvey and Donna agreed to contact the lead investigator at the service. They did not make good on that promise.
The Adelson Family Vanishes
Harvey and Donna left Tallahassee with Wendy and the grandchildren the day after the memorial — without speaking to the investigator as promised. Since leaving, no one in the Adelson family contacted the Tallahassee PD or inquired about the status of the investigation.
And Wendy? When an investigator contacted her on her cell phone, she claimed to have a bad connection and terminated the call. The investigator got a callback from Wendy's attorney letting him know she had left town. Fakes a bad connection, hangs up, tucks tail, and gets out of town.
The Drop
This is where it gets really damning. The affidavit details Donna texting Charlie to let him know she's outside his house to deliver money she had laundered.
What Happened at the Drop
Katherine Magbanua stated that while she was at Charlie's, he was armed and acting frantic — clearly in over his head. Charlie told Katherine that his mother and father had just left and "left the money that his mom had washed." Communication records confirm Donna telling Charlie she was outside, prepared for the delivery.
One detail I didn't know before: Charlie told Katie the money was in the trunk of her car the next morning. Katie had taken a Xanax that night and fallen asleep. I'm wondering if Charlie grabbed her keys, opened her trunk, and tucked the money in while she was out. A small detail, but one that paints a picture of how frantic and improvised this all was.
The Payments
After the drop, the payoff trail continued. Magbanua started receiving handwritten paychecks signed by Donna — even though Magbanua did not work for the Adelson Institute. Investigators totaled over $56,000 in payments.
The deposits were conducted through an ATM in increments of $300 to $2,000.
Katherine was trying to randomize the amounts to mask what was really happening. These little details jump out — the day-to-day reality of holding this secret, constantly trying to conceal and evade.
The Bump
What a beautiful move by law enforcement. If you imagine all the characters involved were in a protective bubble they thought they were safe inside — with their codes and randomized deposits — the bump completely burst that bubble and sent everyone into disarray.
The bump triggered the now-infamous phone call between Donna and Charlie. Charlie asks what he thinks this involves. Donna responds:
"Probably the two of us. You probably have a general idea of what I'm talking about."
Donna Adelson to Charlie Adelson, post-bump phone callAs Vinnie from Court TV joked — that song "Just the Two of Us." Can't not think about it now.
Speaking in Code
Then there's Donna's coded language: "This TV is probably about five." The $5,000 TV.
Two things about that. First, someone on YouTube drove by Wendy's house at the time — it's really small. A giant TV wouldn't even fit. Second, I have not run across a $5,000 TV. Unless you're looking at something with a curved screen and sapphire glass, maybe. The code makes no sense as a real conversation.
The affidavit also describes a meeting between Charlie and Donna at The Icon, where they live. They walked outside to a remote table behind the building and sat close together while conversing. None of their conversation was captured. I would give anything to hear that conversation. And this happens more than once — they keep retreating to remote outdoor locations for these private discussions.
The Bump Follow-Ups
After the bump, law enforcement kept the pressure on.
The Letter
A letter was sent to Harvey and Donna by investigators. After receiving it, Donna shared the information with Charlie, who forwarded it to Magbanua. The train car communication pattern — Donna to Charlie to Katie, or the reverse.
The Text
A text message was sent to Donna's cell phone from an undercover agent. While driving to meet Donna, Charlie called Katherine advising there was a "new problem" and he may need to meet with her that day. The train cars start communicating again.
Charlie arrived at The Icon and they agreed to meet at the pool area to discuss the text message. Another outdoor conversation I'm not privy to but wish I was.
Behavioral Changes
Remember when the drop happened and Charlie was walking around with a gun, anxious and panicking? Donna exhibited very similar behavior after the bump.
June Umchinda, one of Charlie's ex-girlfriends, observed Donna to be stressed out during this time. Donna made a statement to June:
"I feel like Dan Markel is haunting me from the grave."
Donna Adelson to June UmchindaOne of my subscribers, Shanty Christian, pointed out how poetic that is. As fans of Dan, we might say he's guiding this. Donna — who is not a fan of Dan and is deeply involved — frames it as being haunted. Same observation, completely different perspective.
Charlie Brings Everyone Together
In a particularly foolish move, Charlie directed Katie to his parents' building via WhatsApp — after they had gone to great lengths to keep each character separated. Charlie told Magbanua he was talking to his parents about everything. Another damning piece showing Donna was brought into all of it.
One more interesting detail: Charlie told Donna to stop getting worked up about things.
This raises a deeper question about who the real mastermind is. First we focused on Charlie — the guy in the middle of the map. Then we realized maybe it's actually Donna. We read her emails and see how forceful, strong, and controlling she is. But maybe there's an even deeper layer: Wendy, playing the damsel in distress while pulling strings through passive manipulation. She's feeding her mother details about the divorce — how Dan is doing this, keeping the kids from her — knowing Donna's controlling tendencies will trigger action. And then it's never Wendy's idea. That's something I'm thinking more and more about.
She Tried to Flee
Finally, the affidavit details Donna's plan to flee to Vietnam and a jail call with Charlie discussing "putting things in order." This is what led directly to her arrest at the airport.
Bottom Line
This affidavit paints a very clear picture. The evidence that was effective in Charlie's trial — the coded language, the train car communication pattern, the damning behavior after the bump — is going to be just as effective in Donna's. If it didn't fool Charlie's jury, it's not going to fool hers.
