chance you get about how fast this life down here can go ♪ ♪ next thing you know next thing you know next thing you know ♪ ♪ next thing you know next thing you know next thing you know ♪ [ cheers and applause ] ♪ this is "nightline." >> byron: tonight, breaking news. a new development and disturbing allegations against music mogul sean combs. and murder for hire. a florida grandmother arrested for allegedly plotting to kill her son-in-law. >> if you are arrested on a

warrant from leon county, florida -- >> byron: her son convicted of the same charges one week earlier. the case going from whodunit to how many did it? >> this is the movies, this is only in the movies where you see something like that happen. >> byron: could more arrests be coming? plus matt wright. >> sit down, sit down. we're just having a fun conversation. one-sided. i talk. >> byron: the comedian breaking through with his netflix special. >> i always described it as a group hangout and i'm the host. >> byron: amassing millions of followers. >> i was ugly as [ bleep ] for the first 22 years of my life. >> byron: why he says success almost didn't happen. and george brown. ♪ celebrate good times come on ♪ >> byron: celebrating a life well lived. the kool & the gang drummer who passed away at 74. bladder leak underwear has one job.

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♪ good evening. thank you for joining us. beloved fsu law professor dan markle was gunned down in his driveway this 2014 while in the midst of a nasty battle with ex-wife wendy over finances and her desire to move to southern florida with their children.

four people were eventually convicted for the murder. prosecutors believe there was more to it. here's abc's victor oquendo. >> you were arrested on a warrant from leon county, florida. >> reporter: the latest twist in a murder for hire plot that has gripped the nation. a miami grandmother allegedly on the run from the law. >> this is the movies, only in the movies where you see something like that happen. >> reporter: almost a decade after prominent florida state university law professor dan markle was killed, his former fourth becoming the fifth person arrested. donna adelson taken into custody at miami international airport on the jetway as they tried to board a flight to vee nam earlier this week. the arrest warrant stamped less than three hours before the scheduled takeoff. >> according to the war rant, donna adelson booked a one-way ticket to vietnam. that's important. investigators say she researched non-extradition countries to figure out where she might be able to go.

>> reporter: the 73-year-old charged in markle's death with first-degree murder, conspiracy, and solicitation. she's yet to enter a plea. she's facing the same charges as her son charlie, who had been found guilty exactly one week prior. hours after the guilty verdict, authorities say donna was on the phone with charlie repeatedly. jail call logs obtained by abc news show a dozen calls the next day. more than five hours in all, to a number authorities of that connected to donna. authorities allege she tells charlie she was getting things in order, making sure her grandchildren are taken care of, also discussing plans for a suicide or to flee to a non-extradition country. >> jailhouse calls are always monitored. law enforcement was paying attention. charles adelson was just convicted before they ended up arresting donna. >> reporter: donna's arrest the latest domino to fall in dan markle's murder case. his mother ruth continuously seeking justice.

>> our family has gone through, believe it or not, three trials, four convictions, and another arrest. so we are really ready for more progress. >> reporter: markle was gunned down in the driveway of his tallahassee home in 2014 while in a bitter battle with his ex-wife, wendy, who wanted to relocate with their two boys to south florida to be closer to her family. but when the 41-year-old refused and a court sided with him, prosecutors say the adelson family decided to take matters into their own hands. >> who did it appear had motive to want him dead? his own family. >> reporter: emails between wendy and her mom, donna, show tensions were high. >> donna began this campaign. she wrote these lengthy emails to wendy. donna refers to dan markel as "jibbers," clearly a derogatory term. >> reporter: donna writes, "it's time to take control of your

life and not let jibbers think he's won anything by having you remain in tallahassee." in another exchange she tells her daughter to use dan's religious faith against him, writing, "let jibbers know your children will be baptized in the catholic church." by july 2013, the divorce was finalized. a year later, a neighbor found dan shot in his car. >> what's -- what's going on with him? >> i don't know. the driver's side window is all bashed in. he's inside, the car is running, he's got blood all over his head. >> reporter: police brought wendy into the station where she called her mom. >> hi, mom, how's it going? i need you to sit down. >> there was a point where she was just kind of saying she was relieved to find her mom was surprised at the news. >> my parents sounded really surprised, so -- that's at least a relief.

just trying to think of who would be angry enough to do something to him. my parents would be angry, but they're not capable of this. >> reporter: wendi also made a startling statement about his brother. >> he makes a lot of jokes in bad taste, and it was a joke, "oh, i looked into hiring a hitman but it was cheaper to get you this tv, so instead i got you this tv." that was my divorce present. >> okay. >> such a horrible thing to say. >> well, do you think that this guy, charlie, would even be capable of doing something like this? >> no. no. >> that's just talk? >> he's a joker. >> okay. >> reporter: like his dad, charlie was a successful dentist. he had a reputation for being a bit of a playboy, but neither charlie nor any of his family members were in tallahassee the day of markle's death, and for years the case seemed to go cold. but by 2016, investigators are able to track down the murder vehicle, a prius rental car signed out by two men,

siegfriedo garcia and another member of the latins kings game. police discover another connection. katherine. >> she is garcia's child's mother. and she is also the former girlfriend of charlie adelson. >> reporter: katherine, garcia, and rivera are arrested in 2016. garcia would eventually take a plea deal. the others were found guilty. investigators putting the adelsons under surveillance. investigators had secretly recorded a meeting between parties but it wasn't until 2022 they were able to enhance the audio and really listen to what he said.

>> he's saying, if i thought they had enough evidence, i'd be at the airport. suggesting that he would skip town if he thought there was more evidence out there against him. >> reporter: and just last week -- >> we, the jury, find as follows as to count one of the indictment. first-degree murder, the defendant is guilty of first-degree murder. >> reporter: but it didn't end there. this week, his mother was arrested at the miami airport. >> donna's arrest was a real surprise. i did not expect such a swift action. >> when we found that she was leaving the country, extradition would have been an issue. that was when the decision was made that we needed to kind of expedite. >> reporter: abc news reached out to dana adelson's attorney and received no response. >> ultimately, i think this is a case that's going to go to trial. i don't think prosecutors are going to be cutting anyone a deal in any case any time soon. >> reporter: wendi adelson has

denied any involvement in the murder of her ex-husband. she has not been charged, though the state has identified here in court filings as a coconspirator with her mother and brother, charlie. over the years, the adelsons' lawyers have issued statements denying any involvement. the markles are choosing not to speculate on what might happen next. ruth says she wants to focus on her family and helping others. >> don't let the grief be pushed away, and at the same time don't get lost in the loss. and i think that in this particular case, there's so much glitz and glamor that i do want people to remember who dan markle was and his legacy. my greatest appreciation of dan is the kind of father that he was. he always found time for his children. >> byron: our thanks to victor. late tonight, a new development in the explosive lawsuit filed yesterday against sean copies by his ex-girlfriend, singer cassandra ventura, known as

cassie. ventura had accused the music mogul of rape, sex trafficking, and years of abuse. according to her attorney tonight, the two parties have settled the matter. cassie said, "i have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that i have some level of control." combs also issuing a statement saying, "i wish cassie and her family all the best." and his takeoff comedy career that almost wasn't. i got the power of 3. i lowered my a1c, cv risk, and lost some weight. in studies, the majority of people reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. i'm under 7. ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, or death in adults also with known heart disease. i'm lowering my risk. adults lost up to 14 pounds. i lost some weight. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes.

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♪

>> byron: welcome back. matt rife is having a moment. in fact, he's had himself a year like never before. the string of sold-out shows and a brand-new netflix special -- he says all the success comes after years of failure and rejection. he tells us the one thing that kept him going. here's abc's ashan singh. >> reporter: comedian matt rife -- >> how you feeling? >> let's do it. >> reporter: gearing up for a big show. the fans eager and ready to see the man whose jokes have dominated their social media. the 28-year-old is back home in ohio where his career began when he was just a teenager. this night one of more than 100 sold-out shows dubbed "the problematic tour." >> happy to be home, man. something about ohio. i was looking forward to this leg of the tour. ohio somehow always and never

disappoints at the exact same time. >> reporter: all of this seemed unlikely a year ago. >> the shows i was doing a year and a half ago were -- i'm flying across the country, middle seat, southwest, c-21 boarding group. to go probably lose money. you could only take so much rejection and sacrifice before you're finally like, okay, this might not actually pay out for me. i've had so many moments in my career. 13 months ago, i wanted to quit everything. >> reporter: rife has gone from almost quitting comedy to reaching a milestone peak in his career. >> we're doing netflix, baby! >> reporter: a new netflix special debuting this week called "natural selection." >> if i hear one more person blame how their life is going on mercury? i will kill you myself, do you understand? you leave that [ muted ] planet alone! >> reporter: his comedy going viral, earning him more than 18

million followers on tiktok. and heartthrob status amongst some of his adoring fans. >> you're a grandma? we'll put that shower chair to use. >> reporter: for that small group of people who don't have the internet, who are not scrolling on their phones what can they expect to see when they come to a notorious matt rife show? >> just a good time, dude. like, my style of show is, i've always described it as a grape hangout and i'm the host. we're just having a fun conversation. one-sided. i talk. >> i'm not watching you. >> oh, man, i wish you would love listening to me. >> a lot of his crowd work is i think some of his funniest stuff that he does. just because fans get into it. >> what's this thing he's really good at? >> hyperlaxic.

good with shapes, colors, numbers -- >> that dude about to rob a casino. >> reporter: when did you realize you were funny, the class clown? >> about 14 years old. i discover stand-up comedy, oh, people are funny for a living, this is a thing. the person that encouraged me the most is my grandfather. >> reporter: tale as old as time. people pursuing creative jobs. the parents, grandparents saying, get a real job, focus on school, focus on work. what did having that support system mean to you? >> nobody in my family's ever gone to college, so there was never that pressure. in the hometown, nobody leaves the town. so i didn't really have anything to lose. so i think their support really came from ignorance as well, but in the best possible way. they had no idea what this could even possibly lead to. so i thank them for being ill

informed. >> reporter: by 20 rife made it on to mtv's "wild n' out." ♪ my aunt and uncle and they drove here from aurora ♪ ♪ after years trying to smash urkel finally got more-a ♪ >> reporter: his breakout moment thanks to the internet. the post that catapulted him to stardom this is one. interacting with an audience member talking about her ex-boyfriend. >> he didn't do anything -- >> didn't do anything wrong or right? he worked in the e.r.? he was saving lives? >> over the next two days, 20 million views. it snowballed so quickly. >> reporter: rife decided to bet on himself. self-releasing two specials on youtube. the first called "only fans," a not to his good looks. >> this [ bleep ] just happened. puberty hit me so disrespectfully late. i was ugly as [ bleep ] for the first 22 years of my life. >> reporter: the second special called "matthew steven rife,"

nodding to his granddad, steve. >> apparently i'm not very "peacy." i'm not very politically correct. i don't know if that term made it down here. y'all don't seem to give a [ bleep ]. >> reporter: when it comes to comedy, would you say cancel culture is real? or something that comedians are just screaming at the sky about? >> cancel culture is definitely a real thing. i've lost fans. but the way i see it, i go, i'm just not for them, that's fine, you don't have to like me. funny is subjective. i pride myself on being able to do the same jokes in front of different audiences in hopes that it brings everybody together collectively. >> how are you? >> i'm good, how are you? >> reporter: one person missing from the homecoming, his grandfather, steve, who passed away last november. this couple waiting to meet rife had a touching surprise. >> before i make this awkward, have i met you before? >> yes. >> reporter: they'd known his grandfather when he worked on

their house. >> from the time you were a little kid, he was telling us about you. so we've always kind of been following you. we have these pictures of your grandpa. >> seriously? did work at your house? >> he was so proud of you. he talked about you all the time. >> you guys are going to make me cry, please stop. i love so much that my fans have all the power of my career. i think what drives me is making them proud, making them laugh. >> i love you guys. have a wonderful day! >> if that's my only obligation for a job, i have the best job in the world. >> byron: our thanks to ashan. "natural selection" is now streaming on netflix. when we come back, a celebration of george "funky" brown's life. ♪ it's time to come together ♪ ♪ it's up to you what's your pleasure ♪ ♪ everyone around the world come

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♪ ♪ >> byron: finally tonight, kool & the gang's george "funky" brown has passed away. a new jersey native, brown said in a 2015 interview that even as a kid, he was blessed with internal rhythm. young george would practice drumming with butter knives and began imitating his idols like buddy rich. he met the other kool and the gang members while he was still a teen and right away they knew they had something special. george "funky" brown cowrote some of the group's biggest hits, including "ladies' night," "jungle boogie," "too hat," and the number one smash "celebration." george "funky" brown was 74. ♪ celebrate good time are ts >> a life well lived. that's "nightline" for this evening.