like a said to you, that's one of my brothers. >> pretty miraculous any of us are here. >> we have some really bad days, but for the most part my dad's a smiley, energetic fun guy to be around. >> we have hundreds of military veterans and families with us tonight. >> you put your life in their hands to make sure they're the ones who will protect you. you can't get closer to each other than that. we're here tonight because of what you've done for our country. thank you guys so much. a divorce war that leads to murder. >> and the verdict in just this week. "20/20" starts right now. >> he says, are you sitting down? and i knew right away in his

voice that this was not a good story. >> and what a story. call this one a love-hate triangle. husband, wife, and wife's family. >> they hate danny in a way i've never seen this kind of obsession. >> this wasn't a normal divorce case. >> did any of you ever think that it could get violent? >> never. >> a murder mystery we followed for years. >> someone killed the father of my children. first we got divorced, and then he got murdered. >> now, finally, a courtroom verdict. >> i don't want them to think i'm the one convicting him or something. if i say yes, i saw them and then that puts him in prison for life. >> the driver's side window is all bashed in. he's in the car, it's running and he has blood all over his head. >> it look like he's been shoot a very close range. >> who would do this? >> i don't know.

would you ever ask someone to do something like this? >> i have something i want to tell you. i do have some ideas. >> so, who did it appear to want to have motive to have dan markelle dead? his own family. >> they say the wheels of justice turn slowly. >> all rise! >> in this case, almost ten years. >> court in now in session. the honorable judge steven everett residing. >> in many murder trials there's the deceased and the defendant. but this one is unusual, because this is a story about a family. >> please say and spell your name. >> wendy aidleson. >> one that seemingly has everything -- devotion, wealth, influence. and something else. >> back in 2014, the aidleson family had a big problem. >> and that so-called problem

leads this family >> from the very outset, the state suspected the family. >> in the bible it says there's an exodus, the jews left egypt. i always say the second exodus was the jews to south >> michael weinstein is a criminal defense attorney who grew up in south florida. >> my parents came down back in the '70s, and it was 30 degrees in new york and 70 degrees here, and that was a pretty easy decision for them. >> they settled in coral

springs, a community about an hour north of miami beach. >> coral springs is kind of like a suburb of nowhere. there wasn't really a big city that it was attached to. >> among the weinstein family's many friends were the adelsons. >> wheel of -- >> here's the matriarch donna adelson appearing on wheel of fortune in 1989. >> i'm a domestic coordinator. i'm responsible for the activities, classes and lessons of my son robert who is 16, charlie who is 12, wendi who is 10, my husband harvey who's in the audience. >> harvey adelson is someone i've known my entire life. he's a dentist, and he was married to donna, and he had three kids, robert, charlie, and wendi. >> harvey was a extremely successful dentist. he runs the adelson institute of dentistry. donna helped as the office manager. >> donna was always a bright smile. you know, you'd walk into the dental office, and she was always warm. you know, walk into her home, it was always clean, immaculate.

and the kids were always well behaved and appropriate and dressed well. she was always a bright light to those children. >> by all accounts, the adelson children are exceptional. they're smart, athletic, and driven to succeed. >> the three adelson siblings, rob was the oldest. >> rob goes to medical school and falls in love with a fellow student there. >> donna doesn't approve of him marrying her because she didn't have a jewish background. >> rob marries his girlfriend, falls out of favor with his mother, and becomes estranged from the adelsons, so focus shifts to the younger children, charlie and wendi. and they will be central to this story. >> they were closer in age, so i think charlie and wendi fwere a unit to a certain extent. >> charlie and wendi were at

high school at the same time. charlie was class of '95. wendi was class of '97. so two years apart. >> daryl gold went to high school with the adelson siblings. >> charlie was always kind of a goofy kid in high school. he was a jokester and he was, i guess, a social butterfly. >> charlie went to dental school, got his degree, came back, and then he was helping harvey in his practice. so, it was a father and son practice. harvey was successful, but charlie helped bring it to a new level. >> wendi was always an all-star. she was incredibly bright as a child. she did phenomenally well in high school. incredibly smart and gregarious and well-loved by everybody. >> friends say she isn't only smart but also a lot of fun. characteristics that were on display when she, like her mother before her, appeared on a game show. "weakest link." >> when i was little i wanted to be a giraffe.

>> wendi adelson does something a little different than everyone in her family. she goes into law. >> wendi has an internship in washington, d.c., where another young lawyer is just starting out. >> danny studied in harvard understood grad. he went to cambridge, england, he went to israel for a year, and after that he finished law school, and we went to live in washington. >> danny was a very warm person to start with with everybody. he never greeted people with a handshake. it was always a hug. >> dan was raised in a conservative jewish household in toronto, canada. >> there's a word in yiddish, he would be a mensch, a real guy, with great character and great personality. >> a young woman named wendi adelson searched him on jdate. the jewish dating service. and she was sitting with her mother, donna, searching for a candidate for her to meet. and so they're looking up

dan markel. >> he and wendi share a passion for the law and seem like a great match. >> there was a really strong connection, and she, you know, was really drawn to him. >> and what did you think of this young woman? >> she was a very warm, she's a very attractive person, and we were so pleased that, you know, danny was happy. >> wendi's beautiful. she's adorable. she's bright. >> and it was a beautiful thing to see danny in love. >> you must have been elated. here's this beautiful, well-educated, bright, warm woman, who comes from a great family who is in love with your son. they're going to make great grand babies. everybody should be happy. >> we were. >> wendi and dan's relationship moves quickly, and in less than a year, they're engaged. they decide to have their wedding in south florida. >> donna adelson was very involved in the planning of this extravaganza for her only

daughter. >> daniel markel was devout in his jewish faith. >> it was important for him to have a traditional jewish marriage. specifically, that the wedding be entirely kosher. >> he was very invested in it being a kosher wedding so that the rabbis would be comfortable being there. >> when dan's family and friends travel down from canada for the big day, they're in for a surprise. >> daniel markel shows up at his own wedding and discovers that the catering is not kosher. >> i think he sort of had the rug pulled out from under him because the rabbis were going to have to leave, and i think that was a very devastating moment for him. >> donna approached me and she said, why is danny so kosher?

you're not even that kosher. and she already had started to move towards that as kind of a bit of a divisive issue. >> do you think that this is malicious? >> no. i think that it was a bit of sabotage, a little bit of lack of respect. there was a third person in this relationship. and that's what we have here. >> so, donna was the third person in the relationship between wendi and danny? >> absolutely. >> lots of people whose in-laws are paying for the wedding end up with not the wedding of their dreams. it's only in retrospect that it looks like a harbinger of things to come. discover different black friday deals at target each week. ♪ i never knew there was a ♪ ♪ love like this before ♪ [rosemarie's "love like this"] ♪ never had someone to show me love ♪ weekly black friday deals you can't miss. ♪ love like this before ♪ ♪ i never knew there was a... ♪

get low prices and early black friday deals at target. ( ♪ ♪ ) start your day with nature made. the #1 pharmacist recommended vitamin and supplement brand. cleanse and exfoliate in one step with new garnier micellar gentle peeling water. boosted with glycolic acid. to cleanse, remove makeup, and gently exfoliate. clinically tested to even skin tone. see visibly glowing skin with new micellar gentle peeling water by garnier, naturally. (carolers) ♪ iphone 15 pro for your husband! iphone 15 pro — ♪ with new micellar gentle peeling water (wife) carolers! to tell me you want a new iphone? a better plan is verizon. (husband) no way they'd take this wreck. (carolers) ♪ yes, they will, and you'll get iphone 15 pro, ♪ ♪ aaannnnnddddd apple tv 4k, and apple one - ♪ ♪ all three on them! ♪ (wife) do that. (carolers) ♪ we tried to tell him but he paid us a lot... ♪ (husband) it was a lot... ♪ mhmmm ♪ (vo) this holiday turn any iphone, in any condition,

into a new iphone 15 pro with titanium, apple tv 4k, and six months of apple one. all three on us. it's holiday everyday with verizon. pain hits fast. so get relief fast. only tylenol rapid release gels have laser drilled holes. they release medicine fast for fast pain relief. and now, get max strength topical pain relief precisely where you need it. with new tylenol precise. get more cheer from your morning routine. savor the season with our peppermint mocha flavored creamer, and make 20 cups of deliciously rich coffee at home for the price of 1 from a coffee shop. coffee's perfect holiday mate coffee mate! introducing finish ultimate. engineered for the toughest conditions. dry burnt-on stains. old dishwashers. very hard water. new finish ultimate, with cyclesync technology, helps deliver the ultimate clean. ♪

for your most brilliant smile, crest has you covered. ♪ (laughing) nice smile, brad. nice! thanks? crest 3d white. 100% more stain removal. crest. ♪smushy butt.♪ ♪mushy. cushy. tushy butt.♪ ♪eggy butt.♪ ♪drop it on dad's head-y butt.♪ ♪stinky butt?♪ put a huggies on that butt! cause only huggies is the #1 fitting diaper with a curved and stretchy fit. we got you baby.

after their wedding wendi adelson and dan markel settle into a life together. they move to tallahassee, the capital of florida. >> both dan and wendi get jobs at florida state university law school. >> so, if you're not from florida, there's a saying, the further north you go, the more south you get. northern florida is really southern georgia. >> when you think about florida, maybe you're thinking about disney world, you're thinking about miami with the beaches and the nightlife.

>> and tallahassee is not seen as that sophisticated. it's a much slower pace here. >> dan and wendi start their life together in this neighborhood called betton hills. >> it is a kind of upscale neighborhood. this is a quiet place. this is where kids run around, you know, ride their bikes up and down the street. >> and they have, from the outside, what seems like a pretty idyllic life. >> they were very lovey, happy. >> we went to dinner once at their house, and we left kind of going, like, almost feeling inadequate. >> oh, my god, like, inadequate as a married couple because they were dancing and singing. >> they called each other the bears. >> the bears, it was mr. bear was danny, and mrs. bear was wendi. >> in the leafy enclave filled with families, wendi and dan start one of their own, and they have two boys within two years.

>> danny was a great father. with all his accomplishments, to me, i'm the proudest of him as a father. >> his boys were the entire world to him. >> he was a professor. he had a demanding job. he traveled. but he managed to arrange his schedule as much as he could to spend a lot of quality time. they would go to the local pool. they would go to the park. he was really invested in their early growing up years. >> dan's career really takes off. he was like a star on the rise. >> dan markel was a passionate guy who cared deeply about learning and teaching. he's a criminal law specialist. >> murder, for example, is the kind of law i think everyone -- >> he could talk for hours about

principles of justice and jurisprudence, issues of the death penalty, of criminal justice. >> dan starts a blog for law professors, and his friends say it might have made him some enemies. >> we're in a profession where most of the people are type-a personalities. most people are a little aggressive. dan liked to argue and he liked to make sure people understood his arguments. >> friends of dan's will tell you that he liked to needle people. he liked to push and poke and prod. >> while dan is relishing life in tallahassee, wendi is not as content. she's longing for south florida where her parents and brother live. >> under the old adage of "happy wife, happy life," he tried to get a job in miami, which would have been closer to wendi's parents and then was unsuccessful. that was very dispiriting for

both, i think, him and wendi. >> she was talking to him about being unhappy and he was insisting they had no problems. >> they had come into their marriage as equals -- well-educated lawyers with ambition and promise. but over time, her friends say wendi begins to feel a sense of imbalance in their relationship, something she talks about openly on a podcast she does for a writing class. >> our marriage dissolved after the children arrived, as the loneliness of being married to someone that didn't view me as an equal crept in. >> danny was brilliant. he was top notch in his field, and i think she struggled with being in his shadow. and i think it was hard for her to navigate her role in the marriage. >> he was fairly controlling and pretty unkind to my friend. i was around on a number of occasions when he put her down, and it was really hard to be around for that.

>> roughly six years into their marriage wendi writes a novel. it's called "this is our story". it's a work of fiction, but those close to wendi notice the parallels to her own life. in fact, wendi laments dan's unwillingness to read her book in her podcast. >> i do believe he loved me the best way he knew how. i mean, he didn't like fiction, so why read my novel? it was logic, not a lack of love. >> in the book, one of her characters was a woman who fell out of love, and perhaps that's why she wanted dan to read it. >> my childhood friend lisa told me this weekend that she never even knew i was unhappy in my marriage. i had no idea i hid it so well. >> at this point dan is traveling frequently for work while wendi stays behind, literally and figuratively working and caring for their two young sons. >> i see dan in new york, and

he's telling me that he thinks his marriage is unwinding. so i try to encourage to just stick it out, stay home more, don't go to as many conferences, just try to work your way through it. s >> it's during one of these trips to a conference in new york city that wendi calls dan to deliver some devastating news. >> she says, i'm leaving, it's over. dan says, please don't do this. we can still work this out. >> she calls him in new york. he changes all his plans, he cancels the lecture, and he gets on a flight to come back to tallahassee. he walks into the bedroom, and there was divorce papers on the bed. >> half the furniture is missing. even half the dining room chairs were gone. >> he came home to a house that was literally half emptied.

even though she was just filing for divorce, but she preemptively took everything, including the kids. >> danny called this pearl harbor. >> it was kind of shocking. all of a sudden, he was sneak-attacked on a sunday morning, essentially. >> even in his wildest imagination, you know, when he's describing what he's taking to be his wife's disengagement, he doesn't think that this is going to happen. >> danny was devastated from the divorce. >> this wasn't a normal divorce case. it was incredibly litigious. you know, i guess you might expect that with two law professors. >> the accusations are flying at this point. wendi accuses dan of hiding assets while dan accuses wendi of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars. >> he said that she stole assets, wouldn't give back a diamond ring from one of his aunts in the holocaust. it was really acrimonious. >> wendi accuses dan of emotional abuse and claims he tells their colleagues at fsu

that she has, quote, mental health issues. >> they each vehemently denied the claims of the other. >> it was almost like a tennis match, you know, going back and forth with these filings that only the two of them really were involved in the match at that point, and everybody else was just standing on the outside watching. >> there was lack of communication. there was rancor. did any of you ever think that it could get violent? >> never. >> but there was a third party involved in the divorce. >> let's show this [ bleep ] what will make him absolutely miserable. >> wendi's mother, donna. >> jibbers hasn't beaten the adelson family yet. [trumpet music plays] 579 breaths to show 'em your stuff. every breath matters. don't like rsv take your breath away. protect yourself from rsv... ...with abrysvo, pfizer's rsv vaccine.

abrysvo is a vaccine for the prevention of lower respiratory disease from rsv in people 60 years and older. rsv can be serious if you are 60 or older. having asthma, copd, diabetes, or heart disease puts you at even higher risk. abrysvo is not for everyone and may not protect all who receive the vaccine. don't get abrysvo if you've had a severe allergic reaction to its ingredients. people with a weakened immune system may have a decreased response to abrysvo. the most common side effects are tiredness, headache, pain at the injection site, and muscle pain. ask your pharmacist or doctor about pfizer's rsv vaccine, abrysvo. visit these retailers or find other retailers near you at abrysvo.com. [deep breath]

just between us, you know what's better than mopping? anything! ugh. well, i switched to swiffer wetjet, and it's awesome. it's an all-in-one, that absorbs dirt and grime deep inside. and it helps prevent streaks and haze. wetjet is so worth it. love it, or your money back.

from the state that's already helped millions of people like you get and pay for health insurance. with financial health to lower the cost of health coverage, you could get a quality health plan for less than $10 a month. every plan covers preventive care, doctor visits, emergency care, and more. if you have questions, we're here to help every step of the way. covered california. this way to health insurance. enroll by december 31 at coveredca.com. >> less than seven years after exchanging wedding vows, wendi adelson and dan markel are exchanging accusations in divorce court. >> the divorce got really nasty. and i think the boiling point

was when wendi couldn't leave tallahassee, couldn't relocate to south florida. dan wouldn't agree to it. >> wendi made it extremely clear to almost anyone who would listen that she did not like tallahassee, she did not want to live here, and she wanted to move to south florida. >> and the only way she could do that is if he agreed or he died. >> she's allowed to leave him, right, she's allowed to divorce. but she's not allowed to just take his kids and move them seven hours to south florida. >> she filed a motion to relocate the children, and that was flatly denied. >> the judge ruled over the protests of wendi and wendi's family that she could not move to miami. >> donna and harvey, wendi's parents, had always been actively involved in wendi's life and in the grandkids' life. >> it's like 700 miles. it's a day drive. it was quite inconvenient for them.

>> to have to keep going up to tallahassee? >> yeah. and donna would be back and forth quite often. >> and when the divorce happens, they maintain a closeness to the situation. they are extremely involved. >> and the news that wendi and the kids will not be able to move to south florida apparently does not sit well with her mother donna. >> donna began this campaign. she wrote these lengthy emails to wendi. >> donna refers to dan markel as jibbers, which is clearly a derogatory term. >> it's time to take control of your life and not let jibbers think he's won anything by having you remain in tallahassee. >> a month before their next court appearance, donna sends wendi a long email suggesting ways to needle her soon-to-be ex-husband. remember, this is the woman who helped her daughter find dan on jdate eight years earlier. now donna says she wants

that same man to suffer. let's. >> let's show that [ bleep ] what will make him absolutely miserable. you know his weak points -- money, religion, control. >> donna advocates using religion to pressure dan. >> let jibbers know that your children will be baptized in the catholic church. >> donna even suggests paying dan off. >> we plan to make a financial offer to him to allow this relocation. >> she suggested to wendi that they should go three ways to pay danny $1 million, her and harvey, charlie, and wendi. >> and donna reminds wendi she's not alone in this fight. >> jibbers hasn't beaten the adelson family yet. you have a very strong family behind you. just remember that >> i don't think at this point money, threats of catholic money, threats of catholic -school, you name it, were gonna convince dan to be separated from his kids. >> although their divorce is technically finalized in july

2013, things aren't over just yet. the following spring, old wounds reopen after the boys visit their grandma donna. >> donna was telling the boys how stupid their father was. >> how did danny even find out that donna was maligning him to his own children? >> the kids. >> the boys told him. he says, well, daddy, "grandma donna was saying that you're stupid. >> and danny was now getting agitated about the fact that there was this badmouthing going on. >> that obviously infuriates him. your ex-mother-in-law is trying to poison your kids against you. >> he felt like her family was alienating the children from him. >> so dan files a motion that will take wendi back to court. >> and he was making the argument to the court that the grandmother should not be able to have the kids unsupervised. >> they had a lot of issues post-divorce, which made it even difficult to have smooth communications between them.

>> there was lack of communication. anger. did any of you ever think that it could get violent? >> never. >> despite the heated language in divorce court, in their personal lives, dan and wendi appear to be moving on. soon, there's a new man in her life. >> wendi was introduced to a social work professor at fsu, jeff lacasse. one of the first things that people point out about jeff is that he looked a little like dan. >> dan is dating as well, a and they became relatively serious too. >> it was beautiful. he fell in love again. and that was a nice experience for us, really, to see him in a much better moment after all of the other things that were going on. >> it took a while, but i thought he was really regaining his footing. >> but that would all change on a hot july morning in 2014. dan markel is on summer break from fsu law school. >> he drives the children to the preschool.

he drives to premiere gym. >> dan markel was coming back to his home from the gym. he's on the phone. >> i remember very specifically he says to me, ma, i have to make one more call. >> dan makes that call and is pulling into his driveway when he notices something unsettling. >> he says, there's someone in my driveway that i don't know. >> and as the man is on the phone, he hears some exchange then hears a muffle, a sound, a grunt. he never hears dan markel again. >> at around 11:00 a.m., shots rang out. a neighbor finds dan markel slumped over in the front seat of his honda and calls 911. >> 911. what's the address of your emergency? >> uh, it's right next door to my house. >> okay. what's -- 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, and he's got blood all over his head. he's not responding to me. >> this phone call came in from the police that danny was shot. i was in shock. your mind goes blank. it's not possible. it's -- it's -- they're making a mistake. >> all you could think about is your body's is totally traumatized. >> it was horrific. it was just something that -- out of this world. >> in the beginning, no one really knew what happened. >> police ask dan's ex-wife wendi what she knows. >> who would do this? >> i don't know. would you ever ask someone to do something like this? >> not in a million years. >> wendi does not hold back in this interview. >> do you think someone would do this for your benefit without asking you? >> no. even my family, who felt like i

had been mistreated, would never do something like this, never. >> it is perhaps the biggest mystery of this case, exactly what was going through wendi's brain in that interview room. ♪ i have type 2 diabetes, but i manage it well. ♪ ♪ jardiance ♪ ♪ it's a little pill with a big story to tell. ♪ ♪ i take once-daily jardiance, ♪ ♪ at each day's staaart. ♪ ♪ as time went on it was easy to seee. ♪ ♪ i'm lowering my a1c. ♪

jardiance works 24/7 in your body to flush out some sugar! and for adults with type 2 diabetes and known heart disease, jardiance can lower the risk of cardiovascular death, too. jardiance may cause serious side effects including ketoacidosis that may be fatal, dehydration, that can lead to sudden worsening of kidney function, and genital yeast or urinary tract infections. a rare, life-threatening bacterial infection in the skin of the perineum could occur. stop taking jardiance and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of this infection, ketoacidosis, or an allergic reaction, and don't take it if you're on dialysis. taking jardiance with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. ♪ jardiance is really swell, ♪ ♪ the little pill with a big story to tell. ♪ tide is busting laundry's biggest myth... that cold water can't clean. - food fight!! - food fight!! ♪ cold water, on those stains? welp, only one way to find out... tide cleans better in cold

than the leading bargain detergent in warm. ♪ cold water can't clean tough stains? i'd say that myth is- busted! i always wanted to say that! turn to cold, with tide. [ music begins to play “love like this” by rosemarie ] at target, i a get low prices on...hat! lights. light up your holidays for less, at target. [ music ends ] [sneeze] dude you coming? ♪

alka-seltzer plus powermax gels cold & flu relief with more concentrated power because the only thing dripping should be your style. plop plop fizz fizz winter warriors with alka-seltzer plus. now at kohl's save on list-worthy gifts. get $10 off $25 or more spent... plop plop fizz fizz winter warriors and take 20% off deals... like women's pajamas for $23.99 with coupon. then get barbie dolls for 25% off... and jbl headphones for $24.99... plus, earn kohl's cash. kohl's.

911, what's the address of your emergency? >> uh, it's right next door to my house. >> this was a horrifying scene for that neighbor who first walked over and looked and wasn't sure what had happened. >> okay.

what's -- what's -- what's going on with him? >> he's not responding to me. >> the neighbor sees dan markel with a gunshot to the forehead, to the facem and his glasses are shattered. it looks like he's been shot at a very close range, and dan markel is still breathing. once the paramedics arrive, he is quickly rushed to the hospital. >> police track down his ex wife, wendi, who is out to lunch with friends, and bring her to the police station. >> there was a shooting at your ex-husband's home. daniel has been taken to the hospital. he's not going to survive. >> oh, my god. >> okay? >> what happened? >> well, before we get into everything, i have to establish where you were and who you were with and so forth. >> okay. >> i just don't understand. how could this happen?

>> she sits down for hours, and during that time the police look at her phone, they look at her i.d., they swab her for fingerprints -- everything that you would do with a potential suspect. they never call her a suspect. it's an interview not an interrogation, but she does provide all of this willingly. >> i understand why you think i'm the primary suspect. >> no, you are not the primary suspect. >> my ex-husband caused me a lot of grief, but i would never do something like that. i understand why i would be the person you would think would do something. >> well, we have to work just as hard to eliminate people. >> it's fine. i want to figure out who this is. >> wendi does not hold back in this interview. she talks about how bad the divorce was. she talks about how dan was emotionally abusive to her. she talks about how she wants to get down to miami. >> he never me hurt me physically, but he was emotionally abusive. and i didn't tell most people

that, so all those people know is it just didn't work out. >> while dan markel clings to life, his parents are located and told the devastating news. phil, it was you who got the original call. >> i was visiting friends and this phone call came in from the police saying that danny was shot and that somebody from the hospital, the doctor's going to call me. >> phil called me. i got the call and he says, are you sitting down? and then i knew right away in his voice that this was not a good story. and then he told me that danny was shot, which was horrific. >> dan markel died in the hospital less than 24 hours after he'd been shot. >> i had wished that i could at least hold his hand before he passed away. i regret that very much. >> dan's death was felt by so many. there were headlines all across

florida that covered his death, his murder, and the memorial for him, because he touched so many lives. so many people came out to support his family, to remember him. just the outpouring of love for him. i literally sat in my cried because i found out things about danny, my own son, that i didn't even know myself. >> tallahassee police now scrambling to unravel the riddle of who killed florida state university professor dan markel. >> this was the crime that sent shock waves through the community. >> i just could not believe it, because i know danny. i know how he is.

who would shoot him, really, is what was going through my mind. >> the overall response was shock and horror and a lot of questions. like, why would anyone want to kill dan markel? >> after dan markel is killed, it's a complete mystery as to who did this. no evidence seems to have been left behind. it's as if the murderer vanished into thin air. >> with him being so prominent in the legal world, there was a lot for investigators to chew on. >> one theory was that dan made enemies over his provocative legal blog that he founded and wrote for, and he'd recently received online threats. >> so, my first thought was, and i shared it with the police at that moment, that maybe it was a disgruntled, perhaps, student or other person, professional, on the blog. >> they also looked, of course, you know, college town, you're going to say, was it an unhappy student?

>> they just thought, my god, this happened to one of us, and another one of us might be next. >> detectives also begin to look at people in wendi and dan's lives starting with someone that wendi herself brought up during her long police interview. >> basically the hours after the murder, wendi pretty much immediately started pointing fingers at a few different people. >> she talked about a guy she knew, that she was dating, jeffrey lacasse. >> i can see why he's a good suspect. what if it's jeff? he didn't like danny because danny hurt me. >> police track down her former boyfriend and bring him in for an interview. >> i was surprised you guys didn't call me earlier though, because i probably said in public like 100 times that i would like to kick his ass. she found it. the feeling of finding the psoriasis treatment she's been looking for. sotyktu is the first-of-its-kind, once-daily pill for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis for the chance at clear or almost clear skin. it's like the feeling of finding your back... is back.

or finding psoriasis can't deny the splendor of these thighs. once-daily sotyktu is proven to get more people clearer skin than the leading pill. don't take if you're allergic to sotyktu; serious reactions can occur. sotyktu can lower your ability to fight infections including tb. serious infections, cancers including lymphoma, muscle problems, and changes in certain labs have occurred. tell your doctor if you have an infection, liver or kidney problems, high triglycerides, or had a vaccine or plan to. sotyktu is a tyk2 inhibitor. tyk2 is part of the jak family. it's not known if sotyktu has the same risks as jak inhibitors. find what plaque psoriasis has been hiding. ask your dermatologist about sotyktu for clearer skin. so clearly you. sotyktu. walmart black friday deals are live. get this barbie playset for $12.97, these skullcandy headphones for 49 bucks, and so many more amazing deals. shop online now and save big with walmart black friday deals. olive garden's never ending pasta bowl is back.

which means the never-ending pasta you crave is back. starting it with our never ending first course? well, that's always been here. never ending pasta bowl, starting at $13.99. for a limited time. honey... honey... nyquil severe honey. powerful cold and flu relief with a dreamy honey taste. nyquil honey, the nighttime, sniffing, sneezing, couging, aching, fever, honey-licious, best sleep with a cold, medicine. ♪ ♪ fever, honey-licious, best sleep with a cold, ♪ ♪ but we need an atm from our bank unless you want to spend a small fortune in fees. uh, no, thank you. banking with us means more fee-free atms

than the two largest us banks combined. well, that would be convenient but there is no b-m-o here. ah, you can just call us bee-mo, and there is now. you know what else is convenient? mobile banking that makes it easy to track your goals and manage your money get out of town. but we... just got here. when a bank helps you get and stay ahead. that's the bmo effect. ♪ bmo ♪ when it comes to your health, you do you. you ping and pong that body. you plunge that body. you green that body. you brain power that body. you practice... and practice that body. you make it rain that body. you flu shot that body. and now, you spikevax that body... because even though the pandemic is over, covid-19 isn't. spikevax by moderna is a vaccine to help protect you against covid-19. you shouldn't get spikevax if you've had an allergic reaction to spikevax

or its ingredients. rare cases of inflammation of the heart muscle and outer lining have been reported. the most common side effects are injection site pain, redness and swelling, tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain, and fever. make vaccination against covid-19 a part of your health routine. spikevax that body... ...with spikevax by moderna. ♪

while all of these theories about who murdered dan markel were circulating, police started to think this was more personal. maybe it had something to do with wendi, maybe someone who loved her. >> she talked about a guy she knew, she was dating, jeffrey lacasse. >> jeffrey lacasse comes in to talk to police willingly three times. he keeps coming back because it seems that he has a story to tell. >> your name did come up. >> of course. >> because you were associated at some point with wendi. >> of course. i spent a lot of time with wendi. i mean, she really has this charisma and this sexuality, and so you'd throw yourself in front of a bus for this girl. it's just a new kind of thing for me. i was in love with this girl, man. >> jeff's interview, maybe more so than wendi's, is extraordinary, because he's a boyfriend who is in the process

of breaking up with wendi and it's a contentious breakup by both of their admission. >> i was surprised you guys didn't call me earlier though because i probably said 100 times in public that i would like to kick his ass for really making wendi suffer and things like that. but no, i would never, i'm a professor. [ bleep ] not going to do anything like that. >> he right up front saying that he didn't like this guy. he also has an iron-clad alibi, he was out of town. >> i stayed at a really crappy days inn maybe 20 miles south of atlanta. >> he's got the receipts, he was not here, so that immediately puts him in the clear. >> right away something clicks, in his head and he seems to say, i think i think i know what happened. >> i'm concerned about my safety with what i'm going to tell you, to be honest. danny markel just got [bleep] killed and i don't want to be next. i'm sorry if that sounds paranoid, but i do have some ideas. >> and lacasse points to wendi's family, her parents and her brother who run that very successful south florida dental clinic. >> the family desperately wants

her back in south florida. they hate danny in a way -- i've never seen this kind of obsession. like, their hobby is hating danny. >> maya and alex greenberg tell police about this ire from the adelsons towards dan markel. >> they hated danny. >> they hate danny. >> i think they were mean. to do some of the stuff that they did during the divorce with danny, just not reasonable. >> hi, mom, how's it going? i need you to sit down -- >> so during this police interview, wendi asked if she can call her mother. and she tells donna that dan has been shot, he's not expected to live. >> danny has been shot. >> there was a point where she was just kind of saying she was relieved to find that her mom was surprised at the news. >> well, 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. >> and wendi makes this startling comment about something her brother charlie once said to her. >> my brother, the one whose name is charlie, the one i'm really close to, he makes a lot of jokes in bad taste, and it was a joke he made. i looked into hiring a hitman, but it was cheaper to get you this tv so instead i got you this tv. it was my divorce present. 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? it's just talk? >> he's a joker. >> okay. >> charlie was always someone who was smiling, always someone who would have a good time. >> wendi's older brother charlie had a reputation as a fast living, fun-loving playboy. >> he's so smart.

he's intelligent and he's fun. >> he throws his money around. he's a bit of a player. >> charlie always has a girl. i can't keep up. >> it seemed like charlie had two different types of friends. you know, people we kind of grew up with -- like, normal, nice people. he also seemed to have maybe friends that were from the wrong side of the tracks. >> if somebody tried to kill my ex-husband, they should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. >> regardless of who it is? >> i mean, it would be different if i thought it were my brother, but i don't think it was my family. anyone outside my immediate family, that's a tough one. but i don't think my immediate family did this, so if it's anybody else, yeah. >> and it turns out that wendi's family was nowhere near tallahassee the day dan was shot. >> wendi later releases a statement through her attorney saying, my family had nothing to do with this, and quickly moves

to south florida with her two sons. meanwhile, as police continue their investigation, they have just a single solid lead from the crime scene. >> the neighbor did see a car backing away, something that looks similar to a prius. and that's all that police had to go on. >> you said there was another vehicle that you saw driving away? >> yes, and it left the scene rapidly. it looked sort of like a prius. >> police are able to identify a green toyota prius at the fitness center where dan markel worked out the morning he was shot. >> he exercises, comes back out, goes to his car, and the same vehicle, which hasn't left the parking lot, is then seen pulling out of the parking lot, following behind the victim. >> the prius was really the thing that they focused on initially. they had surveillance video of it from city buses that it had driven by. intersection cameras were able to capture it. >> we also find that car on video on a bus camera pulling

into the victim's neighborhood or thereabouts shortly before the murder. >> and they notice there's a sunpass. it's the toll road pass. >> now, in tallahassee at this time, we don't have any toll roads, so people don't go around with sunpass screeners. they then began this absolutely extensive search all over the state for this type of color, this type of prius with the sunpass on it. >> when police pulled those toll records, it led them here, to this hole-in-the-wall rental agency here in miami that rents mostly hybrids. now, inside, a contract was signed, leading police to the men who rented that green prius. >> and when they went and looked at who signed for the car to be rented, their names were right there. >> who are these two men? >> i want to know what made them come to tallahassee and kill our friend.

>> it's very strange. i mean, people, they don't know him, never heard of him. >> the mystery surrounding those two men would lead to an undercover encounter in south florida. >> excuse me, mrs. adelson? just want to give you this. >> who are you? you're scaring me. >> and a cryptic call between mother and son. >> i got some paperwork hand delivered to me. >> does it involve me or other people? >> well, probably both of us. you probably have a general idea what i'm talking about.

discover different black friday deals at target each week. ♪ i never knew there was ♪ ♪ a love like this before ♪ [upbeat music] ♪ never knew a... ♪ get low prices and early black friday deals at target. struggling with the highs and lows of bipolar 1? ask about vraylar. because you are greater than your bipolar 1, and you can help take control of your symptoms - with vraylar. some medicines only treat the lows or highs. vraylar treats depressive, acute manic, and mixed episodes of bipolar 1 in adults. proven, full-spectrum relief for all bipolar 1 symptoms. and in vraylar clinical studies, most saw no substantial impact on weight. elderly dementia patients have increased risk of death or stroke. call your doctor about unusual changes in behavior or suicidal thoughts. antidepressants can increase these in children and young adults. report fever, stiff muscles or confusion which may mean a life-threatening reaction,

or uncontrollable muscle movements which may be permanent. high blood sugar, which can lead to coma or death, weight gain and high cholesterol may occur. movement dysfunction and restlessness are common side effects. sleepiness and stomach issues are also common. side effects may not appear for several weeks. ask about vraylar and learn how abbvie could help you save. dry skin is sensitive skin, too. and it's natural. treat it that way. aveeno® daily moisture with prebiotic oat is proven to moisturize dry skin all day. you'll love our formula for face, too. aveeno® we know that potty training can move to its own rhythm. and pull-ups has refastenable sides for changing that's easy as it gets, so they don't miss a note. ♪ i'm a big kid now. ♪

ah mornings! cough? congestion? i'm feeling better. all in one and done with new mucinex kickstart. headache? better now. new mucinex kickstart gives all-in-one and done relief with a morning jolt of instant cooling sensation. it's comeback season. ♪i've got home internet from t-mobile.♪ ♪it only costs $50 bucks at t-mobile.♪ ♪just one cord to set up.♪ ♪say goodbye to that truck.♪ ♪oh, what a beautiful mornin'...♪ ♪oh, what a beautiful day...♪ ♪they won't raise your rates at t-mobile...♪ ♪you'll get a great deal every day!♪ home internet from t-mobile... just $50 bucks a month. now at kohl's save on list-worthy gifts. get $10 off $25 or more spent... home internet from t-mobile... and take 20% off deals... like women's pajamas for $23.99 with coupon. then get barbie dolls for 25% off...

and jbl headphones for $24.99... plus, earn kohl's cash. kohl's. three weeks ago, someone killed the father of my children. >> a law school professor is

shot down in cold blood. now the murder trial -- >> all rise for the jury. >> teeming with hired hitmen, hidden recordings, and family secrets. >> when wendi adelson walked into the courtroom to take the stand, how does she feel about the fact that the state is saying her family is involved in this murder? >> charlie is basically your prime suspect, at least within that family. >> i mean, he's a suspect. >> wendi adelson had a problem, and her problem was named dan markel. >> dr. adelson? were you involved in a plot to kill your brother-in-law, dan markel? for the shooting did you of discuss hiring a hit man? >> somebody hired him, but who? >> if they think the police are coming to you to talk to you, they will kill you. look what they did to professor markel.

tallahassee police now scrambling to unravel the riddle of who killed florida state university professor dan markel. >> tomorrow marks one year since his death. >> so far there are no good leads, so they're asking for your help. >> does the story kind of just drop off? >> it did. there was not a whole lot of information that came out, really, almost two years, with no answers. the community thinking, what happened? do cops just not have any information? no leads? >> i was thinking that, my god, it's never going to go anywhere. it's two years and nothing? nothing? >> what is so sad for the markels, besides this horrible, violent death of their son, they don't have connection to his children. >> after dan was murdered, the

children went back to south florida with wendi. >> and then a series of things happened afterward that compounded that grief for the markels. one of those things was learning that wendi had changed the boys' last name from markel to adelson. >> her excuse was that she was concerned for the safety of the kids. i was shocked. i was angry. they just want to wipe the markel family off the -- off the earth. we don't exist. >> so, the adelsons are still running their dentistry practice in south florida. >> they're all living their lives down there. the children are growing up. >> they have adamantly denied any connection to the homicide or any involvement. >> it appears that the adelsons get what they wanted. wendi finds a law job in miami. she enrolls her sons in school. she even makes time to take a podcasting class where she lays bare her feelings about her

ex-husband, dan markel. >> ten months ago, someone killed the father of my children. first we got divorced, then he got murdered. >> she makes this joke in the podcast that she doesn't know how to refer to dan. >> i don't know whether to call him my ex, late spouse or my late ex-spouse, except that late ex-spouse sounds like latex spouse. >> for dan markel's survivors, of course, it didn't play well. >> it feels sacrilegious these days even to suggest something less than heroic about my late ex-husband because he was murdered. >> i don't think she set out to disparage danny so much as she was reflecting honestly on what the experience was like for her. >> behind the scenes tallahassee police are homing in on who was driving that green prius away from the crime scene. through meticulous police work, they trace the car to a rental

lot in miami. >> and when they went and looked at who signed for the car to be rented, luis rivera and sigfredo garcia, sigfredo signed it that he was the brother of luis rivera. >> sigfredo garcia was a low-level criminal. had some drug arrests down in miami. luis rivera, however -- >> more of a hardened criminal. >> more hardened criminal, involved in a lot of gang activity. >> luis was an acknowledged member of the latin kings. he was a crown. he was a big deal in the latin kings. >> they rented it in their names with their phone numbers, with a sun pass. they had their phones on while they were driving up there. essentially, they just wrote a map for the cops. >> investigators were able to later use cell phone tower pings to show when phone calls were made from sigfredo garcia.

>> they place garcia near dan markel's neighborhood at about the time of the homicide using the cell phone data. >> we also have the atm video where, on the day of the homicide, the two killers are seen driving through an atm in that pine mica prius. >> the police had a substantial amount of information to begin collecting a warrant to arrest these guys. >> police think they've figured out who committed the murder and how they did it, but they're left with the question of why? >> why would someone commit this crime? sigfredo garcia and luis rivera didn't even know dan markel. >> they discover that there is a link and there's a mysterious woman who will be connected to this case. >> in what way are the alleged killers linked to the adelsons? >> through katherine magbanua. >> and who is she?

>> she is garcia's child's mother. >> uh-huh. >> and she is also the former girlfriend of charlie adelson. >> how long were she and charlie together? >> i think they were together for quite some time before the homicide. >> katie becomes this conduit, this connection point between the adelsons and dan markel's murder. absent her, you have nothing that links any of these people directly. >> investigators start to form a picture of a complicated web involving two accused hit men, a female companion, and the brother of dan markel's estranged ex-wife. as police try to piece this puzzle together, they start by building a timeline of the suspects' actions. and that means looking at their phone records. >> once you get that phone, you think is involved, then you get a pen register.

who'd they call? katie magbanua. the intermediary. and then they get her phone. who's she calling day of the crime? charlie adelson. >> so investigators set out to follow the money. >> so, the strategy would be to work yourself to the money man, to the heart of the conspiracy. katie was the alleged facilitator. >> investigators discover that in the months after the murder, katie magbanua makes some large cash deposits and also receives checks from the adelson institute. >> she was collecting checks from the dentistry. it was not necessarily clear what she was doing for her payment there. >> and katie buys a luxury car from the adelson's for below sticker price. >> when you dig a little bit deeper into the various ways that katie may have been compensated, one way is through breast augmentation surgery. >> although there's no direct paper trail, investigators suggest charlie adelson may have helped pay for her procedure.

>> the allegation is that katie may have enhanced her physique on the adelson's dime. so cars, surgery, cash, and then a job that wasn't really a job. >> who launched the conspiracy? whose idea was it in the first place? the cops felt it was charlie adelson's, but they still can't get to him. you've got the circumstantial evidence of charlie and katie of being involved in this. but what they're going to need is somebody who's going to tell them exactly what happened. probably a jailhouse snitch. ( ♪ ) rsv can be a dangerous virus [sneeze] for those 60 and older. it's not just a cold. and if you're 60 or older... you may be at increased risk of hospitalization from this highly contagious virus. not all dangers come with warning labels. talk to your pharmacist or doctor

about getting vaccinated against rsv today. rsv vaccines, including pfizer's, are now available. want luxury hair repair that doesn't cost $50? pantene's pro-vitamin formula repairs hair. as well as the leading luxury bonding treatment. for softness and resilience, without the price tag. if you know... you know it's pantene. now at kohl's save on list-worthy gifts. get $10 off $25 or more spent... for softness and resilience, without the price tag. and take 20% off deals... like women's pajamas for $23.99 with coupon. then get barbie dolls for 25% off... and jbl headphones for $24.99... plus, earn kohl's cash. kohl's. rufus hates being stuck inside. [dog whines] luckily, amy saved big at amazon. turns out, with the right gear, rufus rips.

(♪) [city ambience sounds] [car screech] [car door slam] [camera shutter sfx] introducing ned's plaque psoriasis. [camera shutter sfx] he thinks his flaky, red patches are all people see. otezla is the #1 prescribed pill to treat plaque psoriasis. [ned?] it can help you get clearer skin and reduce itching and flaking. with no routine blood tests required. doctors have been prescribing it for nearly a decade. otezla is also approved to treat psoriatic arthritis. don't use otezla if you're allergic to it. serious allergic reactions can happen. otezla may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting.

some people taking otezla had depression, suicidal thoughts, or weight loss. upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. [crowd gasp] ♪ with clearer skin, movie night is a groovy night. [ting] ♪ live in the moment. ask your doctor about otezla. discover different black friday deals live in the moment. at target each week. ♪ i never knew there was ♪ ♪ a love like this before ♪ [upbeat music] ♪ never knew a... ♪ get low prices and early black friday deals at target.

when it came to identifying possible suspects who might want dan markel dead, detectives felt compelled to circle back to that startling statement wendi made to them early in the investigation. >> my brother, the one whose name is charlie, the one i'm really close to, he makes a lot of jokes in bad taste and it was a joke he made. he said, "i looked into hiring a hit man, and it was cheaper to

get you this tv, so instead i got you this tv. >> but wendi's former boyfriend jeff lacasse told police that when she related the account to him, there was nothing funny about it. >> she told me that charlie had looked into having danny killed in the summer of 2013. she meant it dead serious. i can just say, i would be investigating charlie adelson. i don't know if he did this, but if you are looking at somebody, don't miss him. >> with the adelsons firmly on their radar, investigators in south florida now put the family under surveillance. >> police need more information on the adelsons. they want to see if they can prove this conspiracy. >> but because there is no hard evidence directly linking the adelson's to dan's murder, investigators come up with an audacious plan to confront donna adelson outside her luxury condo building in miami beach. >> she's got sunglasses on.

she's got a black top, body bag, and her hair is pulled back in a ponytail. >> they decided to do something called a bump, which is what it sounds like. let's see what we can shake loose. >> donna adelson is approached on the street by a man she's never seen before. this person turns out to be an undercover fbi agent. >> excuse me, mrs. adelson? how are you doing? just want to give you this. >> who are you? you're scaring me. >> no, don't be scared. >> and he says that he was the brother of one of the assailants and that he needed something a little extra to take care of him. >> he helped your family with this problem you guys had up north. he's going through some rough times. >> the undercover detective says that, i want $5,000 for you to help my family. >> and i want to make sure that you take care of what he's going through the way you're taking care of katie and tuto. >> i don't know what you're talking about. >> well, this will explain it. thank you. >> he hands her a piece of paper

that has a press release of dan's murder on it, and it has a phone number for her to call to make that transaction with the money. >> and donna eventually calls the guy. >> hello? >> i have to tell i mean this is important. i have been so stressed out, because i don't know your friend who is in jail. i never met him. >> let's stop [ bleep ] around, okay? you know who katie is. and you know katie knows someone who knows tato, and they took care of a problem for you people. you talk to the right people, you talk to people, you make this 5k come to me. that's all i need. just do it and get it to me. >> i'll call you back. >> when donna called her son charlie, it led to a cryptic conversation. >> i got some -- i got some paperwork hand delivered to me. >> does it involve me or other people? >> well, probably the both of

us. you probably have a general idea what i'm talking about. so let's just find some time to talk to each other. >> she doesn't use the words "murder" or "dan markel," she just refers to it as, you know about it. we'll talk later. it may have to do with the two of us. >> the string of calls went donna to charlie, then charlie to katie. >> it's either somebody's pulling your bones, somebody is just harassing you, or somebody's trying to get something out of you. >> when they do catch the person, they're going to be asking him lots of questions about who's katie is. all i'm saying is find out who the [ bleep ] it is and tell them to stop playing their games. i don't know who you have to talk to, but it needs to be nipped in the bud. >> you don't think that [ bleep ] scares the [ bleep ] out of me? like someone [ bleep ] saying my name out loud or whatever? >> if someone's messing with you they're messing with me. so what i'm saying is find out

who the [ bleep ] it is. >> while there's no confession on tape, police prepare arrest warrants for the alleged hit men, katie magbanua and charlie adelson. but at this point prosecutors are only ready to pull the trigger charging two of them. >> one of the men accused of killing fsu law professor dan markel is now behind bars. >> on may 25, 2016, the news breaks in tallahassee of sigfredo garcia's arrest for the murder of dan markel. soon after, luis rivera is also charged for the murder. >> we can provide additional information regarding this investigation. >> just eight days later, the police release the probable cause affidavit for sigfredo garcia. in it, investigators allege his involvement in this murder stemmed from the desperate desire of the adelson family to relocate wendi and the children to south florida. >> they are mentioned in this probable cause affidavit. they are the only connection

between sigfredo garcia and dan markel. >> later, the adelson family released a statement saying, there has been a lot of unsupported speculation that the adelsons had something to do with the murder. that speculation is categorically false. to be clear, none of the adelsons, wendi, her brother charlie, or their parents, donna and harvey had anything to do with dan's murder. >> it was all over the news there's some feeling of, oh, wow. >> we just pray that those involved have to pay the price for what they've done. >> charlie adelson was approached by one of our "20/20" producers and asked about his alleged involvement in the murder plot. >> dr. adelson? >> yeah. >> were you involved in a plot to kill your brother-in-law, dan markel? before the shooting, did you ever discuss hiring a hit man? >> to the frustration of dan's friends, months go by with no further arrests.

>> there was definitely a growing sense of frustration wondering how the people who had been hired to commit this act were all in jail, but the people who had allegedly hired them were not. >> then in october 2016, there is a dramatic breakthrough. prosecutors announce a plea deal with luis rivera. they say he's ready to reveal how he says dan markel was killed. (light acoustic music plays) (eagle screeches) (energetic music plays) there he is! it's right there! ♪ oh, he's straight ahead. he's straight ahead. straight ahead. go go go. ♪ cover more ground in the kia sportage turbo-hybrid. kia. movement that inspires.

you know poop is coming, but you know you have nothing to fear. pampers swaddlers with new blowout barrier helps prevent up to 100% of leaks, even blowouts. fear no leaks with pampers swaddlers. hey... it's me! your dry skin! i'm craving something we're missing. the ceramides in cerave. cerave, with three essential ceramides, helps restore my natural barrier, so i can lock in moisture and we can feel it long after. cerave moisturizers. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ i've always been prone to hair thinning. i was getting older. i was under a lot of stress. i started taking nutrafol. nutrafol is the number one, dermatologist recommended hair growth supplement. i am back to me. start your hair growth journey at nutrafol.com

get more cheer from your morning routine. savor the season with our peppermint mocha flavored creamer, and make 20 cups of deliciously rich coffee at home for the price of 1 from a coffee shop. coffee's perfect holiday mate coffee mate! i have moderate to severe crohn's disease. now, there's skyrizi. ♪ things are looking up, i've got symptom relief. ♪ ♪ control of my crohn's means everything to me. ♪ ♪ control is everything to me. ♪ feel significant symptom relief at 4 weeks with skyrizi, including less abdominal pain and fewer bowel movements. skyrizi is the first il-23 inhibitor that can deliver remission and visibly improve damage of the intestinal lining.

and the majority of people experienced long-lasting remission at one year. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine or plan to. liver problems may occur in crohn's disease. ♪ now's the time to ask your gastroenterologist how you can take control of your crohn's with skyrizi. ♪ ♪ control is everything to me. ♪ ♪ learn how abbvie could help you save. (jim) attention walmart shoppers: get a walmart+ membership, plus not pay for it!♪ because now it's included with straight talk wireless! yeah, walmart+ gets you free delivery. giving you time to spend with your family, or people you like. and a paramount+ subscription included, so you can stream me. walmart+ even saves you money on gas! we..we can go on a family trip! vegas, vegas! (vo) only straight talk wireless gives you unlimited 5g data and walmart+ on select plans for free.

available at walmart. do you solemnly swear or affirm that the evidence you're about to give me is the truth the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? >> yes, sir. >> in october 2016, luis rivera really broke open the case. he confesses. >> he showed you a picture of markel? >> markel.

>> and said y'all for going to kill him? >> mm-hmm. >> rivera says alleges they've already been given $5,000 in traveling expenses from a mysterious person that garcia would only refer to as the lady. gonna go kill this guy the lady >> i asked him, why are you gonna go kill this guy? the lady wants her two kids back. >> the rivera plea deal was important because although he was a gang member and part of this murder, his story was corroborated by the other evidence. >> went to markel's house. garcia jumps out, goes around the car where he's driving. shot him twice, got in the car, and we left. he calls katie when we dumped the gun. he called her and said,

everything is done, make sure you have my money, i'm on my way. >> once luis rivera starts talking and gives all of this information to police, they now have enough to bring down their next suspect, katherine magbanua. >> police in florida arresting a single mom, accusing her of arranging the killing of a prominent florida state law professor. >> she was arrested and was offered full immunity. get out of jail free card, and she turned it down. >> after katie was arrested, charlie's anxiety just spiked 100%. >> june umchinda was dating charlie at the time of katie's arrest. >> once katie got arrested, he would tell me, like, how horrible it would be in prison. they're getting food from a they're getting food from a tray and it's like isolation, and this is a murder case, so it would be for life. >> while june says charlie is sweating it out, in september of 2019, his previous girlfriend katie magbanua goes on trial. >> it's a high-profile case that's garnering attention

across the world. >> everybody be seated please. >> it was a big deal that this was going to trial five years >> sigfredo garcia and katherine magbanua are tried together. >> we'll start with the state of florida. >> wendi adelson had a problem, and her problem was named dan markel and the solution to that problem was magbanua, rivera, and garcia to execute mr. markel in cold blood. >> though prosecutors were bringing this trial against sigfredo garcia and katherine magbanua, they spent a lot of time during their case pointing the finger at charlie adelson. >> as the prosecution calls its witnesses, one of them causes jaws to drop. in the courtroom. it's wendi adelson testifying under a limited immunity agreement about the bad blood between her family and dan markel. >> she fought tooth and nail against testifying.

>> i'm going to show state's exhibit 36. is that a photograph of you and katherine magbanua at the beach? >> with her friend, yeah. >> and did you say how you know ms. magbanua? >> she was dating my brother. >> is that fair to say that your brother is very protective of you? >> i think that's fair to say. >> did he ever joke about hiring a hit man? >> he did make that joke. >> but the prosecution's star witness is convicted killer luis rivera, testifying as part of his plea deal for a reduced sentence. >> all right, so garcia hired you to do a murder, didn't he? >> yes, ma'am. >> and who hired him? >> that adelson family. >> who gave you the money? >> garcia. >> all right, and tell us about the money. how was it packaged? >> all hundreds. they were stapled. >> stapled? >> $1,000 stapled, each one of them. >> when charlie's girlfriend june takes the stand, she describes the curious way he

stashes his cash. >> in fact, you said that the money was stapled into stacks of hundred dollar bills, didn't you? >> um, they were hundreds, yes, and i don't know if they were stacks, but there was a staple in them. >> i thought it was so odd. why do you have a staple in your money? >> your honor, at this time the defense calls cathlin magbanua to the stand. >> katie took the stand in her own defense. >> did you have anything to do with the murder of dan markel? >> no, ma'am. >> did you get the father of your children, mr. garcia, to commit a murder on behalf of mr. charlie adelson? >> no, ma'am. >> based on everything you've seen, do you think charlie was involved in this? >> yes. >> at the end of this trial, the jury believed luis rivera in his testimony for the prosecution that sigfredo garcia was involved in dan markel's murder.

>> we the jury find as follows. as to count one, the defendant is guilty of first-degree murder. >> but as for katie magbanua, it was a hung jury. >> as to ms. magbanua, i will declare this case mistried. >> i'm certainly happy with the outcome for mr. garcia and hope we can have a similar one for ms. magbanua, whether it be today or in the future. >> for katie, that future came two and a half years later when she is retried on largely the same evidence. she again testifies that she had nothing to do with the murder and once again points to charlie as the culprit. >> do you believe that he should be prosecuted for his involvement in the murder of dan markel? >> yes, ma'am. >> she said that she believes he's guilty and that she had nothing to do with it. this time though, it did not seem to sway the jury in the way that it did the first time.

>> in the state of florida, on count one, a count of first-degree murder, you have been found guilty by a jury, you have been adjudicated guilty and you will be sentenced to life in prison. >> now prosecutors have three convictions for dan markel's murder. and it turns out, in the time between katie's two trials, there was another huge development, this one involving charlie adelson. >> according to authorities, newly enhanced audio from the fbi exposed details from a secret meeting between katie and charlie back in 2016. >> listen, if they want to charge me with something, charge me. if not, i don't talk to cops. sorry. >> here's a guy who had all the swagger in the world, who was sort of daring police to come after him. and charlie's words might just come back to haunt him. u've got♪ ♪ (you've got the love) ♪ ♪ (you've got the love) ♪ ♪ (you've got the love) ♪

♪ (you've got the love) ♪ ♪ (you've got the love) ♪ ♪ (you've got the love) ♪ ♪ (sometimes i feel like saying) ♪ ♪ (lord i just don't care) ♪ pandora. loves, unboxed. the right age for neutrogena® retinol? that's whenever you want it to be. it has derm-proven retinol that targets vital cell turnover, evens skin tone, and smooths fine lines. with visible results in just one week. neutrogena® retinol ♪ ♪ ♪ yeah ♪ ♪ ♪ sisters, sisters ♪ ♪ there were never such devoted sisters ♪ ♪

here's liz, whose bladder leaks drop in uninvited. but instead of period pads, she brought poise ultra thin. so she can bounce on with poise protection in a fresh new look. discover different black friday deals w at target each week. ♪ i never knew there was ♪ ♪ a love like this before ♪ [upbeat music] ♪ never knew a... ♪ get low prices and early black friday deals at target. and we are your bargain bliss market. what is bargain bliss? you know that feeling you get when you find the name brands you love, but for way, way less? that's bargain bliss.

this thanksgiving, we're giving you even more reasons to celebrate. we are offering you $21 off a jennie-o frozen turkey with in-store discount. that's as low as $0.50 a pound. so why wait? hurry in to your neighborhood grocery outlet today. because this deal is only available while supplies last. ( ♪ ♪ ) welcome to big tobacco's fantasyland. a new, healthier world without cigarettes.

as long as you don't count the 6 trillion sold worldwide every year. and vaping won't lead to smoking, if you ignore the research that says otherwise. in big tobacco's fantasyland, the deadliest industry is your friend. shh... in april of 2016, investigators secretly record a meeting between charlie adelson and katie magbanua at a south florida strip mall.

it was so noisy inside, it was hard to make heads or tails of what was being said. but then six years later, the fbi is able to enhance that audio, and for prosecutors, it's a game changer. >> if you're going to charge me, charge me. they didn't mention my name, which makes me think these people only know part of the story. if they had any evidence, we would have already gone to the airport. >> the thing that sealed the deal for charlie adelson was the dolce vita recordings. 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. >> a grand jury has now indicted charlie adelson in markel's death. >> it was unbelievable to hear.

it was relief, because it's taken so long. we want the people that are involved to pay the price. >> adelson is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and solicitation to commit murder. he pleads not guilty to all charges. on october 23rd, charlie goes on trial. >> good morning, ladies and gentlemen of the jury. the attorneys are going to present their opening statements. >> the prosecution tells the jury that donna adelson turned to her son charlie to help her get wendi and the kids back to south florida. >> this defendant carried out his plan to hire a hit man to kill dan markel. he conspired and he solicited katherine magbanua to get this murder done. >> the state's case against charlie adelson is a case of assumptions.

it's a case of guesses. >> during his opening statement, defense attorney daniel rashbaum stuns the courtroom by saying charlie adelson wasn't the mastermind of the murder plot, he was the victim. rashbaum tells the jury that his client was being extorted by the killers for about $330,000 mark wafter markel's murder. >> you will learn that charlie adelson was told if he didn't pay within the next 48 hours, he or one of his family members would be next. >> it was a jaw-dropping moment. i'm scratching my head thinking, is that going to work? is that going to fly in this courtroom? >> the prosecution starts out by calling many of the same witnesses who testified during katie's trial, including june umchinda, charlie's former girlfriend, and charlie's sister, wendi adelson.

wendi testifies she had no idea her family was allegedly being blackmailed by the killers. >> when did you learn that katherine magbanua was blackmailing your brother for the murder of your ex-husband? >> today. >> hmm. so, he never told you? >> no. >> your brother has known who killed your child's father, and you didn't know. >> i did not know. >> the courtroom is buzzing as the prosecution calls a bombshell witness, katie magbanua. >> and this time on the stand, katie does a complete 180. she not only testifies she was in on the murder plot, she also testifies it was orchestrated by charlie. >> she was the one connecting all of this. she reveals that it had been nine months before he was killed that she was approached by charlie adelson. >> he asked me a question. "do you know anybody that can harm someone?" >> and did you know anybody that could harm someone?

>> yes, ma'am, i did. sigfredo. >> so, you knew that the person that was going to be initially harmed was wendi's husband. >> yes, ma'am. >> katie also testifies about how she says charlie directed her to transfer the money to the hit men. >> and where did you get the money from to do that? >> from charlie adelson. >> how was the money packaged when you got it? i think you said you got it the next morning. >> yes, ma'am. >> how was it packaged? >> the money was in a plastic bag, like a ziploc bag, and then, like, a grocery bag over it. he said he wore a glove so that there's no fingerprints on it. >> katie then goes on to strongly deny being part of any blackmail plot against charlie adelson. >> did you ever blackmail charlie adelson? >> no, ma'am, i did not. >> did you ever threaten him in any way? >> no, ma'am, i did not. >> but then on cross-examination, rashbaum goes on the attack.

>> they have to poke holes in her story and show that she is lying this time by raising the issue of the immunity, the get-out-of-jail free card that she was offered. >> you were offered to cooperate against charlie adelson and the other adelsons and you would get to go home to your kids, right? >> yes, sir. >> you still didn't cooperate. the deal was still open, right? >> well, the deal was to give up charlie. >> and you couldn't do that. >> because in order to give up charlie, i had to give up sigfredo, the father of my children, so i couldn't do that. >> again, you lied when you testified that you didn't know anything about the murder of professor markel, right? >> yes, sir. i told you, i lied in my first and second trial to save myself. >> isn't it true that you were the mastermind behind professor markel's murder? >> no, sir. that was charlie. >> with katie sticking to her guns, there's only one other person who can confirm the details of the alleged extortion plot for the defense, and that's

their own client, charlie adelson. >> that jury was on the edge of their seats. that's high stakes, and that's where the rubber meets the road. >> how do you feel right now? >> really nervous. >> why are you nervous? >> my whole life depends on it. ♪ you're the one that i want! ♪ your dog is the one you wanted. you want what's best for them. ♪ ohh, ohh, ohh! ♪ so ask your vet about new nexgard plus. it's one-and-done monthly protection from fleas and ticks, plus heartworm disease, roundworms, and hookworms... all in a delicious, beef-flavored, soft chew. use with caution in dogs with a history of seizures or neurologic disorders. from the maker of #1 vet-recommended heartgard plus. nexgard plus: the one you want for one-and-done protection. discover different black friday deals from the maker of #1 vet-re at target each week.lus. ♪ i never knew there was ♪ ♪ a love like this before ♪ [upbeat music]

♪ never knew a... ♪ get low prices and early black friday deals at target. my skin has been so much smoother so much more hydrated. it's olay! with olay hyaluronic body wash 95% of women had visibly-better skin. and my skin is so much more moisturized. see the difference with olay.

but we need an atm from our bank unless you want to spend a small fortune in fees. uh, no, thank you. banking with us means more fee-free atms than the two largest us banks combined. well, that would be convenient but there is no b-m-o here. ah, you can just call us bee-mo, and there is now. you know what else is convenient? mobile banking that makes it easy to track your goals and manage your money get out of town. but we... just got here. when a bank helps you get and stay ahead. that's the bmo effect. ♪ bmo ♪ [narrator] covered california is a free service from the state that's already helped millions of people like you get and pay for health insurance. with financial health to lower the cost of health coverage, you could get a quality health plan for less than $10 a month. every plan covers preventive care, doctor visits, emergency care, and more.

if you have questions, we're here to help every step of the way. covered california. this way to health insurance. enroll by december 31 at coveredca.com. i just wrote a slogan for my new chicken parm sauced & loaded sandos... imagine a chicken parm, but better! two chicken strips on a brioche bun... topped with curly fries, pepperoni, white cheese sauce, marinara, and mozzarella. yeah, i'm a marketing genius. try them today.

a packed courtroom watches as charlie adelson takes the stand in his trial for first-degree murder. >> please raise your right hand. >> the courtroom is abuzz with the anticipation of, what is he going to say? >> nine years after that brazen daylight killing of dan markel, his former brother-in-law speaks for the first time. >> how do you feel right now? >> really nervous. >> why are you nervous? >> my whole life depends on it. >> dan markel's whole family was

there, his sister and both of his parents. >> on the other side of the gallery, no support for charlie adelson. his father, harvey, his mother, donna, they haven't been there at all. >> with his client facing a potential life sentence, defense attorney daniel rashbaum takes a calculated risk putting charlie adelson on the stand. >> now, do you recall making a joke that buying her a tv was cheaper than hiring a hit man? >> stupidest thing i ever said in my life, and i said it as a complete joke and it was stupid, but i do that a lot. >> did you ever say that joke to katherine magbanua? >> yes, i did. >> just to be clear, did you ever look into hiring a hit man? >> no, never. >> we're leaning in to hear how he is going to pin all of this on katie. >> right out of the gate, adelson puts it all on his former girlfriend, testifying that the night of markel's murder, she makes a shocking

admission. >> she said, listen, this is all my fault, but i had no idea anything was gonna happen. i spoke in too much detail about your family's personal problems. >> charlie adelson is claiming that katie told her ex sigfredo garcia a secret, that the adelson family had planned to offer dan $1 million to agree to allow his ex-wife to relocate to south florida after their divorce. >> she's like, my friend killed dan, and he wants to be paid a third of $1 million. >> incredibly, charlie adelson claims he was told just hours after the murder he was told who killed dan markel. >> that was a big shocker. >> he testifies that the hit men wanted in on that million dollars. so, they murdered dan markel essentially on spec, the idea being, kill now, blackmail charlie, collect the money later.

>> and i'm like, katie, i'm not gonna be part of paying for a murder, this is insane. and she's like, look, if you don't pay in 48 hours they will kill you. >> that's why, charlie testifies, he paid her. that same night he gives katie $138,000 from his safe. over the months that followed, he admits he paid katie thousands more and asked his mother donna to put katie on the payroll at the family dental practice. >> she said, well, is katie gonna be coming into the office? is she gonna start working for us? and i said no, she's not. >> and charlie claims the police got it all wrong when they heard him on the dolce vita tape. that he isn't the ringleader but rather a victim of this scheme. >> what do they think? >> they think it was a murder for hire. >> what was it? >> it was an extortion. >> during charlie's second day

on the stand during cross-examination, prosecutor georgia cappleman goes right after charlie adelson's claim of extortion. >> doesn't blackmail or extortion usually involve the extortionist having some kind of dirt on the victim? >> i know how this was done to me. i'm just telling you what happened to me. i'm not an expert in it. >> and she wants to know, when charlie's life is being threatened, why didn't he go to the police? >> so, you knew you'd be believed if you went to the police, right? >> i didn't -- i didn't know i'd be believed. but i -- i fear for my life. >> and what about katie, charlie's one-time girlfriend who he claimed to really care about? >> you didn't offer to testify in her trial. you let her get convicted and get life in prison, didn't you? >> i thought the truth was gonna come out. >> ultimately the prosecution hammers charlie on the stand for two hours, but he sticks to his narrative that he was a victim extorted by the hit men and katie. >> it was the truth.

>> closing arguments is -- that's the last chance you get to speak to that jury. he's got no more chances to try to sell this story. >> if this was a murder-for-hire, why was payment not made before? see, because he had no idea it was going to happen. that's the only thing that makes sense. he didn't do it, he didn't conspire to do it, and he didn't solicit it. >> in her closing arguments, prosecutor georgia cappleman takes the jury back to the motive for the murder. >> so, who did it appear had a motive to want dan markel dead? his own family. >> the prosecutor says this was all about helping wendi. >> wendi appears to be the weakling of the pack. she needs to be saved by donna and the defendant. donna is the overbearing matriarch who nags everyone to death, and this defendant, fancied himself the savior of

this family, equal parts black sheep and mama's boy. >> and she attacks the suggestion that charlie adelson is an innocent victim in this murder scheme. >> latin king, extortion payment plans, hit men that hire themselves, and most unreasonable of all is probably that charlie adelson, an arrogant man of extraordinary resources, a prize fighter of verbosity, would just lay down and take this in silence. this might be a good time to remind you that the jury room is not a place to check your common sense. we want you to bring it in there and render a verdict that speaks the truth.

those are the people who know to choose allstate. the service road is faster. gps: turn left. not happening. he knows better than any gps. and he'd point you in allstate's direction. go all the way down the road, past the big gray warehouse. gps: take the next exit. you're not from around here, so you don't know the back roads. i don't want to be late for the party. i'm gonna save us five minutes. some people just know what road to take. gps: you're on the fastest route. those are the people who know safe drivers save 40% with allstate. here's liz, whose bladder leaks drop in uninvited. but instead of period pads, she brought poise ultra thin. so she can bounce on with poise protection in a fresh new look. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ with poise protection

[♪] did you know, sweat from stress is actually smellier than other kinds of sweat? that's why i use secret clinical antiperspirant. it provides 3x stress sweat protection. danielle? [♪] secret works. [♪] if your moderate to severe crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis symptoms are stopping you in your tracks... choose stelara® from the start... and move toward relief after the first dose... with injections every two months. stelara® may increase your risk of infections, some serious, and cancer. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you have an infection,

flu-like symptoms, sores, new skin growths, have had cancer, or if you need a vaccine. pres, a rare, potentially fatal brain condition, may be possible. some serious allergic reactions and lung inflammation can occur. feel unstoppable. ask your doctor how lasting remission can start with stelara®. janssen can help you explore cost support options. [ music begins to play “love like this” by rosemarie ] at target, get low prices on... lights. light up your holidays for less, at target. [ music ends ]

nine years after dan markel was brutally murdered in the garage of his tallahassee home, it's judgement day for his former brother-in-law, charlie adelson. after deliberating for just three hours, the jury's verdict is delivered to a packed courtroom. >> we the jury find as follows as to count one of the indictment, first-degree murder, the defendant is guilty of first degree murder.

>> charlie adelson is also found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation to commit murder. he looked devastated, deflated. you just saw phil markel let out this big exhale and lean all the way over with his head in his hands. >> could you just describe the moment for us? >> unbelievable, joy, happiness. >> joy and happiness is a funny thing to say, but it's sort of tinged with this feeling of relief. >> the relief. >> it's really been a long time coming. >> so long. >> charlie adelson is a convicted murderer. now the state's going to focus on others who were involved. >> is the investigation still going on? >> yes. yes. >> but as this nearly decade-old case continues, what sometimes gets overlooked is that at the heart of this story are two young boys.

>> these are our memories. >> after the adelson's alleged link to the murder plot was disclosed in 2016, the markels were cut off from dan's sons. >> these boys are missing out on a set of grandparents that have all this warmth and desire to spoil them and be grandparents to them. >> ruth told me she despaired of ever seeing her grandkids again. but with the help of dan's friend karen cyphers, she successfully fought for passage of a bill known as "the markel act." it allows grandparents to ask a court to order visitation if a parent is found responsible for the other parent's death. >> i know that this bill does not at this moment apply to the markels. wendi has not been found responsible by a criminal or a civil court. that said, within an hour of the senate passing the bill, wendi reached out to ruth and offered her a visit with the kids.

>> you got to see the kids again. what was that like? >> i hadn't seen these boys in six years. i had no idea what they looked like, and we were shocked. the kids were smiling, they were warm. >> and i said, "can we give you a hug?" and they really responded. >> it blew a spark of hope that something was gonna happen, that we might have more communications with them. >> the markels said the very next day those hopes were dashed when charlie adelson was arrested. since then, they say their relationship with the kids has again become strained. >> and we just hope and pray that one day things will change. >> so there is still hope. >> there's always hope. living with that hope. and we should mention that charlie adelson is due to be

sentenced this coming december. >> his defense team telling us they're likely going to appeal his conviction. i'm debra roberts. >> and i'm david muir. from all of us at "20/20" and abc news, good night. anna's. all eyes will be on san francisco as the apec summit takes over the city for the next week. good evening. i'm ama daetz. and i'm dan ashley. >> thanks for joining us. the countdown is officially on. there are now just hours to go until the start of the apec summit in san francisco. the eyes of the world will be turning to the bay area and the city says it's ready. >> abc7 news reporter jim j