A wealthy Fort Lauderdale periodontist was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Tuesday for financing and planning the 2014 murder of his former brother-in-law, the Tallahassee Democrat reported.
Judge Stephen Everett sent Charlie Adelson away for life for the murder-for-hire death of his ex-brother-in-law, Dan Markel, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. Markel’s father, Phil, joined the court session via Zoom and urged Judge Everett to impose the harsh sentence on Adelson, the paper reported.
“Dan’s life was abruptly cut short, and he was forever taken away from me, the boys and the rest of his family and all his many friends and colleagues,” Phil Markel said. “My life has been in total disarray since Dan’s murder. Many nights, I wake up in the middle of the night in a terrible sweat with thoughts of Dan’s murder and all that has happened.” (Car Dealership Executive Found Guilty Of $1 Million Murder-For-Hire Plot)
Adelson, 47, addressed the court and declared his innocence before the sentence was read, according to WPLG-TV.
“I would just like to say I maintain my innocence,” he said.
Adelson, who was convicted on November 6 of paying to have Markel killed, sat quietly as the judge read the sentence, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.
Adelson was given a life sentence for the first murder count, and consecutive 30-year sentences for another two counts, the newspaper reported.
Markel, a professor at Florida State University, was shot two times at point-blank range on July 18, 2014 while sitting in his car outside his home, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
Prosecutors said that Adelson’s girlfriend, Katie Magbanua, arranged the murder by employing her ex-husband and his friend to kill Markel, according to the Associated Press. Both men are members of the Latin Kings gang, the outlet reported.
Adelson’s wife was not charged in the case, but his mother was arrested on November 13 when she and her husband attempted to board a flight to Vietnam with one-way tickets, the Tallahassee Democrat reported.
She is currently being detained and faces the same charges as her son, according to the newspaper.