Charlie Adelson, serving life in Dan Markel murder, moved to Wakulla state prison

Charlie Adelson, who was convicted last year in the murder of Dan Markel and sentenced to life behind bars, has been moved to a state prison in Wakulla County.

After sentencing in December, Adelson was moved from the Leon County Detention Center to the Northwest Florida Reception Center in Chipley, which processes new state inmates.

Last week, he was moved to the Wakulla Correctional Institution Annex outside Crawfordville, according to the Florida Department of Corrections website. At that location, he will be in close proximity to his appeals lawyer, Michael Ufferman of Tallahassee.

Ufferman said he did not know why FDC assigned Adelson to the Wakulla Annex. He said that while convicts can request a prison close to home and judges can make recommendations about that, he was unware of any such request by his client.

"It's my understanding he's been placed there because that is where they decided was the best fit for him," Ufferman said.

Ufferman said he didn't know whether Adelson was under any special security protocol at the prison. He said the prison will be his "permanent camp" for now but that FDC could opt to move him at some point.

The Wakulla Annex, which houses adult males, holds a maximum of 1,165 inmates and offers a library, chaplaincy services for a variety of faiths and academic and substance abuse programs. In 2017, the prison saw unrest, including the stabbing of a correctional officer.

Families of inmates told the Tallahassee Democrat that the annex had shifted from a designated faith-based facility to one that was housing inmates from other prisons, including gang members. The families said programs once offered at the annex were moved to the main WCI prison, which houses general population inmates. In 2018, FDC opened a specialized unit at the annex to treat mentally ill inmates.

Adelson, 47, a former traveling periodontist from Fort Lauderdale, was found guilty in Markel's murder on Nov. 6 after an eight-day trial at the Leon County Courthouse. Leon Circuit Judge Stephen Everett sentenced him to life in prison.

A week after his conviction, Adelson's mother, Donna Adelson, was arrested on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy and solicitation in the murder-for-hire plot. Donna Adelson, 73, who pleaded not guilty, is being held in the Leon County jail.

Markel, a law professor at Florida State University, was fatally shot July 18, 2014, in the garage of his Trescott Drive home. The murder, which was carried out by two hit men, happened as he and his ex-wife, Wendi Adelson, were feuding in court. Wendi Adelson, who hasn't been charged, is Donna Adelson's daughter and Charlie Adelson's younger sister.

Besides Charlie Adelson, three other people have been convicted in the murder: the hit men, Sigfredo Garcia and Luis Rivera, and their go-between, Katie Magbanua, Charlie Adelson's ex-girlfriend.

A trial date for Donna Adelson has not been set. Her next court appearance is scheduled for next month.

Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or 850-599-2180.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Dan Markel murder: Charlie Adelson moved to Wakulla state prison