Judge in Charlie Adelson trial denies defense request to interview jurors
The judge who presided over the murder trial of Charlie Adelson denied a request by his defense lawyer to interview jurors over a "group chat" that they reportedly created.
Leon Circuit Judge Stephen Everett ruled against the request on Thursday, according to online court records. Assistant State Attorney Georgia Cappleman, the lead prosecutor in the Adelson trial, confirmed that the defense motion had been denied.
Adelson was found guilty Monday after only three hours of jury deliberations for first-degree murder, conspiracy and solicitation in the 2014 murder-for-hire killing of law professor Dan Markel. The Fort Lauderdale dentist, Markel's former brother-in-law, faces a mandatory life sentence in state prison.
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Dan Rashbaum, the Miami attorney who represented Adelson, filed a motion Tuesday asking to interview the 12 members of the jury about the group chat. He wrote in court documents that he found out about it after one of three alternate jurors who were dismissed at the end of the trial emailed him.
"Given the extensive publicity surrounding this case, and the intense media and community interest in its outcome, we believe that an interview of the jurors ― either by this court or by undersigned counsel — is required to ensure the integrity of the jury's verdict in this case," Rashbaum wrote.
Tim Jansen, a prominent local attorney who provided daily analysis of the trial for the Democrat, said he didn't expect the defense motion to be granted. He also questioned why the alternate juror went to Adelson's lawyer rather than the clerk or judge.
"It doesn’t reach the threshold for the court to do anything," Jansen said. "There is no allegation of wrongdoing. The jurors are allowed to communicate with each other. They have breaks together and can have lunch together. Nothing prohibits them from talking or communicating. It’s obvious this alternate juror has an agenda."
The Democrat obtained a copy of the defense's motion from the court's website, though it was marked sealed. Everett's order and the state's motion were still sealed Friday and not available.
Adelson was the fourth person to be convicted in Markel's murder following previous convictions for the two hit men, Sigfredo Garcia and Luis Rivera, and Katie Magbanua, Adelson's ex-girlfriend. Markel was killed amid a nasty child custody fight with Wendi Adelson, his ex-wife and Charlie Adelson's sister.
Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or 850-599-2180.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Judge in Charlie Adelson trial denies defense request to interview jurors
