No bond: Donna Adelson has first hearing in Leon County in Dan Markel murder case

Donna Adelson sat silently in the Leon County jail as she learned she would remain behind bars after being charged in the 2014 murder of her former son-in-law Dan Markel.

Adelson, 73, was joined by her Miami-based attorney Marissel Descalzo via Zoom as Leon County Judge Jason Jones discussed conditions of her bonds and the amounts. The hearing took place just hours after she was booked into the jail ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

She was granted $50,000 bail for two of her charges, solicitation and conspiracy, but the state recommended no bond for first-degree murder — a decision that would seal a jail stay pending trial. Descalzo stipulated, or agreed, to that decision, ordered by Jones, though she intends to take it up with Leon Circuit Judge Stephen Everett, who is overseeing the case.

Jones told Adelson she couldn't contact the victim's family, any co-defendants or any witnesses listed in the probable cause affidavit of her arrest.

"Do you understand those conditions?" Jones asked. "I do your honor," Adelson said.

Adelson appeared in a pink jumpsuit with frazzled hair and dark circles under her eyes, hinting to the long day of travel from the Miami-Dade Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center to the Leon County Detention Facility.

She arrived at the capital county's jail early Tuesday where she joined her son, Charlie Adelson, facing a life sentence for the murder of Dan Markel, after she spent a week in the Miami jail.

Local law enforcement and the FBI intercepted her and her husband, Harvey Adelson, on Nov. 13 before they could board a one-way flight to Vietnam.

The couple tried to flee less than 48 hours before a Leon County grand jury indicted her on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy and solicitation, the same charges on which her son was convicted of a week before her arrest.

Legal analysis: Adelson flight to Vietnam lets state argue 'consciousness of guilt' in Markel murder

On the day of Donna Adelson's arrest, one of Charlie Adelson's friends contacted the State Attorney's Office in Tallahassee to tell them about a conversation they had with Donna and Harvey Adelson the night before, court records show.

The couple called the friend to discuss the few travel plans they had, and to ask for advice about flights and places to stay. Harvey Adelson told them not to mention any of their plans to their son.

"This family friend has known the Adelsons for over 10 years and has never had longer than a five-minute conversation with Donna or Harvey," records say. "They found the contact very strange."

When Donna Adelson was arrested, FBI Agent Pat Sanford — who has been a key witness for the state — confiscated her phone.

"Donna attempted to pull away and prevent him from grabbing it," a search warrant affidavit states. "Donna said she was told not to give her phone to law enforcement."

Leon Circuit Judge Stephen Everett, who presided over Charlie Adelson's trial, signed a search warrant allowing investigators to search her phone for anything after June 2012 to now.

"The data being sought is any that would further the investigation into the communications and actions of Donna Adelson during the crime and of any events related to this incident before the crime occurred," records say.

Adelson made multiple phone calls to her son in jail after the guilty verdict "telling Charles Adelson that she is getting things in order, creating trusts and making sure her grandchildren are taken care of," according to court documents. She also was recorded discussing a possible suicide and plans to flee to a non-extradition country.

Charlie Adelson was found guilty Nov. 6 for the murder of the former Florida State University law professor, a case that drew national attention over the decade-long investigation.

Donna Adelson is the fifth person to be arrested in connection to the murder-for-hire plot, in which state prosecutors have long thought her to be involved, along with Harvey Adelson and their daughter Wendi Adelson, Markel’s ex-wife and the mother of their two sons.

State Attorney Jack Campbell previously told the Tallahassee Democrat that the state didn't have evidence to arrest Harvey Adelson at the time of his wife's arrest.

Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Dan Markel case: Donna Adelson appears in Leon County Courthouse