WATCH LIVE: Key witness Katherine Magbanua takes the stand in Charlie Adelson murder trial
The murder trial for Fort Lauderdale periodontist Charlie Adelson began Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, in a Leon County courtroom. Adelson is accused of orchestrating one of Tallahassee’s most shocking crimes — the murder-for-hire killing of Florida State University law professor Dan Markel.
Katherine Magbanua, who is the link between Adelson and the already-convicted murderers, is called to the stand to testify.
She and Sigfredo Garcia were tried together on murder charges in 2019; the jury convicted him but deadlocked on her charges.
In her retrial in 2022, Magbanua was unanimously convicted of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation of murder. Magbanua is serving life in prison.
Dan Markel murder: Walkthrough of witnesses making the case for, against Charlie Adelson
Florida murder-for-hire: Everything to know about the case, 2014 killing of FSU law professor
More: Katherine Magbanua, previously convicted, testifies on Day 3 of Charlie Adelson trial
Who is Katherine Magbanua?
At the time of Dan Markel's murder, Charlie Adelson was dating Magbanua, who was working on and off at his dental practice. She is also the mother of the children of Sigfredo Garcia, the man who killed Markel.
When Luis Rivera testified against Garcia in 2019, he said Garcia had told him “we were going to kill the man for some kids” for "a lady because the lady wanted her kids back.” Rivera told jurors that he knew Wendi Adelson was paying for the hit and that "it was all Katie" (Magbanua) who connected them.
Investigators also tracked phone calls in the weeks leading up to the murder between Magbanua and Charlie Adelson, followed by phone contact between Magbanua and Garcia and between Charlie and his mother Donna Adelson. Immediately after the murder, Donna talked to Charlie on the phone, and then he made two calls to Magbanua. About an hour after that, Garcia called Magbanua, investigators said, the first call he made after shooting Markel.
After the murder, Rivera and Garcia purchased several cars and motorcycles at about the same time that Magbanua began receiving paychecks from the family's dental practice. Investigators also found that Magbanua deposited more than $41,000 in cash and more than $17,000 in checks from the Adelson Institute into her bank account between July 2014 and Nov. 2015, mostly through ATMs in increments of $300 to $2,000. The checks were signed by Donna Adelson, who also worked at the family practice.
Magbanua maintained her innocence both in Garcia's 2019 trial, where the jury deadlocked on whether to convict her as well, and in her 2022 retrial when she was found guilty of being the go-between in the murder-for-hire plot. But she admitted that Charlie Adelson may have been involved, and prosecutors linked her to Adelson both in the 'brutal act' itself and in repeated efforts to cover it up afterward.
Charlie Adelson trial
GAVEL-TO-GAVEL COVERAGE: The Tallahassee Democrat will livestream each day of the trial of Charlie Adelson from the courthouse in Tallahassee. Watch on Tallahassee.com and the Tallahassee Democrat's Facebook and YouTube pages. For best viewing experience: Download the Tallahassee Democrat app to watch and receive text alerts on when to watch – from opening arguments to the verdict.
Contributing: C. A. Bridges, Karl Etters, Jeff Burlew, Tallahassee Democrat and USA TODAY Network
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: LIVE: Magbanua called to testify in Charlie Adelson murder trial
