WATCH: Magbanua sentenced to life, plus two 30-year sentences in Dan Markel murder; Adelson trial set for early 2023

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GAVEL TO GAVEL COVERAGE

The Tallahassee Democrat will livestream the sentencing of Katherine Magbanua's sentencing and Charlie Adelson's case management hearing from the courthouse in Tallahassee. Watch on Tallahassee.com, YouTube and on the Tallahassee Democrat's Facebook page. For best viewing experience: Download the Tallahassee Democrat app to watch and receive text alerts on when to watch.

Charlie Adelson could see trial early next year

Charlie Adelson's court appearance was brief. He entered courtroom 3G wearing a blue jumpsuit from the Leon County jail shortly after Magbanua's sentencing.

His attorney Daniel Rashbaum Thursday filed a motion for a bond hearing, which Circuit Judge Robert Wheeler said would likely come in November or December.

Assistant State Attorney Georgia Cappleman said she and Rashbaum had been in discussions about a trial date, which could come in the first few months of 2023.

Adelson is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation of murder in connection with the murder of his former brother-in-law Dan Markel.

He has pleaded not guilty.

Charlie Adelson exits the courtroom after his case management hearing Friday, July 29, 2022 in Tallahassee, Fla.
Charlie Adelson exits the courtroom after his case management hearing Friday, July 29, 2022 in Tallahassee, Fla.

Magbanua sentenced to life, two 30-year sentences

Circuit Judge Robert Wheeler sentenced Katherine Magbanua to life in prison plus two additional 30-year sentences to run consecutively for her role in the murder of Florida State law professor Dan Markel.

Markel's sister Shelly Markel gave a victim impact statement in which she recounted their childhood together, growing up and starting their own families. She said she was saddened that her brother wouldn't be there for those moments in the future.

Last week marked eight years since Markel was gunned down in his Betton Hills garage.

"Eight years he has not been with us and in those eight years we continue to suffer. We continue to grieve," Shelly Markel said via video conference. "His murder has been horrible for me and my family. Shocking, surreal and so hard to understand. His future was cut short. Imagine what was ahead of him."

Katherine Magbanua reacts as Circuit Judge Robert Wheeler sentenced her to life in prison plus two additional 30-year sentences to run consecutively for her role in the murder of Florida State law professor Dan Markel.
Katherine Magbanua reacts as Circuit Judge Robert Wheeler sentenced her to life in prison plus two additional 30-year sentences to run consecutively for her role in the murder of Florida State law professor Dan Markel.

Tara Kawass, Magabanua's attorney, unsuccessfully asked the judge to impose the minimum sentence for the additional charges, 172.5 months.

She provided a statement on behalf of her client in which she referenced the numerous letters of support issued for Magbanua and said she routinely thinks about Markel and his family.

"She does think about Dan Markel every single day she does think about his kids every single day," Kawass said. "Not a day goes by that she’s doesn’t express how her heart is broken for the Markel family. One thing that I can say that Ms. Magbanua hopes and prays for is that justice is ongoing and has not been reached in this case and she wants each and every person who had a hand in this and knows something about this to be brought to justice."

Katherine Magbanua speaks to her lawyer, Tara Kawass, during her sentencing hearing Friday, July 29, 2022 in Tallahassee, Fla.
Katherine Magbanua speaks to her lawyer, Tara Kawass, during her sentencing hearing Friday, July 29, 2022 in Tallahassee, Fla.

 What's at stake for Katherine Magbanua

Convicted Dan Markel murderer Katherine Magbanua faces upwards of 60 additional years in prison for her role in what investigators say was a contract killing of the acclaimed Florida State law professor.

Magbanua was found guilty by a 12-person jury in May of first-degree murder, which carries an automatic life sentence, and related conspiracy and solicitation charges. Each related charge carries a potential 30-year sentence.

Chronicling the case:

Magbanua, 37, was convicted unanimously as the conduit between the two men who drove from Miami to kill Markel — the father of her children, Sigfredo Garcia, and his friend, Luis Rivera — and Markel’s former in-laws, who prosecutors allege hired the two men to shoot Markel in the fallout of his contentious divorce.

Markel’s family will appear via video conference to give a victim impact statement in the sentencing hearing.

Charlie Adelson to face court in hearing after sentencing

Shortly after Magbanua's sentencing, Markel's former brother-in-law Charlie Adelson, who is accused of orchestrating and financing the murder, will have his first case management conference.

Thursday, his Miami attorney Daniel Rashbaum filed a motion for his release on bond and asked Circuit Judge Robert Wheeler to set an Arthur hearing in the matter.

Rashbaum's motion details the six years since authorities in Tallahassee signaled they were investigating Adelson as a suspect in the murder. A grand jury in April indicted him on murder, conspiracy and solicitation charges.

Katherine Magbanua and Charlie Adelson
Katherine Magbanua and Charlie Adelson

The motion details early statements by then State Attorney Willie Meggs that what Tallahassee Police Department investigators say was Adelson's role in the murder amounted to "speculation," and that was the reason he had not approved his arrest then.

Rashbaum said the "new" evidence that led to Adelson's arrest, a secretly recorded video by undercover FBI agent of he and Magbanua talking at a Miami restaurant Dolce Vita, only helps to exonerate his client. In it, Adleson repeatedly says he had nothing to do with Markel's murder while he and Magbanua discuss how to handle an undercover FBI agent they believed was either a blackmailer or a cop.

More: Dan Markel murder: Read the transcript and watch the video that prompted charges against Charlie Adelson

Arthur hearings require the state to prove a burden higher than beyond a reasonable doubt needed for a conviction.

"The state's case is based exclusively on circumstantial evidence," Rashbaum wrote. "The Dolce recording is emblematic of the state's inability to meet its burden here, as the recording on its face, suggests an alternative theory: not that Mr. Adelson is guilty, but that he had no knowledge of, connection to or involvement in the conspiracy to kill Professor Markel."

Charlie Adelson listens during his case management hearing Friday, July 29, 2022 in Tallahassee, Fla.
Charlie Adelson listens during his case management hearing Friday, July 29, 2022 in Tallahassee, Fla.

Contact Karl Etters at ketters@tallahassee.com or @KarlEtters on Twitter.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Livestream in Dan Markel murder case: Katherine Magbanua sentenced;