Jury selection begins in trial of matriarch charged with arranging her ex-son-in-law’s death

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Jury selection began Tuesday in the trial of the matriarch of a South Florida family on charges of orchestrating the hit man murder of her ex-son-in-law.

Donna Adelson is accused of arranging the 2014 killing of Florida State University law professor Daniel Markel, who was shot in the head inside his Tallahassee garage.

Adelson faces charges of first-degree murder, as well as conspiracy and solicitation to commit first-degree murder, in a trial that could extend into the week of Sept. 8.

Adelson is the latest to go on trial for what prosecutors say was a murder-for-hire plot to kill Markel, her former son-in-law, who had been involved in a bitter custody battle with his ex-wife, lawyer Wendi Adelson. Markel had gotten a court order barring her from moving from Tallahassee back to South Florida with their two young sons to be closer to her family, who made their fortune practicing dentistry.

Authorities say Donna Adelson helped orchestrate the plot to murder Markel, conspiring with her son Charles Adelson and his then-girlfriend Katherine Magbanua, who prosecutors say served as the go-between with two men hired to carry out the killing, Sigfredo Garcia and Luis Rivera.

Charles Adelson, Magbanua and her ex-boyfriend, Garcia, were all sentenced to life in prison after being convicted earlier of first-degree murder. Garcia's friend, Rivera, is serving a 19-year sentence after pleading guilty to second-degree murder and testifying against the others.

The case has riveted Florida’s capital for more than a decade, as sordid details emerged about a messy divorce, tensions with in-laws and child custody battles that culminated in the murder of a prominent local professor.

Donna Adelson was arrested in 2023 as she and her husband were about to use one-way tickets to board a flight to Vietnam, a country that does not have an extradition treaty with the United States. The arrest came one week after her oral surgeon son was found guilty.

Authorities say the Adelsons considered offering Markel $1 million to let his ex-wife and sons move to South Florida, but then members of the family began plotting his death.

Wendi Adelson and her father, Harvey Adelson, have denied involvement and have not been charged.

Florida Second Judicial Circuit Judge Stephen Everett listens as potential jurors answer questions during the first day of jury selection for the trial of Donna Adelson on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025 in Tallahassee, Fla. Adelson is charged with first-degree murder in the hitman killing of her former son-in-law, Daniel Markel. (Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat via AP, Pool)

Donna Adelson, who is charged in the 2014 murder-for-hire of Florida State University law professor Dan Markel, listens to potential jurors answer questions during the first day of jury selection Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025 in Tallahassee, Fla. (Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat via AP, Pool)

Donna Adelson, who is charged in the 2014 murder-for-hire of Florida State University law professor Dan Markel, listens to potential jurors answer questions during the first day of jury selection Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025 in Tallahassee, Fla. (Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat via AP, Pool)

Donna Adelson, who is charged in the 2014 murder-for-hire of Florida State University law professor Dan Markel, listens to potential jurors answer questions during the first day of jury selection Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025 in Tallahassee, Fla. (Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat via AP, Pool)

DENVER (AP) — A Frontier Airlines plane hit and killed a pedestrian on the runway of the Denver International Airport during takeoff, airport authorities said, sparking an engine fire and forcing passengers to evacuate.

The plane, on route from Denver to Los Angeles International Airport, “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday," the airport's official X account wrote.

A spokesperson for the airport said the pedestrian, who jumped a perimeter fence, has died. They said the unidentified person was hit two minutes after entering the airport. The person is not believed to be an airport employee.

“We're stopping on the runway,” the pilot tells the control tower according to the site ATC.com. “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”

The pilot tells the air traffic controller they have “231 souls” on board and that an “individual was walking across the runway.”

The air traffic controller responds that they are “rolling the trucks now" before the pilot tells the tower they “have smoke in the aircraft. We are going to evacuate on the runway.”

Frontier Airlines said in a statement flight 4345 was the one involved in the collision and that “smoke was reported in the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff.” It was not clear whether the smoke was linked to the crash with the pedestrian.

“The Airbus A321 was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members,” the airline said. “We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities.”

Passengers were then evacuated via slides and the emergency crew bused them to the terminal. The airport spokesperson said 12 passengers suffered minor injuries and five were taken to local hospitals.

Denver Airport said the National Transportation Safety Board had been notified and that runway 17L, where the incident took place, will remain closed while an investigation is conducted. It is expected to open later today.

The pedestrian death came a day after a Delta Air Lines employee was killed while on the job at the Orlando International Airport. In a statement, the airline said the employee was killed Thursday night without providing details of the incident nor the name of the employee.

“We are focused on extending our full support to family and taking care of our Orlando team during this difficult time,” the airline said. "We are working with local authorities as a full investigation gets underway to determine what occurred.”

FILE - A Frontier Airlines jetliner taxis down a runway for take off from Denver International airport on Nov. 25, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)