Episodes

  • Donna Adelson Moved to Prison 30 Miles From Her Old Miami Life — And the Wendi Question STILL Isn't Answered

    Donna Adelson Moved to Prison 30 Miles From Her Old Miami Life — And the Wendi Question STILL Isn't Answered
    Dec 11 2025
    Donna Adelson is officially back in South Florida — just not the way she planned. According to Florida Department of Corrections records, the convicted mastermind behind the Dan Markel murder-for-hire has been transferred from the Ocala reception center to Homestead Correctional Institution in Miami-Dade County. It's the exact placement her defense team requested at sentencing, when Judge Stephen Everett recommended she be housed close to her husband Harvey. The woman who allegedly funded a contract killing because she couldn't accept her grandchildren living in Tallahassee is now thirty miles from her former life, behind razor wire, serving life without parole. Her son Charlie Adelson is serving his own life sentence in South Dakota after being transferred in 2024 over security concerns. Katherine Magbanua remains at Lowell Annex in Ocala.

    The hitmen are locked up. Five people convicted. Eleven years from murder to final judgment. But one question refuses to go away: What about Wendi? Prosecutors identified Dan Markel's ex-wife as an unindicted co-conspirator in court documents. She testified at every trial under limited immunity. She has repeatedly and consistently denied any involvement in or knowledge of the plot. She has never been charged. State Attorney Jack Campbell said his office would "make decisions in the coming weeks" after Donna's conviction — and months later, no decision has been announced. Meanwhile, Donna's "jailhouse daughter" has been talking publicly about the family fractures behind bars, the strain between mother and daughter, and Donna's fears about Harvey's deteriorating health. The Markel family is still fighting for access to their grandchildren under the Markel Act — the law that exists because of this case. This is where the story sits. For now.


    #DonnaAdelson #DanMarkel #WendiAdelson #HomesteadPrison #MurderForHire #TrueCrime #AdelsonFamily #FloridaCrime #JusticeForDanMarkel #TrueCrimeNews


    Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video?

    Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod
    Instagram     https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
    Facebook     https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
    Tik-Tok     https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
    X Twitter     https://x.com/tonybpod

    Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here:     https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872
    Show More Show Less
    26 mins
  • Wendi Adelson Refuses to Testify as the Family Crumbles | Donna Adelson Trial Breakdown | 2025 Year in Review

    Wendi Adelson Refuses to Testify as the Family Crumbles | Donna Adelson Trial Breakdown | 2025 Year in Review
    Nov 30 2025
    As part of our Hidden Killers 2025 Year in Review series, we revisit the shocking moment that shattered the illusion of Adelson family unity — Wendi Adelson’s refusal to testify for her mother, Donna, in one of Florida’s most explosive murder-for-hire trials.

    In a stunning pretrial twist, Donna’s defense team tried to subpoena her daughter, Wendi, hoping her testimony might humanize Donna or counterbalance the prosecution’s narrative. But Wendi’s lawyers fought back, arguing that testifying could incriminate her — and the judge agreed. The subpoena was tossed, meaning Wendi will not be forced to take the stand.

    It’s a moment that speaks volumes without a word being spoken. While Charlie Adelson, already convicted and serving life for his role in the 2014 murder of Florida State law professor Dan Markel, steps forward to testify for his mother, Wendi stays silent. In a case built on loyalty, control, and manipulation, this silence may say more than any testimony ever could.

    Tony Brueski and psychotherapist Shavaun Scott break down what this fracture reveals about the psychology of the Adelson family — how fear, guilt, and self-preservation drive behavior when the walls close in. They analyze how jurors are likely to interpret the sibling contrast: one child taking the stand for loyalty, another staying quiet to save herself. Does Wendi’s silence protect her, or does it make her look complicit?

    Then, defense attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis joins Tony to explore how this new dynamic could shift courtroom strategy. Could Donna’s team now push harder to put her on the stand herself, hoping to fill the emotional vacuum left by Wendi’s absence? And what will the state do with a family now publicly divided — a daughter refusing to help her mother, a son defending her from a prison cell?

    This isn’t just a trial about murder. It’s about the collapse of a dynasty built on influence and image, where loyalty has finally given way to self-preservation.

    🎙️ Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski — 2025 Year in Review: The Cases That Exposed the Truth Behind the Facades.

    #DonnaAdelson #WendiAdelson #CharlieAdelson #DanMarkel #HiddenKillers #TonyBrueski #ShavaunScott #EricFaddis #TrueCrimePodcast #MurderTrial #CourtroomDrama #FamilyBetrayal #HiddenKillersYearInReview


    Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video?

    Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod
    Instagram     https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
    Facebook     https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
    Tik-Tok     https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
    X Twitter     https://x.com/tonybpod

    Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here:     https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872
    Show More Show Less
    37 mins
  • Donna Adelson: The Matriarch, The Motive, and The Fall of a Family Empire | 2025 Year in Review Special

    Donna Adelson: The Matriarch, The Motive, and The Fall of a Family Empire | 2025 Year in Review Special
    Nov 30 2025
    As part of our Hidden Killers 2025 Year in Review series, this full-length special brings together all four parts of our deep investigation into the case of Donna Adelson — the grandmother, mother, and alleged mastermind at the center of one of Florida’s most shocking murder-for-hire conspiracies.

    This is the complete, unbroken story — from the private family dynamics that prosecutors say sparked a deadly plot, to the public trial that could end with Donna spending the rest of her life behind bars.

    We begin inside the Adelson family, where Donna’s influence allegedly shaped everything — including her children’s decisions and the years-long feud with Florida State law professor Dan Markel. The state claims Donna’s control and obsession with family “image” turned toxic, driving the financial schemes, the $1 million relocation bribe offer, and the custody-fueled resentment that ultimately led to murder.

    Next, we break down Donna’s public and private narrative control — from the coded language in her jail calls to her tone-shifting conversations designed to manipulate both family and public perception. Even behind bars, her words carry weight, painting herself as a misunderstood matriarch while sidestepping accountability.

    Then comes her biggest gamble yet — the possibility of testifying in her own defense. Alongside Defense Attorney Eric Faddis, we explore the psychology, confidence, and potential ego behind that decision. Could Donna’s instinct for control be the very thing that exposes her to devastating cross-examination?

    We also examine how prosecutors plan to connect the dots — from the financial transactions to Katherine Magbanua, to Luis Rivera’s testimony about “the lady” ordering the hit, to the one-way ticket to Vietnam that speaks louder than words.

    Finally, we look at the aftermath: the intergenerational trauma facing the Adelson grandchildren, the moral collapse of a family once built on privilege and perception, and the lasting stain this case leaves on every name attached to it.

    🎙️ Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski — 2025 Year in Review: The Cases That Defined a Year of Power, Psychology, and Justice.


    #DonnaAdelson #DanMarkel #CharlieAdelson #KatherineMagbanua #EricFaddis #HiddenKillers #TonyBrueski #TrueCrimePodcast #FloridaCrime #MurderForHire #CourtroomDrama #JusticeForDanMarkel #HiddenKillersYearInReview #AdelsonTrial #FamilyCrime


    Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video?

    Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod
    Instagram     https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
    Facebook     https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
    Tik-Tok     https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
    X Twitter     https://x.com/tonybpod

    Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here:     https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Donna Adelson: Delay, Denial, and the Gamble of a Lifetime | 2025 Year in Review

    Donna Adelson: Delay, Denial, and the Gamble of a Lifetime | 2025 Year in Review
    Nov 29 2025
    As part of our Hidden Killers 2025 Year in Review series, we’re breaking down the most calculated—and sometimes downright desperate—moves by Donna Adelson, the matriarch at the center of Florida’s most infamous murder-for-hire case.

    In one of the year’s most revealing episodes, Tony Brueski exposes how Donna’s defense team has spent months trying to slow, stall, and spin the inevitable. From filing motions to disqualify the judge, to claiming Tallahassee’s residents are too “emotionally informed” to serve on a jury, to arguing that routine evidence is somehow “prejudicial,” this has become a masterclass in delay tactics. And it’s not working.

    We unpack six of the most aggressive attempts Donna’s lawyers have made to derail the prosecution—from re-deposing witnesses based on so-called “new evidence” to claiming the court of public opinion makes a fair trial impossible. The result? A defense strategy that’s running out of time and credibility, one filing at a time.

    Then, Tony dives into the next looming spectacle: the possibility of Donna taking the stand in her own defense. It’s a high-risk, high-ego move that could either humanize her or expose her as the manipulative force prosecutors say she’s always been. Could her trademark confidence charm jurors—or will it read as arrogance under pressure?

    We break down the evidence she’d have to face if she testifies:

    • The million-dollar bribe offer to relocate Dan Markel closer to the Adelsons.

    • Her alleged plan to use religion as leverage in custody disputes.

    • The stream of checks to Katherine Magbanua, a convicted go-between in the murder plot.

    • And the FBI “bump” recording, hinting at Donna’s knowledge of the crime.

    This episode reveals the anatomy of a defense that seems more focused on optics than outcome—and a defendant whose belief in her own brilliance may be her final undoing.

    🎙️ Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski — 2025 Year in Review: The Cases Where Justice Refused to Wait.


    #DonnaAdelson #DanMarkel #HiddenKillers #TonyBrueski #TrueCrimePodcast #MurderForHire #CourtroomDrama #FloridaCrime #LegalStrategy #CharlieAdelson #KatherineMagbanua #YearInReview #JusticeForDanMarkel #HiddenKillersYearInReview


    Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video?

    Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod
    Instagram     https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
    Facebook     https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
    Tik-Tok     https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
    X Twitter     https://x.com/tonybpod

    Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here:     https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872
    Show More Show Less
    51 mins
  • Donna Adelson: The Evidence Avalanche & The Vietnam Escape Plot | 2025 Year in Review

    Donna Adelson: The Evidence Avalanche & The Vietnam Escape Plot | 2025 Year in Review
    Nov 29 2025
    As part of our Hidden Killers 2025 Year in Review series, we’re revisiting the case that dominated headlines, divided families, and exposed the darkest corners of privilege and power — the unraveling of Donna Adelson.

    Just weeks before jury selection was set to begin, Donna’s long-awaited murder trial imploded into chaos. Prosecutors dropped a stunning bombshell: a massive cache of new evidence — more than 80,000 emails, months of wiretap recordings, and what insiders say could include jailhouse informant testimony. Suddenly, Judge Stephen Everett had no choice but to halt the trial, citing an avalanche of discovery that left even seasoned defense attorneys blindsided.

    In this episode, Tony Brueski breaks down the extraordinary chain of events that forced the June 3rd trial date off the calendar — and what the 16 sealed court filings in a single month might really mean. From a mysterious late-2024 tip that reignited the investigation, to whispers of newly uncovered recordings featuring Donna’s own words, this is the inside story of how a decade-old murder-for-hire case keeps expanding instead of ending.

    Then, we zoom out to the broader conspiracy — a tangled web of lies, cash, and cover-ups connecting the Adelson family to the 2014 murder of Dan Markel, a Florida State law professor gunned down in his driveway. We revisit the evidence that prosecutors say ties Donna directly to the plot:
    Luis Rivera’s claim that “the lady” ordered the hit.

    • Katherine Magbanua’s testimony about a moldy envelope of cash delivered to Charlie Adelson.

    • Donna’s own jailhouse calls discussing “plans” and “escape routes.”

    • And, of course, the one-way plane ticket to Vietnam — a country with no U.S. extradition treaty — purchased days after Charlie’s conviction.

      It’s not just a case anymore. It’s a reckoning — the culmination of years of investigation, privilege, and denial collapsing in real time.

    🎙️ Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski — 2025 Year in Review: The Cases That Shattered Illusions and Redefined Justice.


    #DonnaAdelson #DanMarkel #HiddenKillers #TonyBrueski #MurderForHire #CourtroomDrama #TrueCrimePodcast #FloridaCrime #WiretapEvidence #VietnamEscape #LuisRivera #KatherineMagbanua #JusticeForDanMarkel #HiddenKillersYearInReview


    Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video?

    Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod
    Instagram     https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
    Facebook     https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
    Tik-Tok     https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
    X Twitter     https://x.com/tonybpod

    Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here:     https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872
    Show More Show Less
    36 mins
  • Fiction on Trial: How Wendi Adelson’s Novel Helped Convict Her Mother | 2025 Year in Review

    Fiction on Trial: How Wendi Adelson’s Novel Helped Convict Her Mother | 2025 Year in Review
    Nov 28 2025
    As part of our Hidden Killers 2025 Year in Review series, we revisit one of the most surreal twists in the Donna Adelson murder trial — the moment when a novel became potential evidence in a real-life homicide case.

    In this special episode, Tony Brueski breaks down the unprecedented legal and psychological debate surrounding This Is Our Story, a book written by Donna’s daughter, Wendi Adelson, years before the murder of her ex-husband, Dan Markel. What began as fiction has now been pulled into a courtroom as a possible roadmap to motive.

    Prosecutors argue that the story — about a woman desperate to escape her marriage and rebuild her life without her husband — eerily mirrors Wendi’s real-life circumstances before Markel’s death. They claim it exposes family resentment, obsession with control, and the emotional triggers that led to murder. The defense, meanwhile, insists the book is irrelevant, prejudicial, and “a dangerous conflation of art and accusation.”

    Tony unpacks the courtroom fight over this bizarre piece of evidence:

    • Why the State believes Wendi’s novel matters — and how prosecutors think it reveals intent.

    • How Donna’s defense team is trying to block it, calling it an unfair literary witch hunt.

    • What the novel actually says — and why its parallels to the Markel-Adelson saga are impossible to ignore.

    But this episode isn’t just about the legal argument. It’s about narrative control — the very thing the Adelsons have fought to maintain since the day Dan Markel was shot in his driveway. From Donna’s alleged orchestration of the hit to Wendi’s public denial of involvement, the family’s story has always been carefully curated. Now, that curation may become their undoing.

    Could fiction really help convict someone of murder? Or is this a dangerous precedent that blurs the line between imagination and evidence? Either way, the irony is impossible to miss: the Adelsons, who once controlled the narrative, may now be undone by one they wrote themselves.

    🎙️ Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski — 2025 Year in Review: The Cases Where Truth Was Stranger Than Fiction.

    #DonnaAdelson #WendiAdelson #DanMarkel #HiddenKillers #TonyBrueski #TrueCrimePodcast #MurderForHire #CourtroomDrama #FloridaCrime #JusticeForDanMarkel #YearInReview #TrueCrimeToday


    Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video?

    Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod
    Instagram     https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
    Facebook     https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
    Tik-Tok     https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
    X Twitter     https://x.com/tonybpod

    Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here:     https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872
    Show More Show Less
    53 mins
  • Donna Adelson: The Narcissist on the Stand & The Legal War to Rewrite the Past | 2025 Year in Review

    Donna Adelson: The Narcissist on the Stand & The Legal War to Rewrite the Past | 2025 Year in Review
    Nov 28 2025
    As part of our Hidden Killers 2025 Year in Review series, we’re revisiting two defining moments in the unraveling of the Adelson family empire — moments that exposed not only the legal chaos behind the Dan Markel murder case, but the chilling psychology that fueled it.

    In this special combined episode, Tony Brueski dissects Donna Adelson’s courtroom performance of a lifetime — a bond hearing turned one-woman show where the alleged murder-for-hire mastermind painted herself as the real victim. Frail, misunderstood, and oh-so-tragically sleepless behind bars, Donna leaned hard into self-pity, deflection, and emotional theater. But beneath the trembling voice and the laundry list of ailments was something far more dangerous: covert narcissism in action.

    We break down the key moments from her testimony — from her evasive answers to her complete absence of remorse — and unpack how her manipulative tactics mirror the textbook behaviors of covert narcissists. Victim-playing. Reality-twisting. Emotional control disguised as vulnerability. It’s not just courtroom drama — it’s psychological warfare.

    Then, we turn to the legal front lines, where Donna’s defense team fought to block over 560 pages of divorce records between her daughter Wendi Adelson and slain law professor Dan Markel. The argument? That the bitter custody battle fueling years of tension was “irrelevant.” Prosecutors, however, say it’s the very foundation of motive — the powder keg that led to murder.

    While Donna’s attorneys tried to keep the narrative tidy, the state saw through it — reminding the court that this “frail grandmother” once tried to board a one-way international flight. And as motions pile up and family ties fracture, it’s becoming clear: this isn’t just about one murder. It’s about a legacy of manipulation, control, and denial finally colliding with accountability.

    From psychological breakdowns to legal takedowns, this Year in Review episode captures the full scope of the Adelson implosion — a story where justice, narcissism, and family loyalty all share the same DNA.

    🎙️ Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski — 2025 Year in Review: The Crimes, the Lies, and the Consequences That Defined the Year.


    #DonnaAdelson #DanMarkel #WendiAdelson #HiddenKillers #TonyBrueski #TrueCrimePodcast #MurderForHire #CourtroomDrama #Narcissism #LegalAnalysis #HiddenKillersYearInReview #JusticeForDanMarkel #TrueCrimeToday


    Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video?

    Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod
    Instagram     https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
    Facebook     https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
    Tik-Tok     https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
    X Twitter     https://x.com/tonybpod

    Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here:     https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 37 mins
  • Donna & Wendi Adelson: The Family That Tried to Outsmart Justice | 2025 Year in Review

    Donna & Wendi Adelson: The Family That Tried to Outsmart Justice | 2025 Year in Review
    Nov 27 2025
    As part of our Hidden Killers 2025 Year in Review series, we revisit one of the most chilling and dysfunctional family dramas ever to play out in a courtroom — the Adelson saga, where murder, money, and manipulation collided in one of Florida’s most unforgettable true crime stories.

    In this combined special, Tony Brueski sits down with Defense Attorney Bob Motta (Defense Diaries) to dissect the bizarre downfall of Donna Adelson and the lingering shadow of her daughter Wendi.

    First: Donna’s bond hearing — a spectacle of self-pity and denial. The 75-year-old matriarch tried to paint herself as a fragile grandmother “suffering” in jail, lamenting her lack of comfort and care. But prosecutors came armed with something far more powerful than sympathy: her own voice. Recorded jailhouse calls revealed conversations about potential escape plans, non-extradition countries, and a near-miss flight to Vietnam. Suddenly, Donna’s bedtime complaints didn’t sound so innocent.

    Motta and Brueski break down how Donna’s decision to testify at her own hearing became one of the most catastrophic legal moves of the year — and how her own words could now be used against her at trial. They also explore the psychology of control and entitlement that defined the Adelson family long before Dan Markel’s murder.

    Then the focus shifts to Wendi Adelson — the woman at the center of the storm who, despite being labeled an unindicted co-conspirator, has never been charged. We unpack the evidence, the custody battles, and the infamous “hitman joke” that prosecutors say revealed more than she intended. Why has Wendi remained free while those around her — from Charlie to Donna to the hitmen — have all fallen? And could new evidence from Donna’s upcoming trial finally change that?

    It’s a tale of arrogance, privilege, and self-destruction — a family that believed intellect and influence could bend justice, only to watch it snap back with a vengeance.

    🎙️ Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski — 2025 Year in Review: The Crimes, the Cases, and the Consequences That Defined the Year.


    #DonnaAdelson #WendiAdelson #DanMarkel #HiddenKillers #TonyBrueski #BobMotta #DefenseDiaries #TrueCrimePodcast #MurderForHire #FloridaCrime #CourtroomDrama #HiddenKillersYearInReview #JusticeForDanMarkel


    Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video?

    Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod
    Instagram     https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
    Facebook     https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
    Tik-Tok     https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
    X Twitter     https://x.com/tonybpod

    Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here:     https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872
    Show More Show Less
    53 mins