TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Court TV) — On day one of her murder trial, prosecutors painted Donna Adelson as a manipulative mastermind who not only arranged Dan Markel’s 2014 killing but also tried to bribe fellow inmates to testify falsely in her defense.
In her opening statement, assistant state attorney Sarah Kathryn Dugan told jurors that, according to law enforcement, Adelson urged a fellow inmate she allegedly referred to as her “jail daughter” to provide false testimony on her behalf.
At one point, Dugan told the jury that according to law enforcement, Adelson implored a fellow inmate to provide false testimony on her behalf. Donna apparently referred to the woman as her “jail daughter.”
Donna Adelson is pictured during jury selection at the Leon County Courthouse in Tallahassee on Aug. 21, 2025. (Court TV)…