UPDATE: 3:00PM
- Donna Adelson made her first court appearance with a new legal team.
- Local attorneys Jackie Fulford and Josh Zellman are now representing Adelson.
- Adelson is accused of hiring hitmen to murder her ex-son-in-law, Dan Markel.
- The trial may begin in June, with the next court appearance set for February 11.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
It's a case that has captivated people across Tallahassee and beyond for over a decade.
After a three-month delay in her trial, the woman accused of murdering Florida State Law Professor Dan Markel is making her first court appearance with a new legal team.
"We were at plot twist and now were at a new regime."
That's how local criminal defense attorney Don Pumphrey describes the latest change in Donna Adelson's trial.
"Joshua Zelman on behalf of Mrs. Adelson. Jackie Fulford on behalf of Mrs. Adelson."
Her new attorneys making their first appearance with her Tuesday and suggesting a trial start date for June.
"That trial period would've been June 16th to July the 2nd," Fulford said.
With Fulford's past experience as a circuit judge and as an interim state attorney here in Leon County, Pumphrey said the pairing makes for a good legal team.
"Jackie Fulford is a strategist and is about getting it done. Her and Zellman teaming up, I think Donna Adelson made a good choice," Pumphrey said.
What those two attorneys are defending her against: allegedly hiring two hitmen through her son Charlie to murder her ex-son-in-law Markel in his Betton Hills home in 2014.
Charlie was convicted last year for the murder.
Donna used the same attorney her son used, forcing him to step down amid conflict of interest concerns.
Zelman said the old team has only handed over some of the discovery and deposition transcripts they need for the case, but the state attorney's office will work with them.
"Their office is going to be providing us with electronic copies of all of the deposition transcripts rather than trying to secure them from prior counsel," Zelman said.
While Pumphrey thinks this was a good hire, he said it will still be a hard case to pick up on.
"It's kind of like picking up a painting and not being told what the vision was or what you saw," Pumphrey said. "You're not painting something you're looking at. You're painting in the blind."
Judge Stephen Everett said all discovery and depositions should be turned over by the next case management.
That's happening February 11.
ORIGINAL SCRIPT:
Donna Adelson is expected back in court Tuesday with a new legal team.
She hired Tallahassee criminal defense attorneys Joshua Zelman and Jackie Fulford to defend her.
Adelson is facing charges for the 2014 murder of FSU Law Professor, Dan Markel.
Her trial was originally expected to start in September, but it was paused over conflict-of-interest concerns.
The new legal team comes after attorney Dan Rashbaum withdrew from the case back in September. He left the case due to his prior representation of Charlie Adelson, who is currently serving a life sentence.
Donna is one of 5 people who have already been arrested in the murder-for-hire case of Markel.
4 of which are currently serving prison sentences.
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