Judge Stephen Everett warned Donna Adelson that she has one week to enter a plea agreement with the state before her trial begins September 17th.
"I do not prod people to take pleas," Everett said. "However, if you wish to consider a plea offer from the state, the time is rapidly coming for you to make that decision."
In that trial, the judge ruled Friday to allow a high-ranking Tallahassee Police Department officer to testify as an expert witness on cell phone records.
The judge said TPD Sergeant Chris Corbitt's testimony on how phone records were received and analyzed by police is expert opinion.
The state's team said those phone records show Adelson's location after the murder and a pattern of phone calls between co-conspirators.
Everett also denied Donna Adelson's defense motion to dismiss the charges against her relating to the murder of FSU Law Professor Dan Markel on Thursday ahead of Friday's hearing.
Behind closed doors, the judge, defense and prosecution discussed a sealed motion by Donna's attorneys about the testimony of her estranged son, Robert Adelson. The prosection plans to call him as a witness. Due to the sealed nature of the motion, it's not clear what the defense is asking the judge to do in regard to his testimony.
Adelson is accused of conspiring with her son Charlie and three others to murder her ex-son-in-law Markel.
Charlie was convicted in 2023 for the killing.
Donna Adelson was arrested while trying to board a plane to Vietnam the week after Charlie's conviction.
Friday, the defense asked the judge to not allow a summary of phone records to be used in Corbitt's testimony to be used as evidence. They say it is not a proper summary and is better suited for a closing argument by the State.
"Rental car agreements? There's not a summary needed for that," Rashbaum said. "One page emails? They aren't long emails."
Prosecutor Sarah Dugan argued the summary is based on information pulled by Corbitt. She said he did not know what would be presented at trial.
"Maybe those things aren't individually voluminous, but they are all material to the presentation and material to his opinions," Dugan said.
Judge Everett still has to rule on the motion to leave the summary out of evidence. He has also yet to rule on the defense's motion to throw out the testimony of Jeff LaCasse, an ex-boyfriend of Wendi Adelson's, Donna's daughter.
Prosecutors for the state said their case will take about six to seven days. Defense attorneys said their case will be about two days long.
Arguments could start as early as September 20 if a jury is seated. Jury selection begins September 17.
