Dateline: Family Matters - Was Wendi Adelson involved in Daniel Markel's murder? Details revealed 

Dateline episodes titled Family Matters feature a chilling murder case of Daniel Markel, who was shot and killed at his Tallahassee home. The killing happened on July 18, 2014, when he was fighting over the custody of the kids with his ex-wife, Wendi Adelson. Prosecutors, after their investigation, assert that the motive behind the murder was Wendi and her family's wish to move her and her children to South Florida, and Markel was opposing this.

What we know about the case until now is that Wendi's brother, Charlie, has been convicted of first-degree murder and planning the murder, while her mother, Donna, was convicted in 2025 of the same. However, Wendi has not been charged with any role in the murder plot. Prosecutors think that she is the co-conspirator but have not found any substantial evidence against her. Read on to learn more about the case, as shown on Dateline.

Dateline: Family Matters: Was Wendi Adelson involved in Daniel Markel's murder?

Wendi Adelson, in her testimony, admitted that she sent a message to her husband in 2013 calling Markel an "STD" and saying,

"Danny is an STD. One wrong mistake marrying him, and this will never go away."

She used to call Markel many derogatory names, including "emotional terrorist" and "dark lord." Though the prosecutors believed her to be part of the conspiracy, Wendi was never charged because of a lack of evidence. Charlie was the one who hired a hit through some middlemen, the state emphasized during the trial.

Given that Wendi was in dispute with Markel over custody and her financial and familial connection with him. She was the only one to be aware of Markel's whereabouts and had access to him. Her hostile written remarks also form a part of the investigation, yet legally, the criminal justice system has not been able to hold her liable. She remains central to the murder mystery of Daniel Markel, a respected law professor from Florida State University.

Wendi and Markel married in 2006 when Wendi was just a law student after meeting for the first time via a dating app in 2004. Markel's friends recall the couple sharing visible love.

“They were, like, visibly lovey-dovey,” said Josh Berman, Markel's friend.

However, it was in 2012 when things started to go south in their relationship, leading to recurring fights and conversations about divorce and custody of the kids. Wendi's family wanted her and the kids to move from Tallahassee to South Florida, but Markel didn't agree, as shown on Dateline.

In 2014, as per Dateline, Markel was found dead in his house garage after returning from the gym. A neighbor quickly called 911 and reported that a light-colored Toyota Prius fled from the crime scene, which became the first major clue for the investigators.

It is only over time that the prosecutors unveiled several names involved in the murder plot connected with Wendi's family, a wealthy Florida family that allegedly wanted him “out of the picture,” as shown on Dateline.

Wendi, during the interrogation, also revealed that Danny used to treat her badly. She also expressed her doubts that someone had killed him, not because they hated him, but because he never treated her right. She also revealed that one time her older brother joked about hiring a hitman to execute Markel, while her parents disliked Danny the most, as he was someone who hurt their daughter.

At last, Luis Rivera was caught as the man who fled from the house after the gunshot. To reduce his time, he pleaded guilty and confessed that he was given $35000 to kill Markel, and the main reason behind the dispute was their argument over custody.

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