Professor’s Wife Called Him an ‘STD’ Before His Execution-Style Killing — but Denies She Was Involved in Plot

Wendi Adelson admitted in court that she once called her ex-husband, law professor Dan Markel, names such as “emotional terrorist,” “dark lord,” and even an “STD.”

Still, the 46-year-old mother of two insisted she had nothing to do with the 2014 murder-for-hire plot that left Markel dead, according to The Tallahassee Democrat, Court TV, and YouTube’s Surviving the Survivor.

“I was not involved in any plot to kill Danny,” Wendi testified on Monday, Aug. 25.

Her mother, Donna Adelson, 75, is facing charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy, and solicitation to commit first-degree murder in connection with Markel’s death.

Donna, who has pleaded not guilty, was arrested in November 2023 as she and her husband, dentist Harvey Adelson, were about to board a one-way flight to Vietnam — a country without an extradition treaty, police said.

Prosecutors say Markel, a Florida State University professor, was ambushed in his Tallahassee garage in July 2014 after dropping off his two children at preschool and going to the gym. He was shot twice in the head at close range, rushed to the hospital, and died 14 hours later.

Authorities allege Donna orchestrated the killing because Markel refused to allow Wendi to relocate their children to South Florida, where the Adelson family lived. Prosecutors further claim the murder-for-hire scheme was financed by the family, with costs topping $100,000, according to CNN.

Donna is the fifth person charged in the case. In 2023, her son, Florida periodontist Charlie Adelson, 47, was convicted of first-degree murder, conspiracy, and solicitation in connection with the same plot.

Others convicted include Charlie’s former girlfriend Katherine Magbanua, as well as Luis Rivera, a Latin Kings gang leader, and Sigfredo Garcia, the father of Magbanua’s children. All were sentenced to prison.

During opening statements on Friday, Aug. 22, one of Donna’s attorneys argued that prosecutors lack evidence tying her to the crime, claiming Charlie alone financed the murder-for-hire scheme, CNN reported.

Wendi and Markel separated in 2012, after Wendi left with their sons, Ben and Lincoln, for her parents’ home in South Florida while Markel was on a business trip, according to ABC News. Their 2013 divorce resulted in joint custody, with Wendi legally required to remain in Tallahassee with the children.

While testifying Monday, Wendi acknowledged she was sometimes “very frustrated” with Markel. When asked whether she had referred to him as an STD in a message from February 2013, she admitted she had.

“Danny is an STD. One wrong mistake marrying him and this will never go away,” the prosecutor read aloud from her message.

“I did,” Wendi replied, though she added she didn’t recall sharing that view with her mother. “I don’t ever remember saying that so I don’t think it’s something I said very often.”