State Hammers Charlie Adelson in Hitman Conspiracy Murder Trial Cross-Examination

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Mr. Adelson, is it doctor? It is, yes. All right, doctor, have you ever heard the saying that the simplest explanation is always the most likely? Have you heard that? I've heard that theory before, yeah. Was your explanation to the jury over the last little over a day the simplest explanation? It was the truth. Do you, I mean, you have a thorough explanation. Would you agree with that? I told you what happened. Do you agree that the only problem with having an explanation for everything is that there's just so many explanations? There's no explanation. I explained what happened. I want to go through some of that. You claim that you were extorted on July 18, 2014 by Catherine McBana and also in the background, some Latin kings, probably Garcia and Rivera, [00:00:57] Mr. Adelson: right? Is that accurate? No, I wasn't extorted by Catherine McBana. You weren't? That's not what [00:01:03] Speaker 1: I believed in 2014. Okay, I'm sorry. I understood you to say you believe that today. Today I do, [00:01:10] Mr. Adelson: yes. All right, so who extorted you? I believe that it was Catherine McBana's friend that she ran her [00:01:16] Speaker 1: mouth too. Okay. And that's in 2014. Right, but as you sit here today, you think it's McBana, Garcia and Rivera. Is that accurate? No, that's not accurate. Okay. Who extorted you? As I sit here [00:01:30] Mr. Adelson: today, I believe that it was Catherine McBana and I believe Sigfrado Garcia, but I don't know for sure. I was never there when she was ever talking to him, so I don't know if he was in on it with her [00:01:43] Speaker 1: or not. All right. At the time though, you did not think she was guilty. Got that right. The time of the extortion. In 2014? Yes. Correct. Okay. And then so exactly when you found out would be, I think you [00:02:03] Mr. Adelson: said her trial. That I suspected that she was not telling me the truth and she was a part of it was in [00:02:10] Speaker 1: 2019. At her trial? Yes. All right. And so she was arrested in 2016, right? Yes. All right. So for three years, she was in the Leon County Jail awaiting trial, yes? She was there. And you believed she was innocent? Yes. And you had this whole explanation to assist with exonerating her, right? I have the truth of what happened, yes. But you didn't offer the truth of what happened, did you? Nobody came to me. [00:02:45] Mr. Adelson: I thought the truth would come out. Does someone have to come to you? I was told not to talk to Katie and not to talk to anybody about this case by counsel. Okay. [00:02:57] Speaker 1: So you strike that on day one, which is July 18, 2014. She is the only one that physically contacted you to conduct this extortion. Am I correct in that? Yes, you are. So you never actually had any contact with any Latin [00:03:20] Mr. Adelson: king? No. No phone calls? No phone calls. No texts? No. No letters? Well, in 2016, you're talking about in '14, right? [00:03:34] Speaker 1: I'm talking about the first layer of the extortion. Did you have any contact with the thugs that were getting your money for two years? No. Did anybody put a gun to your head? [00:03:47] Mr. Adelson: I was told that I would be killed in 48 hours if I didn't pay up. [00:03:51] Speaker 1: I heard you say that. I heard you say that. But my question is, did anyone put a gun to your head? [00:03:56] Mr. Adelson: Did you ask me, did anyone pull a gun on me? That's what I asked you. Is that your question? No. No. Nobody pulled a firearm on me. [00:04:02] Speaker 1: All right. So when Catherine Madbanwa came to you on July 18th and said, "Open the safe and give me all your money," she was not armed. She was not carrying a gun that day, no. And were you armed at that time? Did you have a weapon in your home? [00:04:15] Mr. Adelson: I had weapons in my safe, yes. [00:04:17] Speaker 1: Were you led to believe or told that the bad guys are outside, right outside your apartment or your residence? [00:04:27] Mr. Adelson: No, but I was led to believe what they did to Dan they were going to do to me. [00:04:32] Speaker 1: I heard you say that. But my question is, did she say, like, "The car is running. I'm going to take the money out there to them right now?" [00:04:38] Mr. Adelson: No. She never told me that they were waiting for me outside my house. [00:04:41] Speaker 1: In fact, she stayed the night with you, didn't she? [00:04:45] Mr. Adelson: Yes, she did. [00:04:47] Speaker 1: And didn't exit your house with your $138,000 until the next day, right? [00:04:53] Mr. Adelson: Correct. [00:04:57] Speaker 1: And the money, the $138,000, was that stapled in the $1,000 increments? [00:05:03] Mr. Adelson: Each packet was $1,000 and they had a staple in it. [00:05:07] Speaker 1: And stapling money is a little unusual. Would you agree with that? [00:05:12] Mr. Adelson: For me, it wasn't unusual. That's what I did. [00:05:15] Speaker 1: Right, but nobody else does it. That's why I'm suggesting it's unusual. [00:05:19] Mr. Adelson: I've never questioned people into how they keep their money, whether they keep it in a staple or a paperclip or an envelope. I just know what I do. [00:05:26] Speaker 1: Would you agree, Doctor, that it's a compelling piece of evidence that the killers were paid in stapled money and came up with that information in this case? [00:05:36] Mr. Adelson: It was very compelling. The people who extorted me and got my money got it from my house and it was stapled at my house. [00:05:42] Speaker 1: They had to have gotten it from you, right? Because it was stapled. [00:05:46] Mr. Adelson: If they got it from Katie, they got it from me. [00:05:49] Speaker 1: So it had to be some kind of, "I paid, but I did it under duress," based on that piece of evidence, right? [00:05:58] Speaker ?: That had to be built into your defense. [00:05:58] Mr. Adelson: "I was extorted and I paid the money." [00:06:04] Speaker 1: Alright, so Katie comes in and she's in a panic and she tells you what's happened. "I need all the money in your safe right now." Do you suspect that maybe she's working with the police at that point? Maybe she's trying to set you up? [00:06:23] Mr. Adelson: No, she didn't say I need all the money in your safe. That's not what she said. [00:06:27] Speaker 1: Did she take all the money in your safe? [00:06:29] Mr. Adelson: I cleaned out all the money in my safe and handed it to her. [00:06:33] Speaker 1: Right. Why did you do that? [00:06:36] Mr. Adelson: Because I was being extorted for a third of a million dollars. [00:06:39] Speaker 1: But why didn't you? The bump was only $5,000 and you immediately became suspicious and questioning and had all these conversations and deliberations about what to do about it for days. When Katie comes to you, you just open the safe and give her the money, right? [00:06:58] Mr. Adelson: Yeah, that's what I did. And there's a big difference between the two. [00:07:03] Speaker 1: Okay. Well, the way that it was done to you, is that the way it's done? [00:07:10] Mr. Adelson: You have to be more specific. [00:07:11] Speaker 1: Well, on the wire you say repeatedly. That's not the way it's done. You knew that the undercover agent was law enforcement or at least strongly suspected because that's not the way it's done. And my question to you is, since you're an expert on extortion because you've been extorted before and that's how you knew that's not the way it's done, is this the way it's done? Do extortionists send a girlfriend of their victim to collect their extortion money? Is that the way it's done, doctor? [00:07:45] Mr. Adelson: I'm telling you what happened to me, and I was told that if I didn't pay in 48 hours, I would be killed. The person that came and extorted my mom that was not the same approach as what happened to me. [00:07:57] Speaker 1: Is that the only way? That's the only way it's done? They send the girlfriend? [00:08:03] Mr. Adelson: It's the only time I've ever been extorted like that. [00:08:05] Speaker 1: Okay. And did you hear any of the negotiators? So they come in and they say, strike, they come in and they say, we need a third of a million dollars? You need to pay a third of a million dollars. You need to pay a third of a million dollars. [00:08:22] Mr. Adelson: Why not a million dollars? Because when I had told to Katie that the million dollar offer for Dan Markell, I said I was going to pay a third of a million. And when she asked me, do you have that much money? And I said, yeah, I could pay it in cash. So she took it as I had cash and she knew I had a ton of cash in my safe. So she thought I had the cash. I didn't have all that cash. So that's where I'm assuming they got the [00:08:48] Speaker 1: third of a million dollars from. But the offer that she bragged about was a million dollar offer. Isn't that right? That she ran her mouth about. I was never there when she spoke to her friend. [00:08:59] Mr. Adelson: Okay. Was it a million dollar offer? The offer was that a million dollars was going to be paid [00:09:05] Speaker 1: and I was going to pay a third of a million. And weren't you going to cover Wendy's third as well? [00:09:10] Mr. Adelson: No, not at all. I was going to cover my third. Didn't your lawyer say an opening statement that you were going to cover the whole thing or Wendy's third? No, I was sitting here. I heard what he said. Charlie was going to pay a third of a million dollars. All right. And so the offer was a million [00:09:25] Speaker 1: dollar offer. And that's what you told Katie along with the fact that you were going to cover the third. [00:09:30] Mr. Adelson: I was telling her that I was going to pay a third of a million dollars. Yeah. And then one day, [00:09:34] Speaker 1: if my sister was able to, she was going to pay me back. And then you didn't have the amount of money that was being demanded at the time, right? No, I only had what I had. All right. And at that point, the blackmailer, Catherine McBanawha, negotiates some type of layaway plan for you to complete the extortion with the Latin Kings. Okay. Katie wasn't the blackmailer. And Katie wasn't the one who was extorting me. Didn't you just tell this jury that Katie was the blackmailer? [00:10:09] Mr. Adelson: You realized it in 2019. I had thought that you, when you were just talking, you were talking about 2014. You were talking about that night. So yeah, that's night happened in 2014. Okay. [00:10:24] Speaker 1: We all know now, because you have revealed the puzzle piece, she's a blackmailer. Can we agree on that? [00:10:31] Mr. Adelson: I believe sitting here in 2023 that she was in on the extortion for sure. Yes. So is it okay if I refer to her as a blackmailer? I think there's a difference between blackmail and extortion, [00:10:42] Speaker 1: but yeah, sitting here today we can. We'll refer to her as an extortionist. So this woman, an extortionist, is going to do you a solid by negotiating with the Latin Kings for you to get on a payment plan [00:10:57] Mr. Adelson: for the extortion. Isn't that what happened? What you're doing is you're taking what we know in 2003 and trying to say, this is what I knew in 2014. Did she put you on a payment plan? Yes. She said, because I didn't have the money, she said, asked me if I could pay $3,000 a month [00:11:19] Speaker 1: in 2014 and I said, yes, I can. Did you hear any of the conversation where she was making these [00:11:30] Mr. Adelson: negotiations on your behalf? No. When she said, I'm going to go check with my friend and if that's okay with him, she took her purse, took her keys, took her cell phone. She walked out of my front door, closed the door behind her and I sat in my living room and she came back about five minutes later. You didn't want to talk to the guy yourself? No, I didn't even think of that. I mean, but [00:11:53] Speaker 1: she went outside to call. All right. And then the two of you took a Xanax and went to sleep. [00:12:00] Mr. Adelson: Well, I took a Xanax. I don't know if she took one out of the bottle, but I definitely did. [00:12:06] Speaker 1: And the next morning she left with your money, right? She left about 8:30 the next morning. That's July 19, 2014? Correct. Let's talk about what you did that day. You did not report this to the police because you were in fear, correct? Absolutely. And you didn't report this to Wendy, even though according to you, her life was in danger too, correct? Potentially, but I planned on paying the extortion every month. All right. And, but you did go to the gym that morning, right? Could we show that text please? Did you, were you able to go to the gym the next morning? I absolutely didn't leave the house. I [00:12:49] Mr. Adelson: worked out at Nova Southeastern gym and you can check the gym records. I was never there. Okay. [00:12:55] Speaker 1: Did you say you were going to the gym? I said I was, yeah. But you didn't actually go? No, I didn't leave the house. All right. So would you agree, doctor, and we'll refresh your memory with them if we can, that the text messages that were exchanged between yourself and Catherine McVanawha on the morning after this exchange of money were inconsistent with your extortion theory? They were inconsistent with how I was feeling. They don't appear to look like you just gave her $138,000 under duress, do they? She told me to, [00:13:36] Mr. Adelson: the last thing she said to me before she left the house is, can we just pretend like this never even happened? So when I sent her that message, I was trying to show her like, I'm trying to block them, [00:13:46] Speaker 1: forget trying to forget all about it. Yeah. You were just demonstrating to her that you would [00:13:51] Mr. Adelson: agree to pretend nothing happened, right? Absolutely. That's what she asked me to do. And that's what I [00:13:56] Speaker 1: tried to do. All right. So the text messages aren't what they appear to be. It's a beautiful day. I'm going to the pool. I'm going to the beach. I'm going to the gym. None of that is what it appears to [00:14:10] Mr. Adelson: be. It's something else. I absolutely did not go to the gym. I was trying to show her that I was, you know, pretending like nothing ever happened and looking past it. And there's nothing on the [00:14:20] Speaker 1: wire. All those hours of you talking. There is nothing on the wire about the extortion, this layer one of extortion, because she told you not to talk about it, right? [00:14:33] Mr. Adelson: She told me to never talk about anything to anyone or her. She never wanted to hear about it [00:14:38] Speaker 1: again. Yesterday in your testimony between you and your attorney, you mentioned the word extortion 123 times. Would you take my word for that? I'm sure it came up a lot. Okay. But nowhere, even in the midst of this whole second extortion, it's happening again. It's an extension of the same thing. Do you mention anything about this layer one of the extortion? Do you? [00:15:06] Mr. Adelson: Yes, actually, I did. Okay. If you pull up the video from Matsuri when I was sitting with my dad, and I said, and the funny thing is, that's what I whispered in his ear. Right, but we can't hear that. Right, because that's my point. I never wanted anybody to hear what had happened. I never wanted the police to come talk to me. But if you put up that video, you'll actually see me saying that it's my dad's ear. And that's why I went in and said it. And that's what we were talking about at the time. [00:15:32] Speaker 1: At Matsuri, the only time you mentioned the extortion, it's in a whisper that is not picked up by the microphones, right? Intentionally, yes. Yes. And that was intentional at the time, but it sucks for your defense, right? Because that would be a huge piece of evidence [00:15:48] Mr. Adelson: for you to show this jury, wouldn't it? No, I think you'd come up with a reason why [00:15:55] Speaker 1: that I said it anyway. And there's nobody to corroborate this testimony? There is. Okay. And the Matsuri, you talked about it again out in the parking lot, right? Wasn't that your testimony? Yes, we spoke in the parking lot. Okay, so you did talk about the extortion. That's right. You just didn't do it in a way that it was captured on any of the recordings in this case. [00:16:25] Mr. Adelson: Well, we spoke when we had privacy. [00:16:28] Speaker 1: Well, you had privacy on the phone, right? [00:16:32] Mr. Adelson: When? [00:16:33] Speaker 1: At least you thought you had privacy on the phone, every time, when you were talking on the phone for [00:16:39] Mr. Adelson: hundreds of hours on this wire. No, there's always a chance that I was being listened to. [00:16:45] Speaker 1: Okay. Well, there was a chance you were being listened to when you whispered in dad's ear, [00:16:48] Mr. Adelson: right? But you said it. And you were talking about it. I whispered real quietly into his ear, so I thought I had privacy. At that point, I thought I had privacy. [00:16:57] Speaker 1: And Catherine McVanama and you discussed this first layer of extortion in the car outside of Dolce [00:17:04] Mr. Adelson: Vita too, right? That's when I found out everything that was going on, and she opened up when I confronted her. [00:17:12] Speaker 1: But if this jury could hear that conversation recorded, we would all be hearing basically what you're telling us, that there was an extortion effort that predated the undercover operation. [00:17:24] Mr. Adelson: Right. Because I was trying to see if Sigfredo was behind the extortion of my mom, because I knew he was behind. I always had a feeling he was behind what happened to me. And she was having this explosive fight with him. And it was going on the same exact time that my mom started getting extorted. So I [00:17:42] Speaker 1: thought that he was going after my mom. Don't you wish that that conversation in the car had been recorded? Um, I don't know. Wouldn't it prove your theory? Yeah. That's what you're talking about, the prior [00:18:03] Mr. Adelson: extortion. If I think about it, then you'd know exactly what happened back then. But unfortunately, [00:18:09] Speaker 1: it wasn't recorded. And then everything that was recorded inside the restaurant, you don't mention it, [00:18:14] Mr. Adelson: right? I'm speaking very carefully. I mean, and I was still, even when I was in the car with Katie, she was doing most of the talking. That was the first time she really opened up. And I think I caught her off guard. I was still, even when I spoke to her in the car, I was real careful. I said, was T behind what happened to me? Like, I wouldn't even say the words to her when I was in the car. [00:18:36] Speaker 1: Okay. Was T behind what happened to me? Do you say anything anywhere on the wire about referencing what happened to me? Meaning what happened to me before? [00:18:47] Mr. Adelson: Um, no, because that was the only time I ever confronted her. But I did actually, when I would, when I would be on the wire with my mom, and I would say this is, it's not the same person. Like that was in reference to what happened to me. And she knew that. [00:19:01] Speaker 1: What call do you say? It's not the same person? [00:19:06] Mr. Adelson: Okay. You want to know what call it was Tuesday, the 26th. Um, and I, I said it's at the end of the call. It was a two minute and something call. April 26, April 26, 2016. It was a two minute and something call. It was towards the very end. And I go, I know it's not done like this. It's 48 hours, just enough time. It's not the same person. So you can look it up. Okay. I'm with you. I'm with you. [00:19:36] Speaker 1: It's not the same person you were referencing as the person that blackmail me years ago and has been blackmailing me for years. Yeah, that's what you meant. It's not the same person that's exhorting me. Correct. All right. So I want to go back to Wendy. Wendy is in the process of relocating from Tallahassee to South Florida, basically the day that this is going on, the day after the money drop. [00:20:02] Mr. Adelson: Right? They're, they're packing up the car. They're coming back. Right. So she's going to be moving [00:20:06] Speaker 1: significantly closer to the killers that had threatened her life. This, this, I don't, I don't, [00:20:11] Mr. Adelson: she wasn't planning a, it wasn't a permanent move or anything that was planned. I think she took a [00:20:15] Speaker 1: suitcase with her. But she's your family member. Yes. She's much closer to the one they've already killed than you, right? She's, say it again. She's much closer. She's got much deeper connections to the person they've already killed. That's Dan Markell than you do. Right. I mean, there's a reason to fear for her safety because these killers have come, they've just killed Dan and now they're saying they're going to kill another one. It could be Wendy, right? She, she has no idea what's going on. Exactly. But you let her move from Tallahassee to Miami where you knew the killers were located. That's my point. Do you agree with that? The killers were [00:20:57] Mr. Adelson: able to find Dan Markell in Tallahassee. They have a car. They were, but would you rather live in [00:21:03] Speaker 1: Tallahassee or in Miami if the killers are in Miami? I think if these people want to find you, [00:21:08] Mr. Adelson: they'll find you. I mean, I don't think, I mean, looking at Luis Rivera, I don't think it, [00:21:13] Speaker 1: I don't think a distance would stop them. Okay. Where did Wendy and the boys live when she first [00:21:19] Mr. Adelson: moved to South Florida? Um, when she first moved to South Florida, she moved in with my parents. It's a small apartment. They actually had to get another apartment because that one was too small. [00:21:32] Speaker 1: With your parents? She moved in with them. Yeah. And I want to talk about the cameras. You bought cameras for the Adelson Institute and, and your home at Whale Harbor, right? Yes. The camera system. Yeah. All right. And what about Wendy's? I guess she didn't have a place. So like wherever she was staying with your parents, were cameras installed there as well at that same time frame that you [00:21:55] Mr. Adelson: installed these cameras? No, I never told her what happened, but they lived in a very secure building. [00:22:00] Speaker 1: Isn't it true doctor that you've been planning to install those cameras for some time before the [00:22:05] Mr. Adelson: murder? I actually already had cameras at my house, um, that I had installed in 2008. The technology from 2008 to 2014, it changed a lot when it came to cameras. Um, I think you mentioned that. I'm sorry [00:22:22] Speaker 1: to interrupt you, but I think you mentioned all that on direct. I'm referring to this particular update that was done post homicide. You were in communication with this camera guy and I think your lawyer mentioned this. You had 84 text messages with him dating back to January 20th of 2014 in regards to the update that occurred post murder. Do you agree with that? I know, I know there was [00:22:51] Mr. Adelson: always talk that we were going to get cameras in the office and we just never got around to it. When this happened, um, that very, that week within probably three days, I called the camera guy up and I said, how's, when I get cameras in my house and my new cameras from my house and I want to get cameras in my office, how soon can you come out and do it? And then he came out, but I'd say four or five days after that bought the equipment and installed it that week. Did you hire a private investigator [00:23:20] Speaker 1: to help you with this whole problem you were having? With the extortion? Yes. No, I didn't [00:23:28] Mr. Adelson: tell anybody. Did you get a bodyguard? No, I, I carried a gun on me and I was slept with the, sleep with the gun next to me in bed. And I carried a gun on my person and had a gun in my car at all [00:23:39] Speaker 1: times. Do you recall a statement you made on the Dolce Vita recording that said you were going to [00:23:45] Mr. Adelson: start carrying a gun? Yeah, because I, for a long time, I, after this happened, I was carrying a gun and I, it's, it's uncomfortable and I don't always like carrying a gun. So I hadn't carried a gun in a [00:23:57] Speaker 1: while and I was going to start carrying one again. But you did say in 2016, I'm going to start carrying [00:24:03] Mr. Adelson: one. Yeah, I carried probably for about four to six months after this happened. And, uh, and I wear scrubs. So the gun that I had can kind of stick out and it's uncomfortable. I'd prefer not to carry a gun. [00:24:18] Speaker 1: So you quit carrying it, but during the time you were still paying the extortion money? Yes. All right. And the extortion money that you were paying $3,000 a month, that wasn't going towards the principal of whatever was left on the $333,000, right? Didn't you testify to that? Correct. All right. So you never came up with the remaining bulk of the money that you owed? [00:24:42] Mr. Adelson: Never. And nobody ever came after you for that? No, they said you could pay it all off and it'll be done, or just pay your pay $3,000 a month. So I thought about paying the full amount. [00:24:56] Speaker 1: All right. Then a couple of weeks later, after the initial extortion, you and Catherine Magbanua broke up according to your direct. Do I have that right? That's not correct. [00:25:06] Mr. Adelson: When did you break up? Within a week. I met her. We went out to dinner. I went out to eat and I just said, [00:25:12] Speaker 1: this has got to end. All right. So you broke up with her. Yes. Weren't you scared that if you broke up with her that she would sick the Latin Kings on you? No, because I had every intention of paying every [00:25:24] Mr. Adelson: month when, when I broke up with her and I said, listen, I don't want to surround myself with this. I'm scared. She said that she was going to come every month and pick up the money and protect me. And she, she understood. I mean, she, our relationship was on the rocks. [00:25:39] Speaker 1: But you've justified that all the gifts and stuff that you gave her were to keep her happy, right? [00:25:49] Mr. Adelson: Yeah. When I, when I realized that she's the one who's protecting me and she wasn't a part of this extortion, I had no problem keeping her happy. And I looked for things to do nice things to do for [00:25:59] Speaker 1: for her because she was broke. But not worried about pissing her off by breaking up with her. [00:26:06] Mr. Adelson: Well, she, our relationship was definitely on the rocks. After July 1st, when Sigfredo cut me off and threatened me and called my dad. And then she knew I didn't even invite her to my dad's birthday party, which was a family gathering with family friends on July 5th. Um, she knew we were pretty much, [00:26:28] Speaker 1: we were going to be done. After you broke up with Katherine Magbanewa a week after the murder, did you continue to talk to her? We, we still communicated for sure. Talk on the phone? [00:26:41] Mr. Adelson: And texted. Yeah. And meet up? No, the only time I would see her was I saw her again the end of August. She came and picked up the money and that's when she asked me if I could put her on the books because none of this money was going to her and she needed to get health insurance for her kids. So I said, yeah, I'll do and help you out. And did you continue to hook up with her [00:27:07] Speaker 1: after the breakup? And by that I mean, you know, have sex with her? There was one occasion. There was [00:27:13] Mr. Adelson: one time that we hooked up. Okay. When was that? I want to say it was probably about five months [00:27:20] Speaker 1: after we broke it up. Okay. Well, there was one other occasion before that in October of 2014. Do you recall that October 9th of 2014? That's, that's probably the occasion I'm talking about [00:27:32] Mr. Adelson: because July, let me count the months, July, August, September, October. So, okay. So four months. [00:27:38] Speaker 1: Okay. And there's another one on October 15th. You remember that one? [00:27:44] Mr. Adelson: No, I think I just, I think we did hook up about one time. Okay. Well, one time on October 9th and one time on October 15th. I thought it was one time. If it was two times, it's been. Could it have been [00:27:55] Speaker 1: two times? But no more. Okay. And on August 25th, 14, that would have been after the breakup, right? Yeah. You text her. And then she replies, I don't need help. I'm good. Don't need favors, nor will I trust anyone again. Erase my number, please. Go on with your life like you did already and have been doing. Sorry, we spoke today. I don't want to stress your life more. Don't do anything for me. Do you remember receiving that text from Katharine McBanawha? Yeah. Sounds familiar. And that's a pretty weird text to get from the extortionist. You're meeting her to give her money. Why is she saying, [00:28:43] Mr. Adelson: erase my number? She's not the extortionist. Okay. In 2014, I didn't think she was the extortionist. Right. But it's been revealed that she was. In 2019. So you're taking what was known in 2019, and you're trying to say I knew what I knew in 1914. I'm not trying to say you knew. [00:29:03] Speaker 1: I'm trying to say she knew. She knew she was the extortionist. Why is she telling you to erase her number and leave her alone? Because I broke up with her. Exactly. On 9/14, or 9/11 of 14, she sends you #BestieForLife. Do you remember that? Sounds familiar. So did you all have some kind of [00:29:28] Mr. Adelson: reconciliation after the breakup? No, I was probably doing a favor and making her happy with something. [00:29:33] Speaker 1: On 10/6 of 2014, I love you. It makes me feel good that you care about me. I'm lucky to have you as part of my life. Do you remember sending that to her? Yeah. On 10/9 of 14, I mentioned the sex talk. I won't go into the details of it. Again, 10/15, more sex talk. 10/23 of 14, thank you again for everything you're doing for my mommy. [00:30:03] Mr. Adelson: She sends you that. What were you doing for her mother? I don't know. I think I was going to--I did a [00:30:09] Speaker 1: consult for her, but I didn't do anything for her mom. 2/24 of 15, you agree that she always knows how to make you smile and you say "I love you" to her. Remember that? Yeah, I cared a lot about Katie and I [00:30:24] Mr. Adelson: didn't think that she was a part of this. So I was always trying to keep her happy and make her happy. And I felt like she got caught up, dragged into something that she shouldn't have been dragged into. [00:30:34] Speaker 1: Okay, maybe, but she dragged you into it as well. I didn't see it like that at all. [00:30:39] Mr. Adelson: And our relationship actually got stronger. You know, initially when I got extorted, I had limited contact with her and I was cold to her. And then over time, I realized that she's the one who's protecting me and she's not involved with these people because the extortion never went up and [00:30:58] Speaker 1: And Katie was always broke. She was involved with them because she was--had a child with the guy, right? I didn't know for sure it was him. But you suspected always that it was him. I always suspected that Sigfredo was behind this guy. So wouldn't you want to distance yourself from this woman who--I mean, were you ever really that serious about her to begin with? Um, I mean, [00:31:23] Mr. Adelson: we spent seven, eight months together. But you were never considering marrying her. [00:31:28] Speaker 1: No, I wasn't considering marrying her. I mean, you were a playboy, right? You had a zillion girlfriends. That's--that is actually not even true. Okay. Did you have a lot of girlfriends? [00:31:38] Mr. Adelson: I had two girlfriends in the two or three years after her. I dated Whitney Kick for nine months. [00:31:47] Speaker 1: Okay, but how many women were you talking to and engaging with sexually? A lot more than Whitney Kick, [00:31:52] Mr. Adelson: right? There--there could have been one or two. Or more? No. Okay. [00:31:58] Speaker 1: Point being, you were not going to marry Tathamad Banwa. I wasn't having marriage plans, no. Okay. And you have now broken up with her after this incident? Yes. She's the person that's taking the money from you physically. She's the one--I looked at it as she's the [00:32:21] Mr. Adelson: one who's protecting me. If she wasn't, I was going to get a visit from somebody. Is she the one that was [00:32:25] Speaker 1: physically taking the money? Yes. Is she the one that was connected to the person you suspected to have [00:32:32] Mr. Adelson: killed your brother-in-law? I thought she was tied to that person, yes. And she's the one that got you into this, right? Because she ran her mouth, right? I looked at it that I ran my mouth too. And if I never said anything to her, this would never have happened. So I felt responsible for saying something [00:32:52] Speaker 1: to her in the first place. But you didn't feel responsible enough to try to do anything about her sitting in jail, an innocent woman for three years, did you? She never contacted me. You didn't offer to testify in her trial. You let her get convicted and get life in prison, didn't you? I [00:33:07] Mr. Adelson: thought the truth was going to come out. But not through you? I was never contacted. I thought it [00:33:14] Speaker 1: was going to come out through her. Was there any contact between your lawyers and her lawyers? You'd have to ask them. You said you didn't have any contact with her. I had zero contact with her. So your lawyers didn't tell you anything on behalf of her lawyers? Absolutely not. And her lawyers [00:33:30] Mr. Adelson: didn't hear anything from your lawyers? I don't know what lawyers talk about, but I can tell you that I never talked to Katie and I never told my lawyers. You never relayed a message through your [00:33:40] Speaker 1: lawyers that the Adelson family would not be talking in this case? Absolutely not. And she had nothing to worry about as far as that end was concerned? That's not true at all. Did you or your agent contact her brother to offer to assist with her attorney's fees in her case? That's a complete lie. On 10 27 of 15, you say you can't wait to get lunch with her. She's the best and you're lucky to have her as a friend for life. Did you say that? Yes. 10 27 15, you can't wait to get lunch with her. 10 30 15, you tell her you miss her. 12 9 of 15, again you tell her she's the best. Yeah, I said all those things. Do you agree that this picture does not look like a relationship between an extortionist and her victim? I agree because Katie wasn't the extortionist. [00:34:39] Mr. Adelson: She was the extortionist. In 2014 and 2015, I didn't believe that. I know you didn't believe it, but we're looking back now, okay? You know, it's like if you're going to quote me, date me. Like what I knew in 2014 and what I knew in 2015 is not what I know now in 2023. Okay, yes, I hear you. [00:35:01] Speaker 1: You didn't know then and that's why you were nice to her. Yeah, I thought she was protecting me. Got it. And none of those factors that I pointed out weighed into that consideration that she ran her mouth that she brought the Latin Kings on you. She was taking the money from you. None of that counterbalanced it. You were still gonna be friends with her and keep her happy. You're wrong. [00:35:22] Mr. Adelson: I didn't know about the Latin Kings in 2014 or 2015. All right. The love texts, which is what I'm [00:35:31] Speaker 1: referring to all these texts where you're still nice to this person after you break up with her. You're still doing favors for this person after you break up with her. And that's like a major problem for your [00:35:41] Mr. Adelson: defense, isn't it? No, our relationship got stronger. I agree. Our relationship got stronger, [00:35:46] Speaker 1: but it was much different. Isn't that why she has to be an innocent conduit between you and the bad guys? Because if those texts didn't exist, she would be the extortionist and the bad actor in this whole thing, right? I'm not following your theory. You have to explain away those texts, don't you, doctor? [00:36:05] Mr. Adelson: No, I have to sit here and tell you the truth. And now you're finding it out. [00:36:16] Speaker 1: Most people don't send kissy faces to people that are extorting money out of them. I mean, [00:36:21] Mr. Adelson: she was taking your money. Again, Ms. Kappelman, she was not extorting me at the time. [00:36:27] Speaker 1: That's not how it's done, is it? I'm telling you how it was done. So then over these next two years, you would meet her monthly and hand over a bundle of checks and $3,000 in cash, right? No, you're wrong. Okay, tell me. I would hand over $2,000 in cash and a bundle of checks. $2,000 in cash and a bundle of checks. And so over the course of two years, I'm terrible at math, but that's roughly how much money? Because I did, I think I did $3,000. That's $48,000 in cash in addition to the $138,000 you provided the night of. Do you agree with that? If your math is correct, I'm just telling you what I pay to each month. And the checks, which is another $17,000, right? You're doing the math. Okay. It was a lot of money. Was it a lot of money to you? It was a lot of money to me, yeah. I work hard. Did the extortionists, whoever they were, ever try to increase the payments or come for more money? [00:37:38] Mr. Adelson: The extortion never went up and Katie was always broke. And that's what led me to think that she was not a part of this because she could have easily jacked up the payments. [00:37:49] Speaker 1: Well, she's sharing $3,000 a month with a bunch of other people, right? At least one other person. [00:37:56] Mr. Adelson: I didn't think she was sharing it. Why is she coming to me for $300 for her kid's birthday? Because she's broke. Because she wasn't getting any of the money. Because half of [00:38:04] Speaker 1: three grand doesn't do much when you're living in Miami with two kids to feed, right? I didn't think she was sharing anything. Well, even if she was sharing it, that's your point. She must not have been taking the money because she was broke. And my point is, she could have been taking half the [00:38:18] Mr. Adelson: money and been broke. That's not how I saw it. That's not a lot of money. That's not how I saw it. [00:38:22] Speaker 1: Tell me about Dan Markell a little bit. What you sort of said, what I heard, correct me if I'm wrong, was he was, you know, a nice enough guy, typical Wendy boyfriend, but not really your kind of guy. Yeah, I think it's an accurate description. All right. Do you agree that he was this brilliant legal [00:38:47] Mr. Adelson: mind? I think he was a little nerdy, nice guy. Um, just kind of like the average guy that my sister [00:38:56] Speaker 1: dated. Not the kind of guy you want to have a beer with, though. Um, we never had a beer together. I [00:39:01] Mr. Adelson: mean, not that I wouldn't have had a beer if he wanted to have one. We just didn't have that much [00:39:05] Speaker 1: in common. But he was always nice to me. Do you appreciate the fact that his death was a terrible loss to his sons? It was horrible. Do you think they were better off without him? Absolutely not. Did you host a celebration dinner after his murder? That's a complete lie. On the wire, would you agree that the Markell boys were in the background pretty much of every call you had with [00:39:27] Mr. Adelson: your mom? I mean, we hear them a lot, right? My sister was working, so my parents would help [00:39:32] Speaker 1: my sister out. Yeah. Yeah. And it was summertime, so they were out of school, I would assume. I don't [00:39:37] Mr. Adelson: know if it was every call, but they definitely helped my sister out for sure. All right. And those [00:39:41] Speaker 1: calls captured Donna pushing them on the swings, that call that tortured all of us a couple times. [00:39:46] Mr. Adelson: Remember that one? Yeah, there was a call where she was pushing them on the swings. Taking them to tennis lessons. That was the same day. I mean, that was the same call that got broken up and she called me [00:39:57] Speaker 1: back, but yes. Doing their bedtime routine. Helping my sister out for sure. Reading stories, brushing teeth, getting haircuts, going to piano, story time and bedtime, all of that kind of stuff. All stuff that parents and grandparents do, you're right. All right. She even said to you on one of the calls regarding the bedtime routine that, quote, "We have a whole routine going." Do you remember that? [00:40:19] Mr. Adelson: Thank you. I have a whole routine with my son. I mean, I think it's normal with kids. You have a routine to put them to bed. Right. You gotta brush your teeth. You can't forget to brush your teeth. All the, [00:40:29] Speaker 1: yeah. Well, dental humor couldn't hurt, right? What's that? All the kind, all the things that, that, you know, your mom wouldn't have been able to do as readily if the kids were living in Tallahassee. [00:40:41] Mr. Adelson: Agree with that? I mean, when they come up to visit them, they'd be doing the same thing. Sure, [00:40:45] Speaker 1: when they came up to visit, but now they're doing it every day, right? Almost every day. Not every day, [00:40:50] Mr. Adelson: but when my sister needed them, she helped them out. And these are all things, these little routine [00:40:54] Speaker 1: things that Dan Markell will never be able to do with his sons. Do you agree with that? Absolutely. Does your mom have a favorite child? She says she doesn't have favorites, but I don't think she likes my older brother. Okay. But is Wendy the favorite? I'd like to think it's a tie. Does your mom worry more about Wendy than you? Let's do before this case. No, I don't, [00:41:25] Mr. Adelson: I mean, I don't, I think maybe in different parts of my life, she's probably more concerned about me, different parts of my sister's life, she may be more concerned about her. Is it true that your mom [00:41:33] Speaker 1: has a tendency to worry herself sick if there's something going on with one of you kids? No, I mean, [00:41:39] Mr. Adelson: she's, she's a concerned mom, but I think she's a normal mom. Was she pretty worried about Wendy's marital problems? No. She wasn't? I think, no, I think she'd get upset when my sister would tell her things that Danny was doing and going to work and bad mouthing her, but I think any parent would get [00:42:01] Speaker 1: upset. But also she would meticulously go through all the filings and send long emails detailing her thoughts about every filing in this divorce. No, I don't, I don't think that's the case at all. Okay. Did she hate Dan Markell? Um, I think she liked him in the beginning for sure. And I think [00:42:20] Mr. Adelson: when he was being a jerk to my sister, I think that I don't think anyone particularly liked him when he [00:42:25] Speaker 1: was being a jerk. What about the time around the time that he was killed? Did your mother hate Dan [00:42:30] Mr. Adelson: Markell? No, I think it kind of like tapered off. I think this it was only, she only disliked him when he was being mean to my sister. Other than that, nobody had a problem. He was being mean to your [00:42:41] Speaker 1: sister during these divorce proceedings and subsequent litigation, right? I think it was on and off. I think it was sporadic. And when your mom's worried about Wendy, does she come to you for [00:42:52] Mr. Adelson: solutions or to talk things out? No, I don't think it was, I don't think worried is the right word to [00:42:57] Speaker 1: describe it. Does she ever make Wendy's problems your problems? No. Like convincing you to pull, get Wendy to pull the plug on the house on Halloween 2013. Um, didn't she convince you to sort of take [00:43:11] Mr. Adelson: up that cause? No, that was actually me. I thought I shared my thoughts on home ownership for my sister. [00:43:17] Speaker 1: That was all me. Didn't you say that if she had bought that house, that would have been the second [00:43:22] Mr. Adelson: worst decision of Wendy's life? I thought it was going to be a stupid decision to buy that house. [00:43:27] Speaker 1: And what would have, what was the first worst decision of Wendy's life? I thought when she, [00:43:33] Mr. Adelson: I mean, looking at hindsight 2020, I think when she, she degreed when she married Dan. [00:43:39] Speaker 1: And did you convince her to take a particular job as well? Remember that call? Um, yeah, she, uh, [00:43:47] Mr. Adelson: she got an offer from a law firm and she was debating whether or not she should take it. She didn't know if it was exactly what she wanted to do. And I was like, Hey, you don't, you don't know what you don't like doing until you've done it. It seems like a great opportunity. Like why not do it? Learn the job skill. It's a skill you don't. And she's like, well, I don't have that skill. I'm like, well, it's a good opportunity to learn it and you may like it. And if you don't like it, then try something else. But I was trying to encourage her to, [00:44:14] Speaker 1: to take what sounded like a great opportunity. And mom shared your thoughts and I'm referring to Donna Adelson or shared your thoughts about this opportunity being a good one for Wendy, right? [00:44:23] Mr. Adelson: Um, I probably heard about the job from my mom, but I definitely heard about it from my sister [00:44:28] Speaker 1: because I'm talking to my sister about it. Yeah. I mean, the job was not what she was had any experience in, right? It was a whole nother field of law. [00:44:37] Mr. Adelson: And that was my point. It was like, well, why not take it if they're offering it to you and you can learn something new? It sounds like a great opportunity. Do you and Donna know what's [00:44:46] Speaker 1: best for Wendy better than she knows herself? No, but not at all. Were you a spy when it came to Wendy? Did you get information from Donna? I mean, from Wendy and relay it to Donna? [00:44:59] Mr. Adelson: At times because I was, I was dating Brie and Brie worked for Dave. So I would, I would hear stuff [00:45:06] Speaker 1: about Dave from Brie. So I kind of had an inside, I got inside information. In what capacity did Brie [00:45:14] Mr. Adelson: work for Dave? Dave was his, after she graduated from college, she was working as a nanny for Dave. [00:45:22] Speaker 1: All right. And how old was Brie during the time you were dating her? Was she significantly younger [00:45:26] Mr. Adelson: than you? Um, she was 24 and I was 39. Is that the, is Brie the mother of your child? She is the [00:45:36] Speaker 1: mother of my child. Yeah. All right. So back to Wendy, Wendy and Donna. So Wendy, was she tight lipped [00:45:43] Mr. Adelson: with Donna about her private life? Um, I don't think she shared everything. But she would tell things to [00:45:51] Speaker 1: you that you wouldn't tell to Donna. I'm, I can't say that for sure. Can you play clip one, please? Publishing, call E-E-E-E-E-E-E. Thank you. [00:46:43] Speaker 3: Thank you. I don't know. So I actually said it was her birthday. It turns out Wendy's making him a little party in Cleveland. [00:47:25] Speaker 4: Oh, really? [00:47:27] Speaker 3: Yeah, Wendy goes like very tight-lipped. You're not kidding. So what you need to do is, you know, she's obviously tight-lipped for a reason if she doesn't want you to know anything. Anything, anything. So my point is if she doesn't want you to know anything, then don't ask anything. I know she's happy. And then I can find everything out and just tell you. [00:47:50] Speaker 4: I know. [00:47:51] Speaker 3: So I said, I was like, so what are you doing for your birthday? It's like, well, Wendy's making me like a little birthday dinner, a little get-together party. Oh, that's awesome. She's like, yeah, she's doing it. She's like, I don't know anything. All I know is Wendy's putting it together for me and she's doing it and work with. Oh. So I'm like, oh, that's not awesome. [00:48:11] Speaker 4: All I knew is that she was going straight from work to the hotel where everybody was meeting for the Miami fellows in Michigan. And that she was here tonight because it starts early, first thing tomorrow morning. Right. So I guess in between, she managed to do something else. Which makes me happy. I'm really glad. Oh, yeah. I couldn't imagine. [00:48:38] Speaker 1: Do you remember yesterday, you were telling a story about Katie coming in from having had some kind of altercation with Garcia. And she had reported that the necklace had been pulled off her neck. Do you remember that? [00:49:13] Mr. Adelson: Yes, I do. [00:49:14] Speaker 1: All right. And when you were relaying that story to the jury, you used a specific term describing what Garcia had done to her. Do you remember what that term was? [00:49:25] Mr. Adelson: It was only yesterday, but you'll have to refresh my memory how I described it. [00:49:28] Speaker 1: You said he roughed her up. You said he roughed her up. [00:49:30] Mr. Adelson: That's accurate. [00:49:33] Speaker 1: And that put my antennae up. And that put my antennae up because that roughed them up is the exact same phrase that Catherine Magbanoa said in her proffer that you used on Halloween 2013 when you first approached her about, does she know anyone who can rough someone up? [00:49:53] Mr. Adelson: No, I think getting roughed up is an adjective. But what you're doing is the same thing you did with your TV theory. It's like you heard TV mentioned multiple times, so you put the whole case together with the TV. Okay, we'll get to the TV. And you're putting the whole case together with the word roughed up. [00:50:08] Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean, I'm not putting the whole case together. One moment. Don't speak over each other. But that's an unusual. Please wait for him to answer, then you can ask your next question. Go ahead. [00:50:20] Speaker 1: But that's an unusual, I mean, you know, it's a specific term. I'm not making a whole case out of it, but did you say roughed up in both places? [00:50:31] Mr. Adelson: Katie was roughed up by Sigfredo when he tore a necklace off of her neck, yes. [00:50:36] Speaker 1: And isn't that the same term you used when you first broached Catherine McBanoa about couldn't, did she know someone who could rough up someone else? [00:50:44] Mr. Adelson: Never in my life have I ever asked her that question. Never in my life. That conversation never took place. [00:50:50] Speaker 1: Did you ever hear Donna Adelson refer to Dan Markell as stupid? [00:50:55] Mr. Adelson: No. [00:50:57] Speaker 1: Were you laughing when Wendy was on the stand and I read all the names that Donna referred to Dan Markell as? [00:51:06] Mr. Adelson: No, I laughed when you said the word fucker in court. Okay. [00:51:11] Speaker 1: What did she mean when she said Dan Markell was trying to take her sunshines away? Do you know? [00:51:17] Mr. Adelson: My mom never said that. [00:51:19] Speaker 1: Oh, so you never heard her say that. [00:51:20] Mr. Adelson: That was made up and he put it in a court filing. And then now it becomes something that my mom said because someone made it up and put it in a court filing. My mom never said that. [00:51:30] Speaker 1: Did your mom refer to the children as her sunshines? [00:51:32] Mr. Adelson: No. The kids were three and four. A three and four year old can't repeat a conversation and remember words six hours later and repeat it accurately. I have a five year old son. Never seen a three and four year old do that. So it was made up. And now you're repeating it. [00:51:46] Speaker 1: Okay. Have you been a good brother to Wendy? [00:51:52] Mr. Adelson: I've always tried to be a good brother. [00:51:55] Speaker 1: It sounds like maybe you're not agreeing that this was a really nasty divorce or are you agreeing it was a nasty divorce? [00:52:01] Mr. Adelson: I mean, I don't think any divorces can be pleasant, but I think they definitely had their fights. I mean, they were fighting over bicycles and all kinds of crap. [00:52:11] Speaker 1: But in addition to that, Dan Markell accused your sister of fraud, right? [00:52:16] Mr. Adelson: He made an accusation, yeah. [00:52:18] Speaker 1: Threatened her with federal kidnapping charges? [00:52:22] Mr. Adelson: That's a new one. You just told me. [00:52:23] Speaker 1: That one's in the emails that are in evidence. Did you review those? [00:52:26] Mr. Adelson: I didn't review the federal kidnapping charges in this case. [00:52:31] Speaker 1: Was seeking contempt proceedings. You heard about that here in court, yes? [00:52:35] Mr. Adelson: I heard about that, yeah. [00:52:37] Speaker 1: Even went after her lawyer personally, right? [00:52:40] Mr. Adelson: He made serious threats against her lawyer. [00:52:44] Speaker 1: And her bar card could have been in jeopardy if any of those or some of them. [00:52:48] Mr. Adelson: I heard the other day she was saying that, I guess, her lawyer, he was threatening her lawyer's bar card. [00:52:54] Speaker 1: Her lawyer's bar card as well as Wendy's. [00:52:57] Mr. Adelson: He was making lots of threats and writing lots of stuff, I guess. [00:53:01] Speaker 1: And he messed with your mom, too, didn't he? In that grandma motion, you know which one I'm talking about? [00:53:07] Mr. Adelson: I don't think he was messing with my mom. I mean, nobody took that seriously. I don't think anyone even knew about it until years later. [00:53:13] Speaker 1: Isn't your mom... I'm sorry, finish. [00:53:15] Mr. Adelson: I said I don't think anyone even knew about it until years later. [00:53:18] Speaker 1: Isn't your mom notorious for always getting worked up about everything? [00:53:22] Mr. Adelson: She gets upset. I mean, she's a concerned mom. [00:53:25] Speaker 1: But is she notorious for getting really worked up about everything? [00:53:30] Mr. Adelson: To a certain extent. [00:53:32] Speaker 1: Aren't those your own words from Call S that's in evidence in this case? [00:53:35] Mr. Adelson: Yeah, those are my words, but you can't... Not to an extreme, but she does worry. Especially when, like, Latin King gang members are extorting her for money. [00:53:46] Speaker 1: Did your mom take the grandma motion seriously? [00:53:49] Mr. Adelson: I don't think she even knew about it. [00:53:51] Speaker 1: She didn't talk to you about it? [00:53:52] Mr. Adelson: No, I didn't find out about it until years later. [00:53:59] Speaker 1: Wasn't this divorce a big deal in your family? [00:54:05] Mr. Adelson: It didn't affect my life, I can tell you that. So I don't think that's true. I think it was a big deal in my sister's life. [00:54:13] Speaker 1: Why did Wendy testify that she was getting along well with Dan Markell just prior to his death? Can we agree that's not true? [00:54:23] Mr. Adelson: I think there were ups and downs in how they got along. I mean, you've got to ask her. She was on the stand. I mean, I wasn't living her life. [00:54:29] Speaker 1: Is it part of your defense to minimize how nasty and contentious this divorce was? [00:54:37] Mr. Adelson: My defense is to tell the truth. [00:54:47] Speaker 1: Did you have any input on the decision to change the boys' names from Markell to Adelson? [00:54:52] Mr. Adelson: Absolutely not. [00:54:56] Speaker 1: Do you and Donna have to protect Wendy? [00:55:00] Mr. Adelson: No. [00:55:02] Speaker 1: Does Wendy appreciate everything you and Donna do for her? [00:55:07] Mr. Adelson: You've got to ask her. I mean, she's my sister. I love her. I try to give her my best advice I can if I care about her. And I give her my advice, whether she takes it or not, is up to her. She's a grown woman. [00:55:20] Speaker 1: Let me ask it another way. Do you feel, or isn't it true that you don't feel, that Wendy appreciates everything you and Donna do for her? [00:55:29] Mr. Adelson: My sister had no idea what I've been through in the last, God knows how many years. And what I, I wake up worrying, am I going to get killed? Am I going to get arrested? And she knows none of it. She's just going around her life. And I had somewhat of an innate anger towards her. You know, probably unjust because she didn't know what happened. But, yeah, I, I was upset. [00:55:53] Speaker 1: And weren't you saying on the wire that you, that she doesn't appreciate what you and Donna have done for her? [00:56:00] Mr. Adelson: I don't know if I said that she doesn't appreciate what I've done for her because I never did anything for her. [00:56:05] Speaker 1: Okay, so that was my next question. What have you done for her? Nothing? [00:56:09] Mr. Adelson: Other than give her advice and care about her and be a big brother that loves her. [00:56:14] Speaker 1: Would you say Wendy's a little bit spoiled? [00:56:19] Mr. Adelson: In some, in some regards, I mean, she gets a lot of help, for sure. [00:56:24] Speaker 1: Is she a little less savvy about how the world works than you are? [00:56:30] Mr. Adelson: I don't know. I mean, you got to ask her. [00:56:33] Speaker 1: Could you trust Wendy with a secret that could ruin your life? [00:56:37] Mr. Adelson: It's not, it's not a secret. It's something that would get me killed. So I didn't want to tell her. [00:56:42] Speaker 1: Can we agree that she obviously knew something about this crime? [00:56:47] Mr. Adelson: She found out when she came to court. I never told her anything. [00:56:50] Speaker 1: I'm talking about the murder of Dan Markell. She knew something, right? I mean, it's not a coincidence she went to the crime scene, is it? [00:56:58] Mr. Adelson: You're talking about the route that she took that day? [00:57:01] Speaker 1: I'm talking about her pulling up to the crime scene tape. [00:57:04] Mr. Adelson: She never went to the crime scene. She was going to buy a bottle of liquor that, coincidentally, the person sent her a stock to bar party for a bottle of bullet bourbon that she was going to pick up. She wasn't driving to a crime scene. And I think she made that clear, too. Nobody knew a murder was taking place. [00:57:22] Speaker 1: She pulled up to the crime scene tape, Dr. Adelson. [00:57:26] Mr. Adelson: She didn't pull up to the crime scene tape. She was driving down the street and then had to make a U-turn. It was blocked off. But she wasn't going to. [00:57:32] Speaker 1: It's like she couldn't help herself. [00:57:34] Mr. Adelson: Nobody knew a murder was going to take place. [00:57:37] Speaker 1: She exposed you all to some degree by those actions, didn't she? [00:57:41] Mr. Adelson: No. Not at all. [00:57:43] Speaker 1: And then she threw you under the bus in her interview, didn't she? [00:57:47] Mr. Adelson: Nobody knew a murder was going to take place. [00:57:49] Speaker 1: She knew her husband had just been shot and they were asking her who would want him dead. And she said your name. Are you mad about that? [00:57:57] Mr. Adelson: No. She said a lot of people's names. [00:57:59] Speaker 1: Well, she said yours in the first 25 pages of a five-hour interview. Isn't that true? [00:58:04] Mr. Adelson: I wasn't there for the interview. [00:58:06] Speaker 1: But you've reviewed it in preparation for your trial, haven't you? [00:58:09] Mr. Adelson: I actually don't know if I've seen her interview. [00:58:16] Speaker 1: There was a lot of questions of you about, you know, didn't you do this murder with Wendy? Doesn't the state think you did this murder with Wendy? Are you familiar with your charges in this case? [00:58:28] Mr. Adelson: Yes, I'm very familiar with my charges. [00:58:30] Speaker 1: And who are you alleged to have done this murder with? [00:58:34] Mr. Adelson: I'm alleged to have done this murder with my sister, my mom, and my dad. [00:58:40] Speaker 1: Would it refresh your recollection to review a copy of the indictment in this case? [00:58:46] Mr. Adelson: I'm a slow reader, but I can read it if you want. [00:58:48] Speaker 1: May I refresh your own name? Okay. And this is the official charging document in your case, Dr. Adelson. What does it say in reference to who you are alleged to have committed the murder with? [00:59:09] Mr. Adelson: This is, what date is this? 2022. Oh, they think I did a murder with Katie. [00:59:17] Speaker 1: Catherine Mayer-Banawha. Yes. Anybody else? [00:59:22] Mr. Adelson: Give me a minute, I'll read. They got Luis Rivera in here. They got Sigfredo Garcia. [00:59:37] Speaker 1: As being alleged to have committed the murder with you? [00:59:43] Mr. Adelson: Did I read it too quick? [00:59:45] Speaker 1: Take your time. Should just be at the very top of each charge. On or about July 18th, 2014. Did unlawfully. [01:00:10] Mr. Adelson: Okay. Yeah. Katie. Okay. [01:00:26] Speaker 1: Are you mad that Wendy hasn't been charged and you have? [01:00:32] Mr. Adelson: No. I'm mad that I got charged for a crime that I didn't commit. [01:00:35] Speaker 1: Do you have any innate anger with Wendy over that fact? [01:00:39] Mr. Adelson: No. Not at all. [01:00:41] Speaker 1: Are you pissed that she told all that stuff to Jeff Lacoste? [01:00:45] Mr. Adelson: I don't think she said that to Jeff, but I wasn't there. [01:00:47] Speaker 1: How did Lacoste know about the celebration dinner? [01:00:51] Mr. Adelson: That we went out to dinner? She got sick. So she may have told someone that she threw up. [01:00:55] Speaker 1: And then what? He just added the part about you referring to it as a celebration? [01:00:59] Mr. Adelson: I never referred to it as a celebration dinner. I picked my sister up. I said, where do you want to go to eat? She said she wanted pizza or sushi. I said, I know a great sushi place. We went there. We didn't have reservations. We ended up sitting at the bar for an hour waiting for our table. She had two drinks and got sick. [01:01:18] Speaker 1: She vomited on the dinner table or at the dinner table. [01:01:21] Mr. Adelson: Yeah, she got her to the bathroom. But, yeah, she doesn't drink alcohol. So those two drinks, and I think on an empty stomach, I think she got really sick. But there was no celebration dinner. It was the first time that she actually really left the house since she got back from Tallahassee. She was devastated. [01:01:36] Speaker 1: Did you say something to her about the murder of Dan Markell right before she vomited? [01:01:42] Mr. Adelson: Absolutely not. [01:01:43] Speaker 1: Do you remember what you said right before she vomited? [01:01:46] Mr. Adelson: She was probably, I think she said, I don't feel well. And I say, oh, no. And then she threw up. [01:01:52] Speaker 1: Before that? [01:01:54] Mr. Adelson: No, I think I said, oh, no. And then she threw up. [01:01:57] Speaker 1: Before she announced that she was going to be ill. [01:01:59] Mr. Adelson: Right. [01:02:00] Speaker 1: Do you remember what the conversation was? [01:02:04] Mr. Adelson: Just as, how was the food? How was your dinner? I mean, we were probably about halfway through dinner. If you look at the timetable, we weren't there long. [01:02:13] Speaker 1: Why did you brag to Jeffrey Lacoste about your connection to the Cuban criminal element? [01:02:19] Mr. Adelson: Never said that to Jeff Lacoste. [01:02:20] Speaker 1: So he's making that up? [01:02:23] Mr. Adelson: If he said it, I never said it to him. [01:02:24] Speaker 1: Well, you were in here when he said it, weren't you? [01:02:28] Mr. Adelson: I heard him say it, yeah. But I never said that to him. [01:02:34] Speaker 1: On one of these calls, and it's in the context of talking about Dave and Wendy's relationship with Dave, you tell your mom that you've already gone above and beyond for Wendy. Was that a reference to having her ex murdered? [01:03:00] Mr. Adelson: No, that's me getting tired of this Dave stuff. I mean, Dave's a great guy. I mean, everyone who meets him likes him. He's not only super successful, but he's very low-key, like, T-shirts and jeans kind of guy. And he loves my sister's kids. I mean, if you listen to The Wire, the point I was making is not how successful it is. The point I was making is that my nephews farted on him, and he thought it was funny and didn't bother him. And he also has three young kids the same ages as my sister's two young kids. They actually met in line when my sister was registering the kids for school. And it was very—they've been friends for years, so I thought it was a great opportunity for my sister to have a great guy in her life. And I was getting sick and tired of Dave calls, and The Wire started in April. My sister's birthday's in April. Dave's birthday's in April. So you've got a ton of Dave chatter on this case. But believe me, I'd go crazy if I was talking about Dave like this all year long. [01:03:56] Speaker 1: So that's a no? You did not reference having her ex murdered? [01:04:01] Mr. Adelson: Absolutely not. [01:04:02] Speaker 1: When you said you've already gone above and beyond? [01:04:05] Mr. Adelson: No, that was me getting sick of dealing with the Dave stuff. As great of a guy as he is, I was still getting sick of it. [01:04:12] Speaker 1: When the $1 million offer was conceived, do you recall whose idea that was? [01:04:19] Mr. Adelson: My parents. [01:04:22] Speaker 1: Why was the relocation worth a million bucks? [01:04:28] Mr. Adelson: Well, it was actually going to—I was going to pay a third. So I only looked at it as that way. Why was it worth it? [01:04:36] Speaker 1: That's the question. [01:04:37] Mr. Adelson: Because it was going to help my sister out. And it was going to be a—it was going to give her a good opportunity for a good job down here. And she was going to be around family. And family's important. So that's why. [01:04:49] Speaker 1: Isn't it true that financially you came out ahead on this deal as opposed to if you had coughed up the third of the million dollar offer? [01:04:58] Mr. Adelson: How in the world did I come up ahead? This is the craziest thing. [01:05:02] Speaker 1: Financially, you paid $138,000, then you paid $2,000 a month plus the $1,000 payroll amount. You're still over $100,000 ahead financially than if you had coughed up the $333,000. [01:05:17] Mr. Adelson: No, I would have been better off paying—and first of all, I never paid for a murder. This is a crazy question. But paying $3,000 a month for life is not anything anybody wants to do. [01:05:27] Speaker 1: I didn't say anything about paying for a murder. I said you paid $138,000, which you did. [01:05:34] Mr. Adelson: I got extorted for $330,000. [01:05:37] Speaker 1: And then you paid—but you didn't pay the $330,000. [01:05:42] Mr. Adelson: Right, because I didn't have it. That cleared out my safe, and that was what was in my safe that night. [01:05:47] Speaker 1: All right. Can we agree that Wendy was stressed out about the issues surrounding her divorce? [01:05:55] Mr. Adelson: I think the divorce caused stress in her life, yes. [01:05:58] Speaker 1: And you were hearing about it from your mother, weren't you? [01:06:01] Mr. Adelson: Yeah, I would hear. [01:06:03] Speaker 1: Wendy's totally stressed out. Yesterday was a rough one, that sort of thing. [01:06:08] Mr. Adelson: Yes, I said it before, is that my sister would tell my mom a story. I'd be sitting in the car driving. My mom would be talking to me and telling me the latest story of the day. And that's how the information—that's how I found out a lot. [01:06:20] Speaker 1: And then on 2, 19 of 14, Donna texts you again to tread lightly with Wendy and refers to Dan Markell as an asshole and a fucker, right? [01:06:30] Mr. Adelson: Sorry. You made me laugh. That's what I'm here for. [01:06:36] Speaker 1: Is that what happened, that text? [01:06:38] Mr. Adelson: Did my mom use a foul word to describe him? [01:06:42] Speaker 1: Yes, sir. Asshole and fucker, to be specific. [01:06:45] Mr. Adelson: Sorry. She used a curse word, correct. [01:06:49] Speaker 1: Is that pretty strong language for your mom, or is that how she speaks? [01:06:55] Mr. Adelson: I mean, it is pretty strong language, but I think in a—I mean, I've been called a lot worse. I mean, my mom used a curse word. She used a curse word. You just used curse words, too. [01:07:11] Speaker 1: So, was Wendy less stressed out—oh, I—yeah. Was Wendy less stressed out once all this litigation was over? [01:07:20] Mr. Adelson: Um, no. No, she was a million times more stressed out. [01:07:26] Speaker 1: Was she better off financially? [01:07:28] Mr. Adelson: Um, there may have been some, but not much. I don't think so. [01:07:35] Speaker 1: Was she able to stop paying her $800-an-hour divorce lawyers? [01:07:41] Mr. Adelson: Um, yes. [01:07:43] Speaker 1: Did she get $2.7 million in benefits for her children, plus $4,800 a month, for the boys' benefit? [01:07:53] Mr. Adelson: No. As far as I know, that money was in trust for—and it's controlled by Dan Markell's sister. So, none of that money—you keep saying it like the money went to her. The money's in trust for the kids, and it's—and that money never went to her. [01:08:07] Speaker 1: Some of it went to her, and some of it was in trust for the kids, right? [01:08:11] Mr. Adelson: I—I don't know the breakdown, but I know the—the 90-something percent of what you're talking about is in trust, and it's in trust for the children. It's not for her benefit. [01:08:19] Speaker 1: Right. It's for the benefit of the boys, but it has to come through her, because they're children, right? Well, it has— When she gets disbursements, right? [01:08:27] Mr. Adelson: It has to go through the executor of the trust. And my sister's not the executor of the trust. [01:08:34] Speaker 1: No, sir. I'm not saying she is. When the executor of the trust disperses money for the benefit of the boys, it gets dispersed to Wendy, right? [01:08:44] Mr. Adelson: See, I—you know more than I know. [01:08:52] Speaker 1: Did you have trouble sleeping after the murder? [01:08:57] Mr. Adelson: After I was extorted, for sure. [01:09:00] Speaker 1: Did Katie text you on 12, 19, or 15? Sorry, we have problems sleeping and shit. We do have a lot of weight on our shoulders. [01:09:11] Mr. Adelson: Did she text me that? [01:09:12] Speaker 1: Did she text you that? [01:09:14] Mr. Adelson: I mean, she may have, but it sounds about right. [01:09:17] Speaker 1: Do you want to look at the text? [01:09:18] Mr. Adelson: I can look at it, sure. I can look around for context if you want. [01:09:21] Speaker ?: I'll show you. [01:09:23] Speaker 1: You can look around for context if you want. But I'm looking at page two of this exhibit, and it's got a little box around it. And if that refreshes your recollection, the question is, did she send it? [01:10:23] Speaker 4: Yeah. [01:10:25] Speaker 1: I want to go over a little bit of some of the payments or gifts that you gave to Catherine Magbanwa. We've heard a lot about her being put on the payroll at the Adelson Institute, and she made this demand to you when you met her to give her the first extortion payment on the payment plan. Is that correct? [01:10:57] Mr. Adelson: She didn't make a demand. When I gave her the $3,000 for her friend, she asked me if I could do her a favor and put her on payroll for $1,000 a month so that she could get insurance for her kids. She was going to cash the check, and the money was still going to her friend, so that money wasn't going to her. She was getting insurance for her kids. [01:11:17] Speaker 1: And did you believe her that she would give the money from the paychecks to the friend? [01:11:25] Mr. Adelson: I believe what she was saying to me, yeah. [01:11:27] Speaker 1: Isn't it true that Catherine Magbanwa actually asked you to place her on the payroll back in June prior to this extortion effort? [01:11:38] Mr. Adelson: I don't know if I could put her on a payroll. She asked me if I could put her on something when I was dating or put her on something on the office so she could get insurance, but I never did. [01:11:47] Speaker 1: And that was in June. [01:11:48] Mr. Adelson: Yeah, I remember she had asked me about it before, but I never did anything. [01:11:52] Speaker 1: In June, June 24th of 2014, she says, baby, I'm going to need help on the employment info. I have to send to DCF for my kids' insurance. Also, if I have to end up moving later on, I need to show I'm working for you. Or else I won't be able to get an apartment. To which you respond, no problem. Remember that? [01:12:29] Mr. Adelson: Yeah, but I wasn't thinking she was asking about payroll. I think she was asking just to say that she worked there. We sent a letter saying that she was employed. That doesn't say anything about writing checks to her. [01:12:41] Speaker 1: And that request was made in between the two trips that the killers made. [01:12:45] Mr. Adelson: Well, she asked me if I could do that for her while I was dating her, and I never even did it. [01:12:51] Speaker 1: And did she ask if you could do that in between the two trips that the killers made? [01:12:55] Mr. Adelson: I didn't know when they went up, but I found out later that they went up in June. [01:13:02] Speaker 1: All right, so that email would have been sent. I'm sorry, it's a text. That text would have been sent prior to what you're calling is the first layer of the extortion. [01:13:12] Mr. Adelson: That text was sent to me while I was dating her, but I never did it. [01:13:16] Speaker 1: Prior to the first layer of extortion? [01:13:19] Mr. Adelson: The text was sent in June. [01:13:21] Speaker 1: Prior to the first layer of extortion? [01:13:24] Mr. Adelson: Before I was extorted, yeah. Before I broke up with her. [01:13:29] Speaker 1: And you say several times on the wire that she was cleaning at the office. Was she really cleaning? [01:13:35] Mr. Adelson: No, she never worked for us. [01:13:39] Speaker 1: She was doing some type of cleanup for you, wasn't she? [01:13:42] Mr. Adelson: No. [01:13:50] Speaker 1: What's the purpose of keeping Katie happy? Was she going to sick the Latin Kings on you if you made her unhappy? [01:14:01] Mr. Adelson: She was protecting me. I didn't know what would happen. And she was keeping my mind, like, when the extortion never went up. And I just thought that she wasn't part of it and she was protecting me. Usually extortion goes up. It always gets ratcheted up from what I've heard. [01:14:18] Speaker 1: What's the fear of not keeping her happy is what I'm trying to understand. [01:14:24] Mr. Adelson: Well, I could get killed or the people who are extorting me could come rob me. And I didn't get killed. I didn't get robbed. The extortion never went up. I thought she was really protecting me. [01:14:37] Speaker 1: If that's the case, why not just, I mean, you're complying with everything they've asked you to do, right? [01:14:43] Mr. Adelson: I'm doing everything that was asked to do. [01:14:47] Speaker 1: So why reach out and say, hey, can I get you a trip to Key West to go with that extortion money? [01:14:54] Mr. Adelson: I never said, can I get you a trip to Key West? [01:14:57] Speaker 1: You didn't say you were trying to get them the owner's cottage. Maybe it's not in Key West. Trying to get them the owner's cottage because it's the nicest, $380 a night, the postcard inn. Do you recall all those conversations? [01:15:14] Mr. Adelson: Oh, yeah, for sure. And that was, she'd actually asked me weeks before the bump, because I had this connection at a place called The Moorings that I could get, like, a really great place at a really affordable price for how nice the place is. And I said I was going to make some calls and help her out and get it. And then I ended up giving her $300 for the, when she picked up that bag at my house, I put $300 in it and I got her a hotel room. [01:15:40] Speaker 1: Is that a yes? You remember that conversation? [01:15:42] Mr. Adelson: Yeah, I do. [01:15:43] Speaker 1: And she didn't want the trip. In the text messages, she's saying, like, no thanks. And you're kind of forcing it down her throat. Do you agree with that? [01:15:52] Mr. Adelson: Yeah, because actually, it's funny. At that time, in the wire, I was trying to see if Katie and him were together or they weren't together. So that's why I kept asking, you know, how are things? Are you guys okay? You know, because if they were fighting, it was making me think more and more that the reason she was avoiding me was because she found out that he was the one who was doing the second extortion again. So I was trying to figure out if it was him and if she was lying to me. [01:16:19] Speaker 1: In this case, she says, I don't want to do anything. And you say, you know what, at that, you're going there. You're going to have a good time. [01:16:27] Mr. Adelson: For sure. I was trying to do nice things for her. [01:16:30] Speaker 1: And then did you pay for a trip or offer, I guess, offer to pay for a trip to Santo Domingo for Catherine Magbano and Siegfried Garcia to visit his parents? [01:16:39] Mr. Adelson: I didn't know who she was going with, but I paid for it. You're talking about airline tickets? [01:16:44] Speaker 1: Yes. [01:16:45] Mr. Adelson: Yeah. She called me up. She had an emergency. Something happened. She booked tickets for the wrong date. I had no idea who in the family she was going with. And she had no money. And I remember I was in Chicago. I was at a friend's wedding, and I took out my credit card, and I gave her the credit card number and let her book tickets. I thought she was going with her kids. [01:17:06] Speaker 1: So is that a yes you paid for the trip to Santo Domingo? Oh, yeah, no, I remember that well. So go quicker if we can just answer the question. [01:17:12] Speaker 5: What's the objection? Argumentative. Overruled. [01:17:16] Speaker 1: Did you offer to buy Catherine Magbano and her mom a cruise? [01:17:22] Mr. Adelson: Yes, Katie had mentioned to me that she always wanted to be able to take her mom on a cruise. So I offered, but she never took me up on it. [01:17:30] Speaker 1: Did you call in prescriptions for Catherine Magbano? [01:17:32] Mr. Adelson: She was a patient of record at my office. [01:17:35] Speaker 1: Did you pay for a meal service for Catherine Magbano? [01:17:38] Mr. Adelson: Yeah, I did. [01:17:39] Speaker 1: Did you pay for car repairs for her? [01:17:43] Mr. Adelson: Yeah. All this stuff was making me think she was broke. So yes, you're right. [01:17:47] Speaker 1: Did you offer that she could use your Range Rover any time? [01:17:51] Mr. Adelson: I said she could borrow the car, sure. [01:17:53] Speaker 1: Did she talk about getting a boat, and you offered to help her get a boat? [01:17:57] Mr. Adelson: I never offered to help her get a boat. I offered to help her look for a boat. [01:18:01] Speaker 1: Did you pay for the breast augmentation? [01:18:04] Mr. Adelson: No. [01:18:05] Speaker 1: No part of the breast augmentation? [01:18:06] Mr. Adelson: Not at all. [01:18:07] Speaker 1: So when she's saying at the same time she's the day of the breast augmentation, can I just put it on the credit card? Is she referring to something else, some other expense? [01:18:18] Mr. Adelson: I have no idea what she's referring to, but I did not pay for her boo job. [01:18:22] Speaker 1: What about this birthday gift for Sigfredo Garcia? What was the bonsai tree in the bag? What was that all about? [01:18:31] Mr. Adelson: She had asked me, and it's on a wire, it's actually on 420, where she says, can you get me some bud from Bud? My next-door neighbor is Bud, and she asked me if I could get some marijuana. Marijuana from my next-door neighbor for her. So that's what, when I said I have a bonsai tree for you, she asked me, and I got her a little bit of marijuana from my next-door neighbor for her. [01:18:55] Speaker 1: And you said, I don't know what a married man with kids would want for his birthday, but you did your best. I did my best. [01:19:02] Mr. Adelson: By the way, I was being completely sarcastic. I never would get Sigfredo Garcia a present in my life. [01:19:09] Speaker 1: And you thought you hid it out of the park with the weed and the gift card. Did you say that? [01:19:15] Mr. Adelson: Give me a little more context. [01:19:18] Speaker 1: The context is, you don't know what a married man with kids would want for his birthday, but you did your best, and you think you hid it out of the park. [01:19:25] Mr. Adelson: No, I was being completely sarcastic, because she had asked me for that marijuana two weeks earlier, and I gave it to her, and then I was joking around. When I gave it to her, I didn't want him to think that I was hooking up with her. So I started to joke around about it, and then I was like, you know, maybe you can just tell him it was for me, because I didn't want him to think that I'm hooking up with Katie, and that's why I gave it to her. [01:19:49] Speaker 1: Can we agree in general that it's important to maintain positive feelings between co-conspirators? If you're a co-conspirator with someone in a crime, you want to keep positive relationship with that person. Will you agree with that? [01:20:04] Mr. Adelson: I'm not a co-conspirator with her. [01:20:06] Speaker 1: Okay, I'm saying in general. Can you agree in general that co-conspirators in a crime want to stay friendly with each other? [01:20:14] Mr. Adelson: I'm not a co-conspirator with her. [01:20:16] Speaker 1: All right, can't agree to that. If a co-conspirator develops a motive to harm another one, that could be bad, right? [01:20:24] Mr. Adelson: If a co-conspirator... Say it again. [01:20:26] Speaker 1: Say, you know, a husband and wife do a murder together. And then, look, ten years later, you know, they've gotten away with it, but ten years later, they fall out. That could be a problem. Somebody might start talking, right? [01:20:40] Mr. Adelson: I was never part of a murder. [01:20:42] Speaker 1: Were these gifts, these things that you provided to Catherine McBanaw and her mother and Sigfredo Garcia, payment for the murder? [01:20:53] Mr. Adelson: Okay, I never got Sigfredo a gift in my life. The guy absolutely hates me. He wants to kill me. He stalked me. He extorted me. Like, that was being completely sarcastic. And sometimes I make some bad jokes. But that's... Even when I wrote, he wanted to take me deep-sea fishing, I knew he wanted to kill me. Like, you have that text, too. I didn't think we were going deep-sea fishing. [01:21:13] Speaker 1: On April 6th of 2015, did you receive a text from Catherine McBanaw that reads, Next time, don't be such a dick to someone who has done something for you. [01:21:26] Mr. Adelson: Yeah, she's protecting me, and she's mad at me over something. [01:21:31] Speaker 1: Are these gifts what it took to secure her silence for so long? [01:21:35] Mr. Adelson: No, absolutely not. I was never trying to get her silence. I was hoping she'd tell the truth. [01:21:41] Speaker 1: Was your dad's birthday in between the two trips that the killers took? [01:21:47] Mr. Adelson: Yeah, my dad's birthday is July 5th. [01:21:49] Speaker 1: And what birthday was that for him? [01:21:51] Mr. Adelson: It was his 70th birthday party. [01:21:53] Speaker 1: All right, so there's been a lot of talk about the texting between you and your mom about the birthday. And she texts you on March 4th of 2014 and says she can't talk now, but she'll call when she goes to the bathroom in Gainesville and has privacy. She tells you to erase that text after you read it. Why did she have you erase that text? [01:22:13] Mr. Adelson: Okay, if you look at the records, I never erased the text. [01:22:17] Speaker 1: Well, why did she ask you? If you know, you may not know. [01:22:20] Mr. Adelson: Maybe she's afraid my dad's looking at her phone and would find out about the president. It made no sense to me. That's why I was like, I didn't erase anything. [01:22:27] Speaker 1: How is you erasing the text going to prevent your dad from seeing it on your mom's phone? [01:22:35] Mr. Adelson: Well, if my dad looked at my mom's phone, then he'd see the text and maybe know what she's planning for his birthday. [01:22:41] Speaker 1: You weren't with dad. She was with dad. Just to clarify. [01:22:45] Mr. Adelson: Yeah, she was with my dad. [01:22:47] Speaker 1: And the text that she asked you to erase, that particular text didn't say anything about a birthday or paella. Can we agree on that? [01:22:54] Mr. Adelson: No, but I knew what it was about. [01:22:58] Speaker ?: All right. [01:22:58] Speaker 1: 20 minutes later, she texts again and asks something about dad's birthday. Do you remember that? [01:23:05] Mr. Adelson: Yeah, I know we were trying to plan a surprise cruise. That was the original idea. [01:23:09] Speaker 1: Okay, and the paella is mentioned elsewhere, not in this particular thread that we're talking about now. Was paella the big birthday gift? [01:23:17] Mr. Adelson: Yeah, I paid for the catering for the whole party. [01:23:19] Speaker ?: Okay. [01:23:21] Speaker 1: Then three months later on June 8th, just after midnight, you text her, quote, still working on dad's birthday present. Was that in reference to the paella guy? [01:23:33] Mr. Adelson: Possibly, or possibly what I was also getting was a present. I mean, it's been 10 years, so I don't know exactly what I got him 10 years ago on his birthday. [01:23:40] Speaker 1: And then at 1 a.m. I'm sorry, you weren't done. [01:23:43] Mr. Adelson: No, or what I was thinking about getting him. [01:23:45] Speaker 1: And then at 1 a.m. mom texts you back, I know you'll, and I think she was in Israel, so that might account for the time. But she texts you, quote, I know you'll come through for me. Is that what she said? [01:23:57] Mr. Adelson: That's what the text said, yeah. [01:23:58] Speaker 1: Can we agree the timing of these texts is consistent with being sent the day after the killers got home from their failed June murder trip? [01:24:07] Mr. Adelson: No, it's consistent with the few weeks before my dad's birthday and trying to figure out what we're going to get him. [01:24:16] Speaker 1: Why didn't you go to Dan's funeral? [01:24:21] Mr. Adelson: In Canada? [01:24:23] Speaker 1: I think there were some in Tallahassee and in Canada as well. I know there was a memorial. But did you go to either? [01:24:29] Mr. Adelson: There was a memorial service here. [01:24:32] Speaker 1: Did you go to that? [01:24:34] Mr. Adelson: No, I didn't attend. I knew what had happened to him, and there's no way I could have shown up. I would have been too upset. [01:24:41] Speaker 1: Mr. Dubin, your lawyer that was here, seems like a long time ago, at jury selection, said, you know, people have different waves of grieving and that sort of thing. Were you grieving for the death of Dan Markell? [01:24:53] Mr. Adelson: I felt horrible about what happened, and I knew what happened. When did you? I wasn't close to him, but either way, I mean, I felt horrible about what happened. [01:25:04] Speaker 1: When did you find out exactly how he was killed, meaning, like, shot twice in the head? [01:25:09] Mr. Adelson: I found out it would have been the next morning is how I found out he got shot in the head. [01:25:15] Speaker 1: Do you agree that this was a first-degree murder, planned, premeditated? [01:25:22] Mr. Adelson: The people who killed him planned on killing him, yeah. [01:25:24] Speaker 1: Do you think everyone involved should be convicted? [01:25:27] Mr. Adelson: I think everyone involved should be convicted. [01:25:29] Speaker 1: Even the person that hired the hit? [01:25:31] Mr. Adelson: I think anybody who played a role in it, but I wasn't a part of it. [01:25:35] Speaker 1: Do you regret that Dan Markell suffered for 14 hours before he died? [01:25:39] Mr. Adelson: I feel horrible. [01:25:40] Speaker 1: He was supposed to die quickly, instantly, right? [01:25:44] Mr. Adelson: Are you asking me? I am. No, he wasn't supposed to die at all. This was horrible what happened. [01:25:49] Speaker 1: Did it surprise you that the cops were able to identify the Prius? [01:25:54] Mr. Adelson: Did it surprise me? [01:25:55] Speaker 1: Yes. [01:25:56] Mr. Adelson: I'm not a cop. I don't know how cops investigate. [01:25:59] Speaker 1: Did it surprise you to learn that it's not a requirement of law to put the person at the scene of a crime, to be guilty of a crime? [01:26:08] Mr. Adelson: Listen, I'm not a police detective. [01:26:11] Speaker 1: Was the police work in this case thorough? [01:26:15] Mr. Adelson: I'm sure the police did the best they could. [01:26:17] Speaker 1: Did you think that you had done everything properly, such that you could never be detected or caught for this? [01:26:24] Mr. Adelson: I wasn't part of this murder at all. You had it wrong. [01:26:27] Speaker 1: Catherine McVano has said that you think you're untouchable. Is that true, doctor? [01:26:32] Mr. Adelson: That's not true at all. [01:26:34] Speaker 1: Did your parents drop off money to you on the night of the murder? [01:26:37] Mr. Adelson: I never saw my parents there. You can look at our cell phones and you'll find that out, but we never saw each other. [01:26:42] Speaker 1: I did look at the cell phones, and what is on there is your mom texts you, quote, outside your house. [01:26:48] Mr. Adelson: No, I mean, look at the tower information. [01:26:50] Speaker 1: I think you testified that that meant she was just passing by on the roadway. [01:26:54] Mr. Adelson: She was approaching the area, yeah, to see if I was home. [01:26:57] Speaker 1: And do you know what your response was to her texts? [01:27:00] Mr. Adelson: Yeah, like 20 or 30 minutes later, I said 10 minutes. [01:27:04] Speaker 1: I'm 10 minutes out, is what you said. [01:27:06] Mr. Adelson: I think I said 10 minutes, but yeah, I'm not home. [01:27:10] Speaker 1: Doesn't that indicate you're going to meet them at your house in 10 minutes? [01:27:13] Mr. Adelson: No, I told her to let me know when you're going to be in the area. [01:27:19] Speaker 1: Was the money that Catherine McVano got damp? [01:27:22] Mr. Adelson: I never gave her any money that was damp. The money I gave her came out of my safe. [01:27:26] Speaker 1: Was it damp? [01:27:28] Mr. Adelson: No, I took it out of my safe. I put it on the dresser. She put it in her purse. [01:27:35] Speaker 1: Why did Garcia and Rivera, or whoever did it, I guess I should say. Why did whoever did it need to kill someone to extort you? [01:27:45] Mr. Adelson: You got to ask them. [01:27:48] Speaker 1: Why couldn't they just come put a gun to your head and say, give me all the money in your safe? [01:27:54] Mr. Adelson: Thank God they didn't. [01:27:58] Speaker 1: Thank God they didn't? [01:27:59] Mr. Adelson: Thank God they didn't. I would have gotten killed. [01:28:05] Speaker 1: If Garcia hated you, why would he drive to Tallahassee twice to kill someone you hated? [01:28:13] Mr. Adelson: It sounds like he was part of the extortion, or Katie put him up to it. [01:28:17] Speaker 1: Doesn't blackmail or extortion usually involve the extortionist having some kind of dirt on the victim? [01:28:24] Mr. Adelson: I know how this was done to me. I'm just telling you what happened to me. I'm not an expert in it. [01:28:29] Speaker 1: If they had come in and threatened to kill you, would you have given them the money in your safe? [01:28:34] Mr. Adelson: If someone came and put a gun to my head, yeah, I would have opened up my safe and I would have given them the money. [01:28:40] Speaker 1: I still don't get how killing Dan Markell advances the ball for them to extort money out of you. Do you? [01:28:47] Mr. Adelson: Yeah, I have a theory. They could extort me for life, and I don't think they knew exactly how much I had in the safe. She knew I had a lot of money in the safe. But this way I could get extorted for life, and that's what happened. I was stuck paying $3,000 a month. [01:29:02] Speaker 1: But you could have gotten extorted for life just by the threat of death by Latin King. Couldn't you, doctor? [01:29:10] Mr. Adelson: I mean, this was as real of a threat as you get. I mean, these guys aren't messing around. [01:29:17] Speaker 1: All right. You didn't report this after Garcia was arrested, did you? Did not report this after Garcia's arrest. [01:29:25] Mr. Adelson: No, not at all. [01:29:26] Speaker 1: Okay, you did keep paying Catherine Magbanua after Garcia's arrest? [01:29:30] Mr. Adelson: No, I never saw her again. [01:29:33] Speaker 1: Did not report this after Magbanua's arrest, correct? [01:29:38] Mr. Adelson: Correct. [01:29:39] Speaker 1: Did not testify in either of their trials, correct? [01:29:43] Mr. Adelson: Was never contacted to, but yes. [01:29:46] Speaker 1: You were okay with the possibility of them getting away with killing Dan Markell. [01:29:51] Mr. Adelson: I thought the truth was going to come out in 2019. [01:29:54] Speaker 1: How? If the witness who knows something doesn't come forward. [01:29:58] Mr. Adelson: Katie knows what happens and knows I was extorted, and her trial was at 19, and I was expecting the truth to come out then. And instead, I found out that she was having this affair with him on me, and she lied, and all this money was going to her. [01:30:12] Speaker 1: So if her defense had been, I was an innocent conduit to an extortion, you would have backed her up on that? [01:30:20] Mr. Adelson: If she would have come in and told the truth, and you, yeah, for sure. You would have heard the same story. [01:30:29] Speaker 1: Where is your family located now? You don't have to be specific, but is your mom and dad, are they still in South Florida? [01:30:37] Mr. Adelson: Yeah, they still live in South Florida. [01:30:39] Speaker 1: What about Wendy and the boys? [01:30:41] Mr. Adelson: My parents live about 30, 35 minutes from my sister, and I used to live about 45 minutes from them. [01:30:48] Speaker 1: And are they okay, as far as you know, physically, today, as we sit here? [01:30:53] Mr. Adelson: Yes. [01:30:55] Speaker 1: And are you concerned that because you've told now on the Latin Kings that they're going to come kill your whole family? [01:31:04] Mr. Adelson: I mean, I just told you that. I knew that I was told then that Luis Rivera, the head of the Latin Kings, killed Dan Markell, so, I mean, I do have some concern when I get out. [01:31:13] Speaker 1: Right, but even after, sorry, go ahead. [01:31:15] Mr. Adelson: That's okay. I said I do have some concern with Latin Kings now that I spoke and told what I know. [01:31:21] Speaker 1: But what about, I mean, Rivera was already in custody at one point, as well as Garcia and Ivana. Well, my understanding is your continued fear was due to other Latin Kings, potentially. Is that accurate? [01:31:36] Mr. Adelson: These are highly connected people. Luis Rivera, the head of the Latin Kings, in custody means absolutely nothing. If you think he can't send somebody from the outside, you're wrong. [01:31:47] Speaker 1: All right. So, my question to you is, did that happen? Because you told yesterday. [01:31:54] Mr. Adelson: Was I killed yesterday when I was in jail? No. [01:31:57] Speaker 1: And nobody in your family has been killed so far? [01:31:59] Mr. Adelson: You're talking about it in the last 24 hours? [01:32:02] Speaker 1: Right. [01:32:02] Mr. Adelson: Not that I know. [01:32:03] Speaker 1: Okay. But you're worried about that? [01:32:06] Mr. Adelson: I think now that I've spoken, I do have a concern, yes. [01:32:09] Speaker 1: Okay. But not too concerned to remain silent when it's your own butt on the line, right? [01:32:15] Mr. Adelson: I'm here to tell the truth. Yes, do I have a concern now that I told you what happened? Absolutely. [01:32:21] Speaker 1: Mom tells you on that first wire call that the bump involves the two of us, referring to yourself and your mom, right? [01:32:31] Mr. Adelson: Yes, that's what she said. [01:32:32] Speaker 1: And would you agree, prior to your explanation, that that looks pretty incriminating? [01:32:39] Mr. Adelson: I think if you don't know what happened, you can assume the worst. [01:32:43] Speaker 1: Isn't it true that you had to add the bit about confiding your extortion in your mom in order to put that toothpaste back in the tube? [01:32:51] Mr. Adelson: No, that's what happened when I got the checks. [01:32:54] Speaker 1: Otherwise, why would you bring your mom into this? [01:32:57] Mr. Adelson: I didn't want to. When I first told her on the phone and asked her to write the checks, I told her, I said just as a long story, I'd brush it off and she didn't press anything, but I think she was out somewhere. It wasn't until when I picked up the checks that she started pressuring me and saying, this makes no sense. Why are you doing this? You're not dating Katie. And that's when she found out. [01:33:16] Speaker 1: But your mom is the most high-strung out of the whole group, right? And she's old and she worries, right? [01:33:26] Mr. Adelson: I don't think she's super high-strung, but she does worry about her kids. [01:33:29] Speaker 1: You don't? [01:33:31] Mr. Adelson: No. You've never met her. [01:33:33] Speaker 1: Well, you said she was, quote, notorious for making a big deal out of everything. [01:33:38] Mr. Adelson: I mean, she overreacts, but she's a mom. I think a lot of moms overreact. [01:33:42] Speaker 1: You could have told her, you know, Katie's down on her luck and I'm just going to be putting her on the payroll. I mean, you were making enough money you could tell her to just write checks, couldn't you? Why'd you have to tell her it was an extortion from Latin King gang members? [01:34:00] Mr. Adelson: Okay. At that time, I didn't know anything about the Latin Kings. But when I told her what happened, I was thinking that, you know what, it actually would be good if someone knows what happened in case I get killed, but at least know what direction to start looking in. So until that point, nobody even knew. So I just, when she started questioning me and questioned me and questioned me, I just said, you know what, I'm going to tell you, but don't say a thing to Dad. Don't say a thing to Wendy. You've got to promise me I didn't want her to ever talk about this again. And that was the day that she found out is when I got the checks. [01:34:32] Speaker 1: What she doesn't say on the wire is, it's happening again. I was approached by another extortionist today. Does she say that? [01:34:41] Mr. Adelson: No, she's talking very carefully. [01:34:43] Speaker 1: And you say carefully, but isn't carefully the same thing as code? [01:34:48] Mr. Adelson: No, they're two totally separate things. Do you know the difference? [01:34:51] Speaker 1: You weren't really giving her money for a TV, were you? [01:34:54] Mr. Adelson: Giving her money for a TV. [01:34:56] Speaker 1: This TV is probably going to be about five. I need you to bring cash tonight. [01:35:00] Mr. Adelson: I wish she picked another object on planet Earth other than TV. But TV is code for absolutely nothing. There is no code in this case involving TV. And you keep circling and circling and circling TV. You're wrong. [01:35:15] Speaker 1: Is it a coincidence that the repair of the TV that you bought Wendy as a divorce gift because it was cheaper than hiring a hitman is your sister's alibi for the murder? And then your mom brings up TV first call on the wire? [01:35:28] Mr. Adelson: It's not an alibi for a murder. She had a broken TV. You've got to ask Lincoln who threw the remote at the TV. [01:35:33] Speaker 1: Was it a coincidence? Is the TV thing a coincidence? That's what I hear you say. [01:35:37] Mr. Adelson: Oh, that the repairman was there that day? [01:35:39] Speaker 1: Yes, sir. [01:35:40] Mr. Adelson: Yeah, that is a coincidence for sure. There's a couple of coincidences in this case. [01:35:45] Speaker 1: I'm sorry. I cut you off. [01:35:46] Mr. Adelson: I said there's a couple of coincidences in this case. I mean, she had people send her an email to go buy a bottle of bullet bourbon for their stock at the bar party. And she was driving to a liquor store to buy a bottle of bullet bourbon on that day at that time. And her friend sent the email and you have the email in evidence. Like, is that a coincidence? Yeah. Coincidence has happened. [01:36:07] Speaker 1: And the, you might not be the right Katie talk, that doesn't seem to really fit with your theory of the case, does it? What was your explanation for that? Why you kept saying you might not be the right Katie? I mean, she's definitely the right Katie, right? [01:36:20] Mr. Adelson: Absolutely. She knew it was. I was implying it was her. I was just trying to say, I'm not setting you up, but I need your help. [01:36:29] Speaker 1: On call B, your mom, you call your mom back and you say, you probe her a little bit and ultimately you say, you think someone's trying to blackmail you? That's crazy. Why does it sound like this is something that's new and unfathomable to you at that moment? [01:36:46] Mr. Adelson: Well, because I wasn't even following what my mom was talking about on the first call. And on the second call, she shocked me when she said that. And I'd been extorted before. Her saying to bring cash, everything just didn't sound right. [01:37:03] Speaker 1: Could we play clip four, please? This is from Dolce. [01:37:07] Speaker 4: I'm sorry, from what? [01:37:08] Speaker 1: Clip four from Dolce. [01:37:10] Speaker 4: Okay. Okay. [01:37:26] Speaker ?: Okay. [01:37:56] Speaker 1: Even if they had any evidence, the first words out of your mouth on this clip, even if they had any evidence. No. Strike. The quote is, if, you say, if they had any evidence, we'd have already gone to the airport. And I know you already testified about this, but does an innocent person say if they had any evidence? [01:38:20] Mr. Adelson: Right. Katie's saying it's the police. And I'm saying we're innocent. They're not going to have any evidence to show we were part of something. That we were part of it. If we had any part of this, we'd be going to the airport right now. [01:38:30] Speaker 1: Isn't it true, doctor, that they're not going to have any evidence because you were careful? [01:38:35] Mr. Adelson: No, because we weren't a part of this. You were smart. No, we weren't a part of this. [01:38:39] Speaker 1: You walled yourself off from the killers. [01:38:42] Mr. Adelson: I was sure they were not going to have evidence to show I did something I didn't do. So we're not running to the airport. [01:38:46] Speaker 1: And you're untouchable, right? [01:38:48] Mr. Adelson: No, we didn't do a murder. I wasn't part of a murder. There's no reason to run to the airport. [01:38:53] Speaker 1: In the next clip, you're discussing what's going to happen if this person that did the bump goes to the police. And you're going through all these scenarios, you know, these possibilities. [01:39:07] Mr. Adelson: Wait, if he goes to the police? [01:39:09] Speaker 1: Yeah, if the blackmailer goes to the police, they're going to say, where's the weapon? He's not going to know. He's just going to have hearsay, basically. Someone told me they did it. It's not going to be enough to get the investigation anywhere. Why are you thinking through the possibility of the blackmailer going to the cops if the blackmailer doesn't have any dirt on you to take to the cops? [01:39:32] Mr. Adelson: I wasn't thinking about the blackmailer. What I was trying to say is I don't know anything about Sigfredo. I don't know anything about this crime. I was trying to tell her that I'm harmless. I don't have any knowledge of what went on. Like, the last thing I wanted is that now that she's saying it's the police, is someone to come and kill me and think I'm some kind of loose head. So that's why I'm saying that. [01:39:52] Speaker 1: But that's not what you're saying. You're saying if this is a person that Luis Rivera ran his mouth to and they go to the police, it's going to be worth zero because they're not going to know anything other than, hey, my brother told me this. [01:40:10] Mr. Adelson: I don't know if I was saying someone who knows Luis Rivera. I was trying to make a point that I don't know anything. [01:40:14] Speaker 1: And then you suggest what they would have to do is get him to wear a wire and get the person to confess. And that's probably what this could be, an effort to do, right? [01:40:26] Mr. Adelson: Well, they're thinking that we were part of a murder. So this was the same thing I said before, is that this is their theory. So this is a police tactic, and it could be either a bad guy or the police, and this is how they're pursuing it. [01:40:39] Speaker 1: Exactly. So as long as you keep your mouth shut, you can get away with murder, right? [01:40:43] Mr. Adelson: No, not at all. [01:40:44] Speaker 1: Isn't that what you told Ryan Fitzpatrick? [01:40:47] Mr. Adelson: No, Ryan Fitzpatrick is someone who stole over half a million dollars from me. [01:40:50] Speaker 1: That's not my question, sir. Did you say that to Ryan Fitzpatrick? [01:40:53] Mr. Adelson: No, never. Never at all. [01:40:58] Speaker 1: Why do you go into so much detail about rental car examples? Let's start with, strike that. Can you agree that the Prius, you knew that the police were looking for a Prius at the time you met at this Dolce Vito restaurant? [01:41:10] Mr. Adelson: I think it had been released at that time. [01:41:14] Speaker 1: All right, and you're, and you heard the recording. You're arguing, let's play the clip. This is going to be clip, I think, let's play seven and eight, please. Dolce. Because the fact is, it's like, even if the day, the Prius got in my car, and then I go ahead, I get to the crime, and I go, when you're dating to the car, I go, yeah, I do, it was in my car, and he got out, and she did this horrible crime. [01:41:52] Speaker ?: Okay, if they come, and they get the DNA in the car, they go, give me this in my car. Now, he's had a car for two minutes, got out of the AC, and then got out of the car. He has nothing to do with you, he doesn't burn the key. [01:42:11] Speaker 3: Outside of that, there's no way. [01:42:15] Speaker ?: Okay, did, you know, if you have a car, and you can link this person to rent in that car, then you can't see it in the car. Okay. [01:42:26] Speaker 3: But you see, you have to prove that they were also driving that day, and rented it, and rented it to a friend. What if you rented a car, and I ask, okay, can I park for the weekend, and I'll bring you back on Tuesday? [01:42:35] Speaker ?: Yeah, sure. [01:42:36] Speaker 3: So you rented a car. So you've been in that car, I drive this to fucking Orlando, I rob New Orleans in Orlando. I come back, and I go, and, okay, thank you. I had to be rented, but what if you were fucking out all weekend, even though I booked your car? I did something, and I brought it back. Okay, but my point is, I don't have any knowledge of what I'm talking about. And then this person is either pretending to, or we got a car. I don't want someone paying for this parent. [01:43:08] Speaker ?: Okay. [01:43:09] Speaker 1: Sounds like you're saying, even if they track down the Prius, even if there's DNA or fingerprints in the Prius, meaning, like, they can link someone to the Prius, that's not going to be enough evidence to make any arrests in this case. Is that what you're saying? [01:43:37] Mr. Adelson: No, not at all. What I'm doing is I'm restating... [01:43:41] Speaker 1: You've answered my question. [01:43:43] Mr. Adelson: Can I give you an answer? [01:43:44] Speaker 1: On redirect, you'll have an opportunity. My question was... [01:43:47] Speaker 5: You should be able to answer the question. Hold on a moment. [01:43:49] Speaker 1: My question was... [01:43:50] Speaker 5: We're not just wildly arguing. Mr. Adelson, please answer the question. Okay. [01:43:56] Speaker 1: I can just ask you a yes or no question. [01:43:58] Mr. Adelson: Please allow me to answer your question. Okay. Can I? [01:44:01] Speaker 1: Yeah. [01:44:01] Mr. Adelson: What I was saying to Katie is that the information she had just told me in the car about Sigfredo not being there when the crime was committed, she told me that Sigfredo was high on drugs at the hotel and that Luis had rented a car and that he's the one who killed Dan. And I'm restating to her that I don't have any knowledge of what went on and that all I know is that Sigfredo wasn't even there when this happened. So that's what I'm restating to her. [01:44:34] Speaker 1: That Sigfredo can't be caught even if he's connected to the crime? [01:44:39] Mr. Adelson: I know that Sigfredo wasn't the one who killed Dan. [01:44:41] Speaker 1: Wouldn't it be good for you? Because you know now that Sigfredo is the extortionist, right? She just told you that in the car? [01:44:54] Mr. Adelson: Sigfredo, yeah. [01:44:55] Speaker 1: Okay. And wouldn't it be good for you if the police investigation into the Prius led to the arrest of the killers slash extortionists? [01:45:08] Mr. Adelson: If they arrested the people who killed Dan? [01:45:10] Speaker 1: Yeah. [01:45:11] Mr. Adelson: I know the extortion would stop. As long as I kept my mouth shut, I'd be safe. [01:45:17] Speaker 1: Right. So why are you trying to argue to her that the car is not going to lead anywhere and they're not going to be able to do anything with the car? [01:45:26] Mr. Adelson: That's not what I'm saying. I'm just saying that I know that Sigfredo wasn't the one who killed him. [01:45:34] Speaker 1: Did you say on this recording, if they're a bad guy, there's two ways of dealing with it. Go ahead and contact the police. They'll contact him, the blackmailer, and arrange a setup. Take him down and he'll proffer 10 years and now tell us everything you know or else you're going to serve 10 years in prison. Next thing you know, this person is singing. He's calling out your name. My parents are going to have to say, going to have to tell the story of what happened. Singing about what? About the extortion? [01:46:10] Mr. Adelson: No, I think you're reading it wrong. I know the audible is bad. Are those the words? [01:46:16] Speaker 1: Yes, sir. What would the extortionist, and now I'm referring to the one that contacted your mother. [01:46:21] Mr. Adelson: The Latin king extortion. [01:46:24] Speaker 1: Well, they're both Latin kings, right? [01:46:26] Mr. Adelson: The second extortion. [01:46:29] Speaker 1: What would they have to sing about? [01:46:34] Mr. Adelson: The second extortion would be singing and talking about the first extortion, where they learned their information from. [01:46:41] Speaker 1: Who cares? That doesn't have anything to do with you. [01:46:43] Mr. Adelson: Well, when they catch the first extortion, Katie's tied to them and I'm tied to Katie. They're going to come talk to us and we're going to be in danger when we tell them what happened. So I was saying if they catch the second, they're going to turn in on the first. And that's the same thing I said yesterday. [01:46:58] Speaker 1: You gave very precise instructions to Catherine McBandlaw on what she was to say when she calls the phone number, right? [01:47:08] Mr. Adelson: Yeah. Did you do that? Absolutely. [01:47:10] Speaker 1: And then you say, quote, you'd better kill him because he's going to be a big problem. And he knows who you are. If he can't do it, I'll have someone else do it. Aren't you telling her that if Garcia can't handle this problem and kill whoever's behind this, you will have someone else do it? [01:47:31] Mr. Adelson: You're reading it totally wrong. [01:47:33] Speaker 1: It's a yes or no question, sir. [01:47:34] Mr. Adelson: No, you're wrong. [01:47:35] Speaker 1: When Dan Markell's murder was taking too long to happen, didn't you tell Catherine McBandlaw that if she couldn't get it done, you would find someone else to do it? [01:47:46] Mr. Adelson: No, I've never said that either. [01:47:49] Speaker 1: And then you say in the recording, I'm back to Dolce now. Yeah, and guess what? When the effing police show up and there's a doctor, there's an oral surgeon standing there with a dead gang member in his effing driveway, they're not going to come down too hard on me. So, you knew you'd be believed if you went to the police, right? [01:48:15] Mr. Adelson: I didn't know I'd be believed, but I feared for my life. [01:48:19] Speaker 1: And then you say, so help me God, if they fuck with my family, it's going to be fucking Nazi shit, because this will be done. You know what I'm saying? I mean, Katie, I don't care what I spend, okay? I swear to God. What is Nazi shit? [01:48:36] Mr. Adelson: That's an expression that Katie would use to describe someone that's going crazy. I think the Nazis were absolutely crazy people. So I'm saying, I'm going to get somebody to go crazy on the guy that's trying to extort my mom for money. I'll pay someone to go threaten him and to scare him. I was not talking about killing anybody. [01:48:53] Speaker 1: Well, you say the word kill. Yes? [01:48:56] Mr. Adelson: No. Oh, when you're putting the words in my mouth? Well, we can do that sentence. [01:49:01] Speaker 1: Do you say the word kill? [01:49:03] Mr. Adelson: I'm talking about if Sigfredo's coming after you, he's such a dangerous guy, you'd have to kill him to stop him. That's the only thing you could do. I'm not talking about killing the extorter. I'm talking about second extortion. I'm saying that if Sigfredo's coming after you, the only thing that you could do is you'd have to kill him to stop him. I'm not talking about killing anybody. I'm talking about that's the only way that you could stop Sigfredo from coming after you is you would have to kill him. And that's exactly what I said there. You're wrong. That's exactly what I said. [01:49:34] Speaker 1: All right. Thank you. Nazis kill, right? Isn't that like their primary objective? [01:49:41] Mr. Adelson: No, I think Nazis are insane, crazy people. [01:49:45] Speaker 1: That exterminate, right? [01:49:49] Mr. Adelson: That kill, yes. But they're crazy. And that was an expression she would use, and that's when I used it to her, but basically saying I'm going to have someone go crazy on this guy. I could have used the word crazy. I thought it was interchangeable. [01:50:04] Speaker 1: Isn't what you're doing here in this portion of the tape feeling her out to make sure Garcia doesn't have any bad feelings toward you? [01:50:14] Mr. Adelson: When I said it, yeah, I thought he could have been behind the second extortion. I think I've said that before. [01:50:21] Speaker 1: And you go into, like, how your relationships didn't overlap, you never disrespected him, and you mention that, you know, you don't think that they, I assume you mean these other people, associates that have contacted your mom, would want to mess with his connections. Right? You remember? [01:50:40] Mr. Adelson: You're talking about the copycat extortion. [01:50:42] Speaker 1: Right. And then you ask, if he's too far removed, or can he still make a call? Are you referring to Garcia in that? [01:50:53] Mr. Adelson: Yeah, exactly. [01:50:55] Speaker 1: So can Garcia make a call to try to figure out who this is? [01:50:59] Mr. Adelson: Can Garcia help stop the second extortion? Someone's doing a piggyback extortion on the first. That's exactly what I said. [01:51:09] Speaker 1: On the topic of conversation for Catherine McBanua, don't you say, I look for things to do? I show you, that's the difference. You don't ask me for shit. You said all those things, right? [01:51:20] Mr. Adelson: Absolutely. That's proven. What I've been saying all along is that I didn't think she was part of this. So I was doing things to keep her happy from time to time. Ethan's birthday I brought up there. I gave her $300. I helped her out with the car when her car was broken. For sure. [01:51:36] Speaker 1: And then you say, listen, you giving somebody money is not an admission of any kind of guilt. Would paying the money have made her look guilty? [01:51:45] Mr. Adelson: That's what she was saying to me. She said it's the police. You can't pay the police. They're going to think you were part of a murder, and they're going to arrest you. [01:51:52] Speaker 1: But if it was an extortionist, it could have created a monster, right? [01:51:57] Mr. Adelson: And if you don't pay the extortionist, you could get killed. [01:52:00] Speaker 1: Or you could keep getting extorted. I'm sorry, go ahead. [01:52:03] Mr. Adelson: I said if you don't pay the extortionist, you could get killed, or you could keep getting extorted. [01:52:09] Speaker 1: But your main concern was that if we pay, this guy will think, I'm an ATM machine, right? He'll keep coming back again and again and again. Don't you articulate that to Catherine McBanawha? [01:52:21] Mr. Adelson: If it was an extorter, that was one of the concerns. The other concern was not paying him and getting killed. [01:52:30] Speaker 1: But what you say is, well, I don't remember the quote exactly. The main concern. What I'm most worried about is that they're going to keep coming back for more, right? [01:52:39] Mr. Adelson: I don't remember using the word the main concern. [01:52:42] Speaker 1: But what you don't say in here is like what you or your homies have been doing to me for two years. [01:52:51] Mr. Adelson: Of course not. I don't want her to think I'm setting her up. [01:52:57] Speaker 1: Why are you explaining extortion and how extortion works to Catherine McBanawha? [01:53:06] Mr. Adelson: In there? Yeah. Because I know. [01:53:10] Speaker 1: But she knows too, doesn't she? [01:53:12] Mr. Adelson: So I repeat myself. I do that. [01:53:15] Speaker 1: You also explain it to your mother, how extortion works. And she has known about it for two years too, right? [01:53:22] Mr. Adelson: From what I told her, yeah. I'm reminding her. [01:53:32] Speaker 1: Then you say, if someone's messing with you, they're messing with me. And if someone's messing with me, they're messing with you. It's one and the same, right? [01:53:42] Mr. Adelson: Yes, I said that. [01:53:43] Speaker 1: You're in this together, right? [01:53:44] Mr. Adelson: We're both innocent. [01:53:45] Speaker 1: You were very obviously relieved on the wire when you came to the conclusion that this was law enforcement. Would you agree with that? [01:54:05] Mr. Adelson: Very relieved, yeah. [01:54:06] Speaker 1: All right. And at that same time that on the wire you're expressing relief, or I should say shortly after all the relief expressed on the wire, we've got the arrest of Catherine McBanawha, right? [01:54:25] Mr. Adelson: No. [01:54:26] Speaker 1: No. Okay. Would you agree that it goes relief on the wire, then arrest of Catherine McBanawha? [01:54:35] Mr. Adelson: Do you want to give me dates? Because Catherine was arrested six months later. [01:54:41] Speaker 1: Okay. [01:54:41] Mr. Adelson: The wire was in April. [01:54:43] Speaker 1: Can we agree that you were very relieved on the wire, and that six months later, Catherine McBanawha was arrested? [01:54:50] Mr. Adelson: She was arrested six months later, correct. [01:54:53] Speaker 1: And six months later, after you were completely relieved on the wire, you begin to exhibit these extreme behavior changes that we've heard about. And what is your explanation for that? [01:55:08] Mr. Adelson: Because I thought I'd be falsely arrested. [01:55:20] Speaker 1: Did you encourage Catherine McBanawha to reconcile with Garcia? That's a yes or no. [01:55:37] Mr. Adelson: Yes, for sure I did. [01:55:40] Speaker 1: Was that a good decision for her or a good decision for you? [01:55:48] Mr. Adelson: Neither. [01:55:50] Speaker 1: You've heard your lawyer say that you talk a lot. Do you agree with that? [01:55:56] Mr. Adelson: Yes, I do. [01:55:57] Speaker 1: And you talk a lot on the wire, right? [01:55:59] Mr. Adelson: Yes, I do. [01:56:05] Speaker 1: Do you agree you're not a direct person? [01:56:10] Mr. Adelson: Am I a direct person? [01:56:12] Speaker 1: There's a lot of circular talking on the wire. [01:56:16] Mr. Adelson: However you want to describe my mannerisms of talking, you're welcome to describe them. [01:56:22] Speaker 1: I'll do that in closing. What I'm asking is, do you agree that you are like that? [01:56:28] Mr. Adelson: I think at times I'm direct, for sure. [01:56:31] Speaker 1: Do you have a way of saying things without really saying it? [01:56:36] Mr. Adelson: No. I think I'm pretty direct with things. [01:56:39] Speaker 1: Do you think you can talk your way out of this? [01:56:42] Mr. Adelson: No, I don't. I'm not part of a murder. [01:56:44] Speaker 1: Who are they going to believe, right? An oral surgeon or a gangster? [01:56:49] Mr. Adelson: That's extorting me in my driveway and coming and threatening me? [01:56:53] Speaker 1: You're untouchable, right? [01:56:54] Mr. Adelson: No, I'm not part of this murder. [01:56:57] Speaker 1: There was a lot of talk about going to the police on the wire, which I think we've well established did not happen. But you've always gone to the police before, right? [01:57:07] Mr. Adelson: I've had other things that have gone to the police for you. [01:57:09] Speaker 1: You've gone to the police in reference to something to do with your child's mother? Yes or no? [01:57:16] Mr. Adelson: Yes. [01:57:17] Speaker 1: You've gone to the police when you were threatened to be blackmailed over something with a woman back in 2015. Remember that? [01:57:26] Mr. Adelson: No, I didn't go to the police. [01:57:28] Speaker 1: Did you send a letter from your lawyer indicating that her, describing her actions as an attempted shakedown and indicating that not only will Dr. Adelson never pay a settlement, he will undoubtedly prevail and seek attorney's fees against your client? [01:57:44] Mr. Adelson: Right. That's a civil complaint, and somebody was making an unfounded civil complaint and threatening filing a lawsuit, and an attorney handled the civil complaint. The police were never notified. But it was a civil suit. [01:57:56] Speaker 1: It was somebody trying to shake you down for money. [01:57:58] Mr. Adelson: It was an unfounded claim from a civil suit to me and another dentist that it was involving. [01:58:06] Speaker 1: It was a claim that potentially had criminal implications as well, wasn't it, doctor? [01:58:10] Mr. Adelson: For me? [01:58:11] Speaker 1: Yes. [01:58:12] Mr. Adelson: No. There was never a police investigation with that. [01:58:16] Speaker 1: In 2018, did you report an aggravated assault where a vehicle was driving aggressively and narrowly avoided striking you? [01:58:22] Mr. Adelson: I had a reporter almost kill my 10-week-old puppy dog that I was walking because I was going for a walk in the morning, and he was stalking outside my house. [01:58:31] Speaker 1: In 2018, did you report an aggravated assault where a vehicle was driving aggressively and narrowly avoided striking you? [01:58:39] Mr. Adelson: He was more able to sit my dog, too, but yeah. [01:58:42] Speaker 1: Do your nephews deserve to know the whole truth about who killed their father? [01:58:46] Mr. Adelson: Yeah, now they do. [01:58:48] Speaker 1: Do Danny's parents deserve to know what happened to their son? [01:58:51] Mr. Adelson: Absolutely. [01:58:53] Speaker 1: And you say you knew. I mean, you now say you knew a big piece of what happened, right? [01:58:59] Mr. Adelson: Yes. [01:59:00] Speaker 1: Do you feel bad about not volunteering that to Danny's parents? [01:59:06] Mr. Adelson: I feel a sense of relief that now I was able to tell everybody what finally happened. [01:59:11] Speaker 1: Yesterday. Almost 10 years later, right? [01:59:14] Mr. Adelson: Yeah. [01:59:16] Speaker 1: And that's because you didn't just know a big piece of it. You were a big piece of it, weren't you, doctor? [01:59:22] Mr. Adelson: I was extorted, and I knew a lot, yeah. [01:59:27] Speaker 1: One moment, please, Your Honor.