More than one decade after Dan Markel was killed in a murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by his former brother-in-law and mother-in-law, the crime will be documented in the Hulu docuseries Welcome to the Family: The Murder of Dan Markel.
Markel, who was once a prominent legal scholar, was fatally shot two times in the garage of his Tallahassee, Florida, home on July 18, 2014.
Ahead of the docuseries’ premiere on September 1, 2026, Us breaks down everything to know about Markel’s murder, the outcome of the trial and more.
What Happened to Dan Markel?
Markel’s murder stemmed from his divorce from ex-wife Wendi Adelson, with whom he shared two sons.
Adelson filed for divorce in 2012 and expressed her hopes to move their sons to South Florida so that they could be closer to her parents and brother. However, a judge denied her request and forced her and her sons to stay in Tallahassee.
The custody battle continued to escalate, which worsened Markel’s relationship with Wendi’s mom, Donna Adelson.
Just months before he died, Markel filed a motion in court to prevent Donna from having unsupervised visits with his sons after she allegedly “disparaged” him in front of the children.
The issue was never resolved in court, and Markel was shot twice in the head while he was in his car inside the garage of his home on July 18, 2014.
Who Killed Dan Markel?
Gunman Sigfredo Garcia, getaway driver Luis Rivera and Katherine Magbanua were arrested in connection to Markel’s death two years after he was killed. (Magbanua was previously in a relationship with Wendi’s brother, Charlie Adelson).
Magbanua testified that Charlie had asked her to help arrange the hit, so she turned to ex Sigfredo for help, according to WCTV. They then came up with a plan to kill Markel in exchange for money, and she claimed Charlie paid her on the night of the murder.
Rivera pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of second-degree murder, and he agreed to testify in exchange for a reduced sentence. Meanwhile, Sigfredo was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in 2019.
Magbanua’s first trial ended in deadlock, but she was later convicted of murder, conspiracy and solicitation. She was then sentenced to life in prison.
Charlie Adelson and Donna Adelson Orchestrated Dan Markel’s Death
Charlie was arrested in 2022 for orchestrating the killing, and he was charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation of murder.
He was convicted in 2023 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus two consecutive 30-year terms for orchestrating the murder-for-hire plot.
Donna was arrested in 2023 at the Miami International Airport as she tried to flee the country. At the time, prosecutors argued that she had arranged and paid for the hitmen to kill Markel so that Wendi could move closer to their family.
She was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy for first-degree murder and solicitation for first-degree murder, and later sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 30 consecutive years.
