What Do We Know about the Husband of Accused "Murder for Hire Mastermind," Donna Adelson?

The Adelson family was not the type you would peg for being down and dirty in the criminal underworld. With respected family members who contribute to their community, they were more used to a life of luxury than a life of crime. Or so it seemed.

But in 2014, Florida State University law professor Dan Markel was stalked and murdered by hit men in his Tallahassee garage. Detectives eventually pointed the finger at the family of his ex-wife, Wendi: the Adelsons. And specifically, her brother.

The Adelson matriarch, Donna Adelson, Dan's former mother-in-law, was later accused of being the mastermind behind a "murder for hire" plot, which resulted in Dan's death. But what do we know about Donna's husband, Harvey Adelson? Here's the scoop on the man many believe is getting off far too easily.

So far, Adelson family members who have been implicated in Dan's death include:

• Matriarch Donna Adelson: Dan's former mother-in-law, Wendi's mother, accused of masterminding Dan's death.
• Charlie Adelson: Wendi's brother, currently serving a life sentence for Dan's murder after orchestrating the hit.

The divorce between Dan and Wendi was reportedly very contentious, and Donna's behavior was considered petty and vindictive even before his death. So, where was Wendi's father and Donna's husband, Harvey Adelson, through all of this?

According to The Cinemaholic, Donna and Harvey met in the 1960s in New York City. They fell in love and married in 1971. Harvey worked as a dentist, and Donna worked in elementary school education. They moved to Florida, where they raised their three children: Robert, Charles, and Wendi.

Harvey was never arrested or charged with any crimes in relation to Dan's death.

Some true crime fans believe he's getting off scot-free and may have had more to do with the whole plot than meets the eye. After all, he was with his wife on Nov. 13, 2023, when authorities arrested Donna as she and Harvey tried to flee the country to Vietnam, a country that wouldn't extradite her for criminal charges, per the Miami Herald. Nonetheless, neither Harvey nor Wendi was ever arrested or charged for Dan's murder.

According to the Miami Herald, while the Adelsons seemed like the model upper-class family, everything wasn't completely copacetic. For instance, the couple's eldest child, Robert, lived under threats of being disowned after he fell in love with an Indian-American woman who practiced Hinduism.

Meanwhile, Charlie, convicted of Dan's murder, had some issues. Respected Broward County gynecologist and Florida lawmaker who was a friend of the Adelsons for 40 years, Dr. Ben Graber, told the Herald, "Charlie is a risk taker. I’ve known him since he was 4 years old. He is a playboy. A middle child. He has delusions of grandeur. In his mind, he wants to be James Bond, but he is a periodontist.”

Throughout the trials, as prosecutors attempt to bring those responsible for Dan's death to justice, it seems that the Adelson family's motives were allegedly driven by the fact that they wanted a say in what happened to Dan and Wendi's children. Throughout the contentious divorce and custody battles, Donna seemed eager to get Dan out of the way. Allegedly, her plot with Charlie to hire hit men worked to solve their problems. Until it didn't, of course.

While Wendi, Robert, and Harvey appear to be on the outside looking in, Donna's ongoing trial and Charlie's conviction are signs that the family had some serious skeletons in their closet, skeletons that were placed on the stand as Dan's legacy turned into being about justice and revelation.