佛罗里达州塔拉哈西佛罗里达州塔拉哈西(美联社)唐娜·埃德森周一，因在2014年扮演的角色，南佛罗里达州一个富裕家庭的女家长被判终身监禁，她被判雇佣杀害前女婿雇凶杀人关于丹尼尔·马克尔.
作为佛罗里达州立大学(Florida State University)著名的法学教授，马克尔于2014年在塔拉哈西的家中被枪杀，当时他正与前妻阿德尔森的女儿陷入激烈的监护权之争。
75岁的阿德尔森被判有罪上个月的一级谋杀，阴谋和教唆长达一周的审判。她因谋杀指控被判无期徒刑，不得假释，另外两项罪名加判30年，连续服刑。阿德尔森已经承诺上诉。
在塔拉哈西法庭宣判前的一份情绪激动的声明中，阿德尔森发誓她是无辜的，并认为她的审判是误判，她说陪审团受到了多年负面媒体报道的不当影响。
“丹尼的遭遇是不可原谅的。但我是一个无辜的女人，在没有证据的情况下被判犯下这种可怕的罪行，”阿德尔森说。
“我一直尊重法律。我从未收到过停车罚单，但我将因为一桩我没有犯下的谋杀案而入狱，”她补充道。
巡回法官斯蒂芬·埃弗雷特多次打断阿德尔森，警告她这些陈述显示了他所谓的对犯罪“完全缺乏悔意”。
当埃弗里特宣布判决时，戴着镣铐，穿着紫色囚衣的埃德森聚精会神地站着。“你当然可以选择否认你的参与，并保持清白。法院认为本案的证据是清楚的，”埃弗雷特说。
十多年来，这起案件吸引了佛罗里达州的人们，其中涉及一场混乱的离婚、与富有的姻亲的紧张关系以及导致谋杀的监护权之争等肮脏的细节。
阿德尔森是第五个被控密谋杀害马克尔的人。在那些因谋杀而被判无期徒刑的人中，有阿德尔森的儿子查尔斯·阿德尔森。
在审判中，检察官将唐娜·埃德森描述为一个富裕的南佛罗里达家庭的精心策划和控制的女家长，她有手段和动机策划杀害她“讨厌”的前女婿。
辩护律师坚持认为，州政府没有足够的证据将年迈的祖母与谋杀阴谋联系起来，而是强调了其他人扮演的角色，并将怀疑投向了埃德森的两个成年子女。温迪·埃德森否认参与并没有被起诉。
Matriarch sentenced to life in prison for hired killing of her ex-son-in-law
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. --TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) —Donna Adelson, the matriarch of a wealthy South Florida family who was convicted in the hired killing of her former son-in-law, was sentenced Monday to life in prison for her role in the 2014murder-for-hireofDaniel Markel.
A prominent Florida State University law professor, Markel was locked in a bitter custody battle with his ex-wife, Adelson's daughter, when he was gunned down in 2014 at his home in Tallahassee.
Adelson, 75, wasfound guiltylast month of first-degree murder, conspiracy and solicitation after aweekslong trial. She was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the murder charge, with an additional 30 years for the other two counts, to be served consecutively. Adelson has pledged to appeal.
In an emotional statement ahead of the sentencing in a Tallahassee courtroom, Adelson swore she was innocent and cast her trial as a miscarriage of justice, overseen by a jury she said was unduly swayed by years of negative media coverage.
“What happened to Danny is unforgivable. But I am an innocent woman convicted of this terrible crime without evidence,” Adelson said.
“I've always respected the law. I've never gotten a parking ticket, But I'm going to prison for a murder I did not commit,” she added.
Circuit Judge Stephen Everett interrupted Adelson multiple times, warning her the statements showed what he termed an “utter lack of remorse" for the crime.
Shackled and dressed in a purple jail jumpsuit, Adelson stood attentively while Everett handed down the sentence. “You certainly can choose to deny your involvement and maintain innocence. The court finds the evidence in this case is clear,” Everett said.
The case had captivated people in Florida for more than a decade amid sordid details of a messy divorce, tensions with wealthy in-laws and custody fights leading to the killing.
Adelson was the fifth person sentenced for what prosecutors say was a plot to kill Markel. Among those already serving a life sentence for the killing is Adelson’s son, Charles Adelson.
At trial, prosecutors had painted Donna Adelson as the calculated and controlling matriarch of an affluent South Florida family with the means and motive to orchestrate the killing of the ex-son-in-law she “hated.”
Defense attorneys insisted the state didn’t have sufficient evidence to link the aging grandmother to the murder plot, instead emphasizing the roles played by others and casting suspicion on two of Adelson’s adult children. Wendi Adelsondenied involvementin the killing and has not been charged.
