Phil and Ruth Markel are the Toronto-based parents of Dan Markel, the Florida State University law professor shot dead in his Tallahassee garage on July 18, 2014. In the years since the murder-for-hire orchestrated by members of their former daughter-in-law’s family, Dan Markel’s parents have traveled repeatedly from Canada to Florida for hearings and trials, delivered victim impact statements at multiple sentencings, pushed a landmark grandparent-visitation bill through the Florida Legislature, and fought to keep a relationship with their two grandsons.
A Decade in Florida Courtrooms
Phil and Ruth, who are separated, have attended investigation updates, hearings, and every major trial in the case, often flying in from Toronto. Dan’s sister Shelly Markel has been alongside them, sitting through every day of testimony during Charlie Adelson’s trial with her mother.1WCTV. Markel Family Reflects on Charlie Adelson’s Murder Conviction
Five people have now been convicted in connection with Dan’s death: hitmen Luis Rivera and Sigfredo Garcia, intermediary Katherine Magbanua, and Charlie and Donna Adelson, the brother and mother of Dan’s ex-wife Wendi Adelson. Wendi, whom prosecutors treat as an unindicted co-conspirator, has never been charged and has testified under immunity.2Tallahassee Democrat. Donna Adelson Trial: More Arrests Coming in Dan Markel Murder
At Charlie Adelson’s December 2023 sentencing, Phil spoke by Zoom in a statement that left the courtroom in tears. He described his son’s “incredible intelligence, energy, and warmth,” and the sleepless nights that followed the murder. “Many nights I wake up in the middle of the night in terrible sweat with thoughts of Dan’s murder and all that has happened. I miss him with all my heart,” he said. He closed with a line that has come to define the family’s public posture: “Both Ruth and I are approaching 80 years of age. The wheels of justice turn very slowly, but so far, we are grateful they are still turning.”3Florida Politics. Charlie Adelson Gets Life Sentence Judge Stephen Everett sentenced Charlie Adelson to life in prison plus 60 consecutive years.
Both parents spoke at Donna Adelson’s October 13, 2025, sentencing, after a jury found her guilty on September 4, 2025, of first-degree murder, conspiracy, and solicitation. Ruth told the court, “We have lost a treasure,” and described 11 years of “unimaginable pain.” Phil was blunter. “Their hideous and callous actions have left me and Ruth without our Danny,” he said, and addressing Donna directly: “For Donna, I wish her to live to 120, alone, in her jail cell. My only question to Donna is, was it worth it?”4Tallahassee Democrat. Donna Adelson Trial Verdict Donna Adelson received life without the possibility of parole, plus 30 consecutive years on the conspiracy and solicitation counts.5CNN. Donna Adelson Sentencing
When Donna and Harvey Adelson used the same hearing to maintain Donna’s innocence and to claim the Markels had lied about being denied contact with the grandchildren, the family issued a written response calling those statements “disrespectful and delusional.”6Court TV. Markel Family Responds to Donna Adelson’s Statements
The Fight to See Their Grandsons
Dan’s two sons, Benjamin and Lincoln, were raised by Wendi Adelson in South Florida after the murder. In July 2015, she legally changed their surnames from Markel to Adelson, a decision she later testified was prompted by media scrutiny.7Tallahassee Democrat. Donna Adelson Booked Into Leon County Jail
Phil and Ruth had regular personal visits with the boys until after Sigfredo Garcia’s arrest in 2016. According to Wendi Adelson’s then-attorney John Lauro, contact was suspended after a leaked email between Ruth and prosecutor Georgia Cappleman surfaced, discussing a “backup emergency safety plan” for the children that included the possibility of foster care in the event of further arrests. The Markels have said their discussions were limited to safety planning, driven by concerns that Adelson family members were implicated in the murder.8WFSU. Florida Grandparent Visitation Rights Bill Targets Dan Markel Murder Case
At Charlie Adelson’s sentencing, Phil told the court the family had been denied visits for six years and had only two supervised visits in the two years before the hearing. The family’s invitation to Benjamin’s 2022 bar mitzvah had been revoked. “Not only have I lost my son, but I have effectively lost two of my grandkids as well,” he said. “Even their family names have been changed from Markel to Adelson.”3Florida Politics. Charlie Adelson Gets Life Sentence
As of September 2025, Benjamin was 16 and Lincoln was nearly 15, still in Florida with their mother. Ruth said the family had secured some visitation under the Markel Act but described the interactions as “very, very brief” and “highly choreographed,” conducted through Wendi Adelson’s devices with no direct email or unmediated contact. Wendi reportedly would not share her home address, so the Markels sent mail and gifts through her attorney’s office.9The CJN. Slain Law Professor Dan Markel’s Canadian Family Hopes for More Time With His Kids6Court TV. Markel Family Responds to Donna Adelson’s Statements
The Markel Act
Before the Markels’ advocacy, Florida offered almost no path for grandparents to petition for visitation. Grandparents could only ask a court for visits if both parents were deceased, missing, or in a permanent vegetative state, or if one parent met those conditions while the other had been convicted of a violent felony. Even then, the petitioner had to prove the surviving parent was unfit and posed a significant risk to the child.10The Florida Bar. DeSantis Signs Grandparents’ Rights Measure
Ruth worked with family friend and lobbyist Karen Halperin Cyphers and with Florida lawmakers, including Senator Jeff Brandes and later Senator Keith Perry and Representative Jackie Toledo, to draft legislation targeting what she called “grandparent alienation.” An initial 2020 effort failed. HB 1119, known as the Markel Act, passed the Florida House 112-3 on February 24, 2022, and the Senate 37-0 on March 9, 2022. Governor Ron DeSantis signed it into law on June 24, 2022.10The Florida Bar. DeSantis Signs Grandparents’ Rights Measure
The law creates a rebuttable presumption that grandparent or step-grandparent visitation is appropriate when one parent has been found criminally liable for the death of the other, or civilly liable for an intentional act causing that death. A court can overcome the presumption only by finding that visitation is not in the best interest of the child. At the time DeSantis signed the bill, no criminal or civil finding had been made against Wendi Adelson, so the statute did not immediately apply to the Markels’ own situation. Supporters framed it as both a mechanism for future families and, in the words of one advocate, “a powerful disincentive for families to see murder as a workable solution to custody disputes.”11Florida Politics. Gov. DeSantis Signs Markel Act Giving Grandparents Visitation Rights
Ruth Markel’s Memoir and Broader Work
Ruth is the president of RNM Enterprises, a management consulting firm, with four decades of senior management experience in the public and private sectors, and previously worked for Jewish Family Services in Montreal.12David Lat’s Substack. The Dan Markel Case: An Interview In September 2022, she published The Unveiling: A Mother’s Reflection on Murder, Grief, and Trial Life through Post Hill Press. The memoir chronicles her experience as a “homicide survivor,” the years of hearings, and the fight to see her grandchildren.13Porchlightbooks.com. The Unveiling She has appeared on Dateline NBC, 20/20, Inside Edition, and Court TV to discuss the case.
In April 2023, Ruth received the Agnes Furey Victim/Survivor of the Year Award from the Big Bend Victim Assistance Coalition, nominated by Assistant State Attorney Georgia Cappleman and Victim Assistance Program Director Helene Potlock. The award recognized her legislative work on the Markel Act and her engagement with law enforcement throughout the investigation.14Florida Politics. Ruth Markel Wins Victim Survivor of the Year Award She also launched the Dan Markel Fund through Hillel Ontario to support work against antisemitism on Canadian university campuses, commemorating Dan, who would have turned 50 in 2022.15The CJN. Ruth Markel Unveiling
Where the Family Stands Now
On the 10th anniversary of Dan’s murder in July 2024, Phil and Ruth released a joint statement calling their son “a brilliant scholar, a loving son and brother and, most importantly, an adoring and devoted father to his two young boys.” They thanked the supporters, law enforcement, and reporters who had “traveled this painful road alongside us,” and closed: “While nothing will ever repair the hole torn in our hearts when Danny was stolen from us, we appreciate all those near and far who have joined our family in seeking justice, and in keeping Danny’s blessed memory alive.”16Tallahassee Democrat. Dan Markel’s Parents Issue Statement on 10th Anniversary of Fatal Shooting
The case is not finished. Charlie Adelson’s appeal is pending before the First District Court of Appeal, which heard oral arguments in February 2026; he is serving his sentence in a South Dakota prison after a transfer from Florida over extortion threats.17Tallahassee Democrat. Oral Arguments Set in Charlie Adelson Appeal in Dan Markel Murder Donna Adelson filed a notice of appeal in November 2025 from the Homestead Correctional Institution.18Court TV. Donna Adelson Phil and Ruth Markel, now in their eighties, continue to travel for the proceedings.