Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Charlie Adelson Fights For New Trial in Death of Dan Markel | Crime Alert 6AM 01.12.26

Episode Date: January 12, 2026

The 1st District Court of Appeal has decided to hold oral arguments in the case of Charlie Adelson, who is seeking a retrial after being convicted for his role in the 2014 murder-for-hire of law professor Dan Markel. A 24-year-old man from Mississippi has been charged with the murder of six individuals, including his father, brother, uncle, and a 7-year-old cousin.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crime alert, I'm Nancy Grace. Convicted killer Charlie Adelson back in court February 3, the first time in over a year. He's one of five convicted in the murder for hire of his brother-in-law, FSU law professor Dan Markell. Since Charlie Adelson's verdict, another member of the wealthy South Florida family convicted, the matriarch, Grandma Donna Adelson. In Charlie Adelson's appeal, his attorney alleges four issues that prevented his clinton. from receiving a fair trial. Nancy, the first district court of appeal has decided to hold oral arguments in the case of Charlie Adelson. He's seeking a retrial after being convicted for his role in the 2014 murder for hire of Law Professor Dan Markell. Adelson's appellate

attorneys Michael Uferman and Laurel Niles from Tallahassee, Florida, filed a request for oral arguments in November emphasizing that the appeal raises, quote, significant constitution issues related to his right to a fair trial and the adequate presentation of his defense. The court's notice indicated that both Adelson's legal team and representatives from the Florida Attorney General's Office will each have 20 minutes to present their arguments, which may include time reserved for rebuttals. However, Adelson will not be present in the courtroom. The Attorney General's Office clarified that incarcerated appellants are not permitted to attend oral arguments, which are generally open to the public.

Markell was shot and killed in his Benton Hills residence in 2014 shortly after his divorce from Wendy Adelson and a year after a judge denied her request to relocate to South Florida with their two children. A situation prosecutors cited as a motive for the crime. Charlie Adelson was the first family member to be charged in connection with the murder following the convictions of two hired hitmen from Miami and a former girlfriend who served as an intermediary. His mother, Donna Adelson, was found guilty of conspiracy in relation to the murder plot last year. Wendy Adelson has consistently denied any involvement and has not faced charges, although prosecutors regard her as an unindicted co-conspirator.

In May, Charlie's appellate attorneys filed a brief asking the first DCA to overturn his convictions and grant him a new trial arguing the Leon Circuit Judge Stephen Everett made a mistake by rejecting a defense motion for a change of venue due to a perceived bias in the jury pool, stemming from extensive media coverage. The state's attorney countered in their response brief claiming that Charlie had effectively waived his venue motion by accepting the jury members without objection.

Currently, Charlie is incarcerated in a South Dakota prison having been moved there due to extortion threats. in Florida. Meanwhile, Donna Adelson, who is also appealing her conviction, is serving her sentenced at Homestead Correctional Institution. Nicole, thank you. More crime and justice news after this. And now to Mississippi, a 24-year-old man has been charged with the murder of six people, including his father, brother, uncle, a seven-year-old cousin, a church pastor, and a pastor's brother during a violent spree across three locations on Friday. night, according to law enforcement.

Derica Moore was arrested at a police checkpoint in Cedar Bluff just before midnight, following a significant presence of local state and federal officers in the northeast region of Mississippi. As of Saturday, Moore is being held without bond at the Clay County Jail in West Point on murder charges with an initial court appearance expected today. Clay County District Attorney Scott Colum indicated that he plans to seek the death penalty and that more will likely be assigned to public defender. Should the charges be escalated to capital murder before the court date, more would not be eligible for bail under state law.

During a press conference, Clay County Sheriff Eddie Scott stated that evidence and testimonies suggest more acted alone and no other injuries have been reported in relation to the incident. Investigators are continuing to question more, but a motive for the killing remains unknown at this time in a situation like, like this, it's heartbreaking to see a family member turn against their own people, he remarked, expressing hope that the investigation will uncover reasons behind the tragedy. The shootings occurred in a rural area characterized by fields, forest, and modest homes, about 125 miles northeast of Jackson. Authorities believe that Moore initially killed his 67-year-old father, Glenn Moore,

then his brother, 33-year-old Quentin Moore, his uncle, 55-year-old William Gaines, all at their mobile home located on a dirt road in western Clay County. According to the sheriff, Moore then took his brother's truck and traveled a short distance to his cousin's home, where he entered by force and attempted to commit sexual assault. During this encounter, he tragically shot and killed a seven-year-old girl whose identity has not been released. The sheriff remarked, I cannot fathom, a motive for killing a child. Witnesses also reported that Moore aimed a gun at a younger child's head, but she was not harmed. It remains uncertain whether the gun misfired or if he chose not to pull the trigger. That's how brutal the situation is, Scott added. At the time, the mother and another child were also present in the home.

Moore subsequently made his way to the Apostolic Church of the Lord Jesus, where he allegedly broke into a residence and murdered the pastor, the Reverend Barry Bradley and his brother Samuel, before stealing, one of their cars. According to Scott, the Bradley's primarily resided in nearby Columbus, but spent weekends at the church, and some of Moore's relatives attended that same congregation. Moore was arrested at a roadblock around 1124 p.m., roughly four and a half hours after the first shots were fired. Colum confirmed that Moore was in possession of both a rifle and a handgun. The state medical examiner is conducting autopsies on the victims. Sheriff Scott noted that Moore's

surviving family members are in deep shock and mourning. For the latest, crime and justice news, go to crimeonline.com, and please join us for our daily podcast, crime stories, where we do our best to find missing people, especially children, and help solve unsolved homicides. With this crime alert, I'm Nancy Grace. This is an I-Heart podcast, guaranteed human.