Hidden True Crime - Undercover Ops & Phone Records EXPOSED! | Donna Adelson Trial Day 4 Recap
Episode Date: August 28, 2025Day 4 of the Donna Adelson trial dove deeper into the digital blueprint of murder. Prosecutors showed cell records, GPS logs, and rare landline calls linking Donna, Charlie, and Katherine to the hitme...n before and after Dan Markel’s killing. The state argued “Dad’s birthday present” was code for murder, while jurors heard FBI agents break down the 2016 “bump” sting that rattled Donna and exposed her secret calls with Charlie. FULL BACKSTORY- Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-true-crime/id1521619380?i=1000670853208 Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/episode/2VGAg7V4owkukkAG8SgNFZ?si=8oxZ2529QP28a_gHMTrpvA About Hidden True Crime: What started as a simple conversation at their dinner table became a captivating podcast. Join the dynamic duo of Dr. John Matthias, a criminal psychologist, and Lauren Matthias, an investigative journalist, as they delve into the psychological facets of unthinkable crimes every week. Their unique perspectives and in-depth analysis offer a fresh take on true crime storytelling. Thank you for your support through sponsorships, subscribing, listening, and becoming a Patreon member at Patreon.com/HiddenTrueCrime Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcript
Discussion (0)
Lately, I've been trying to be more intentional about what I wear, intentional about everything,
just choosing pieces that feel effortless, still put together, timeless, but also not overthinking it
every morning. It's why I keep going back to quince. Their pieces just make getting dressed
easier and I feel so classy. I feel elevated. The fits are flattering. The fabric is really
high quality. Everything is wearable day to day. I actually got this really, really,
beautiful yellow V-neck midi dress from them, and I paired it with some Italian leather sandals.
It's one of those outfits that just works. It feels polished but still comfortable. It's exactly
what I've been looking for. What surprises me, though, is the quality for the price. Quince uses
premium materials like European linen, organic cotton, but they cut out the middleman. So
everything is priced way lower than you'd expect. Refresh.
your every day with luxury you can actually use. Head to quince.com slash hidden true crime for free shipping
on your order and 365 day returns. That's quince, quince, q-u-in-c-com slash hidden true crime for
free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com slash hidden true crime. At my bank, I was literally
getting pennies using wallfront. Cheching, there's this much that I'm getting an interest and
I didn't have to do anything. Clients like Angela,
earn up to 4.2% APY on their cash with the Wealthfront cash account. Get started at Wealthfront.com.
Client was paid $1,000 for their testimonial, creating a conflict of interest. Outcomes vary.
3.3% base APII as of January 30th, 20206,000, and earned on funds swept to program banks.
0.65% new client boost for three months on up to $150,000.
Direct deposit $1,000 a month and fund an investing account for a 0.25% increase.
Cash account offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC, member FINRA, SIPC, not a bank.
Hello, Hidden Gems. How is everyone doing today?
It's been a big day for those of you that follow.
the Emmanuel Harrow case, you know that I just put out a video with an update on that.
In addition, I caught up with the day four of the Donna Adelson trial because I am going to
continue bringing you nightly, daily updates of everything that happens in court because it is
hard to listen sometimes to every day of trial with all the sidebars and the breaks.
So right here, a hidden true crime, hit subscribe, hit notifications, and like this video if you appreciate these updates and these daily recaps because it helps us get into the algorithm and it just helps us to know we're on the right track that this is something you appreciate.
And we will continue bringing these daily updates of this trial.
So again, day four of the Donna Adelson trial continued where yesterday left off.
Donna, the family matriarch, is accused of plotting the murder of her former son-in-law, Dan Markel.
And the testimony is slowly untangling the complicated web of conspiracy.
For those that are new to this case, I have an entire backstory and it is pinned in the comments, as well as the chat.
Sergeant Corbett returned to the stand as the prosecution continued their direct engagement.
examination, walking the jury through a detailed trail of cell records, tower hits, and phone
data that tie the Adelson family's communications to the day Dan Markell was killed.
Prosecutor Sarah Dugan focused on June 14th presenting evidence that places Catherine near a comfort
rent a car location at the same time, Sigfredo rented a silver Nissan Ultima.
Phone records and rental logs tie the June.
2014 trip directly to Sigfredo and Luis, while Sigfredo picked up the rental in Miami,
Catherine's phone pings confirm her presence at the rental location on June 2.
Hours later, Sigfredo receives a traffic citation in the rental, which logs him into law enforcement systems and officially links him to the vehicle.
By the following day, records show Sigfredo swapped the silver Nissan for a blue Hyundai Santana.
sell side data and GPS records further tied Siegfredo and Luis to the events leading up to Dan's murder as well.
And both McFredo's phone and the Hyundai Sonata's GPS show them near Winthrop Park,
just a short distance from Dan Street, confirming that they scouted out the area in the days before the fatal July trip.
Surveillance footage also matched the data showing the team keeping watch on Dan in advance of the
the planned attack. On the evening of June 2nd, 2014 at 9.43 p.m., Catherine ended a 25-minute call with Charlie,
a 25-minute call with Charlie. And within a minute, Charlie called the Adelson family landline,
staying on the phone for another 25 minutes. Out of 1,378 communications between Charlie and his
parents out of all of those, only 28 calls were ever made to that landline, making this
call pattern notable. Jurs were shown a series of emails and texts from 2013 to 2014 that
demonstrated the relentless pressure and coordination behind the conspiracy. Donna had emailed Wendy
calling relocation non-negotiable and referred to Dan as a, quote, royal
jackass, while text to Charlie revealed her venting over stress affecting Harvey's blood pressure.
And on June 2nd, the call chain began at 8.57 p.m. with Charlie calling Catherine near the comfort
rental, followed by a 9.17 p.m. call when Catherine left and contacted Charlie again. At 9.43 p.m.
Charlie called the Adelson family landline for 25 minutes. Then exchange calls with Harvey between 10
16 and 1027 p.m. And this chain maps the conspiracy in real time. Thickfredo rents the car.
Catherine contacts Charlie. Charlie loops in his parents and Harvey joins in. And by June 4th,
Luis's phone and the GPS from the Hyundai Sonata show him near Winthrop Park again,
across from Dan Markell's street. Surveillance footage aligns with his 2000.
2016 confession that he was casing Dan prior to the murder.
And over June 4th through 5th, his phone shows him traveling back south.
And by 1247 a.m. on June 6th, his phone is back in Miami.
The timeline of travel confirms that Sigfredo and Louise did not linger in Tallahassee,
which supports the prosecution's case that the trip was tightly planned.
It was tightly executed.
And their plot, what they executed and planned was to murder Dan Markell.
During the June trip, call patterns revealed a clear structure of communication along among the conspirators.
Donna frequently called Charlie, who in turn maintained constant contact with Catherine.
Catherine then relayed active updates to Sigfredo, while Luis only stayed in the loop through
Sigfredo. And this pattern mirrors a, quote, hub and spoke model of conspiracy. Donna, applying
family pressure at the top, Charlie serving as the hub, Catherine as the link, and Sigfredo and
Louise functioning as the outer spokes. Dugan also highlighted the use of coded language, focusing on a
message sent June 7th the day after Sigfredo and Louise returned from Tallahassee without completing
the mission. Charlie texted Donna that he was, quote, still working on dad's birthday present, to which
Donna replies she knew it was a, quote, tough beat, end quote. That's the same phrase that had appeared
months earlier when Donna instructed Charlie to erase this text. Remember that? We went over that
yesterday suggesting deliberate secrecy. The state argues that dad's birthday present was code for murder.
And its repeated use after the surveillance trips strengthens the theory that Donna was actively
tracking progress rather than merely talking about a gift for Harvey's birthday.
And on July 3rd, Donna sent Evite invitations for Harvey's July 5th birthday party.
Notably, Wendy and her children were listed under the name Edelson, not Markell,
even though Dan Markell was still alive.
Donna wasn't just the host.
She handled the invitations, organized the event, and served.
as the main contact. The party took place just two weeks, two weeks before Dan's murder.
The following morning, July 6th, Wendy texted Dan asking, quote, are you in Tallahassee, July 14th through 18th?
Can I have the kids on the 16th? End quote. And then Dan, Markell replied yes. But wait for it.
Those dates aligned precisely with the killers July rental and Dan's events.
eventual murder on July 18th.
And what makes this text from Donna to Dan asking if he's around and and if she can
have the kids, what makes this more suspicious is that custody schedule emails show that
Wendy already had July 16th reserved under a standing order, making this ask completely
unnecessary by Donna.
Dugan framed this communication as another form of surveillance meant to confirm.
whether Dan would be in town when the killers returned.
Would he be there when the killers returned?
Will this be a tightly executed and planned trip?
And on July 11th, Donna emailed Wendy about the Best Buy Geek Squad TV repair,
telling her that if she couldn't keep the July 18th 8 a.m.
to noon appointment, she should reschedule.
And on July 14th, text messages show Charlie and Catherine
arranging a late night meeting.
And by 9.27 p.m. Charlie's phone pinged near Catherine's residence. And hours later, she called Sigfredo.
The communication chain demonstrates the conspiracy in motion on the eve of the Prius rental.
Then on July 15, Sigfredo first contacts comfort rental before switching to another company called SafeGas, where Luis rents the Prius at 6.15 p.m., the vehicle that would become the murder car.
notably, Siegfredo doesn't conceal Luis's name on the rental.
Right after the Prius rental, on July 15th, Catherine and Charlie spoke for about 10 minutes at 636 p.m.
And shortly after, Charlie called his parents landline for 22 minutes at 7.30 p.m.
And again, for 11 minutes at 7.54 p.m.
Harvey's own cell records indicate he wasn't home during those calls, during one of those calls, only one of those calls, excuse me, suggesting Charlie,
was likely speaking directly with Donna.
By July 16th through 17th,
Sigfretto and Luis traveled from Miami in the Prius,
the murder car, with cell site and GPS data
showing them in Tallahassee early on July 17th,
consistent with the same stakeout pattern
near Trescott Drive in June.
And the night before the murder,
Charlie called Donna twice at 1018 and at 1029 p.m.,
followed by a string of late-night calls
between Sigfredo
and Catherine and Charlie and Catherine at 1234 a.m. and 103 a.m. Charlie then called Donna
again at 102 a.m. keeping the conspiracy chain alive and well. On the morning of July 18th,
Donna sent Wendy a text confirming that the Geek Squad crew was on their way to repair the TV,
which the state believes is a cover for the planned attack. Wendy and Dan exchanged messages
around 904 a.m. and argued over pick up times for the
kids and by then, Sycredo and Louise were already following Dan.
At 9.19 a.m., Wendy spoke with Charlie for 18 minutes, and shortly after, she softened
her tone with Dan, allowing him to keep the boys until 4.30 p.m. How kind of her. And within the
hour, though, Dan was shot in his garage. Later that day, Wendy stopped at ABC Liquor at 1249 p.m.
By passing closer stores and attempting to drive.
past the crime scene. Even though she saw police tape on Truscott, she did not call Dan
to make sure everything was okay. That evening, Sikfredo and Louise were back in Miami and around
9.42 p.m. Catherine's phone pinged at Louise's home after dropping her children off at a friend's
place. Dugan highlighted a clear pattern that I think we're all seeing clearly as well. Car rental,
coordinated landline calls. The murder it's
itself and the post-mur-cash meeting. On the night of July 18th, Catherine's phone ping
near Louise's residence at 9.46 p.m., consistent with Siegfredo also being present.
Her communication with Sycfretto stopped once she arrived, suggesting she joined them inside.
At 10.12 p.m., Catherine called Charlie with her last cell record in Sycfretto's area,
aligning with a 10.20 p.m. call. Dugan used these overlapping records to show
Catherine relaying information from the hitman while keeping Charlie informed.
Earlier landline calls in the plot add further wait as they were rare and precisely timed
with the vehicle rentals and other movements.
Texts from Charlie's E. Cloud also provided context for the night of the murder.
At 8.22 p.m. Catherine asked, quote, you still at work? Charlie replied, just finishing,
not really feeling good. Maybe we can hang out at my house.
end quote. And on July 18th, at 7.04 p.m., Wendy called Donna from the Tallahassee Police Department to report that Dan had been shot. Within minutes, Donna texted Charlie saying, call us ASAP. By 8.m., Donna and Harvey were on the move, leaving South Beach, sell records, trace their travel, and at 8.59 p.m., Donna texted Charlie, outside your house. This text places Donna directly. A.
Charlie's home the night of the murder.
The cell data suggests she could have spent 30 to 60 minutes there.
Charlie replied about 20 minutes later with the 10-minute text, and Cell Tower data confirms
he arrived home around 9.40 p.m. overlapping with Donna for an estimated half hour.
On the night of July 18th, Charlie checked in with Donna at 11.56 p.m. texting,
did you get to your hotel okay?
Love you.
Donna replied with her Hilton Inn travel details.
Sergeant Corbett reconstructed Donna's July 18th route from North Miami to the 10.53 p.m.
Tower hit in July 2024.
His drive took about one hour and four minutes while Donna's phone records showed two hours and
21 minutes, a discrepancy of 77 minutes.
And that missing hour aligns with her estimated time at Charlie's home after the murder.
Corbett confirmed his timing with Department of Transportation.
Mapping Software, supporting the state's narrative that Donna wasn't just delayed by traffic,
she had a significant amount of unaccounted time.
The morning after, on July 19th, Catherine's phoneed pink south from Charlie's house at 9.44 a.m.
She immediately tried to reach Siegfredo, but his phone was dead and never reconnected,
a move consistent with post-crime cleanup.
Between 947 and 10.20 a.m., a flurry of missed calls occurred.
Siegfredo never responded, but by 1031 a.m., both Catherine and Sycredo's
phones pinged at his house.
Luis later stated he located Sikfredo at a girl's house and brought him back.
These failed attempts to contact Sikfretto helped build the state's timeline with his phone
being off the grid while others remained active.
Yeah, that's definitely always suss.
And by 2016, law enforcement moved from historical data to real-time monitoring through a
wire tap authorized by a judge.
Calls from Charlie and Catherine's phones were mirrored to law enforcement servers capturing
live numbers, tower hits, and audio.
Agents muted mundane conversation while trying to decipher coded talk.
On the wire, Charlie claimed he didn't know Sigfredo's nickname was Tuttoe, but ICloud text
with Catherine proved he had actually typed out that nickname, referring to Sigfredo before.
So, nice try.
On April 19th, 2016, an undercover agent made contact with Donna on the street in what the state calls the bump.
And within 20 minutes, Donna's first call wasn't to Wendy or Harvey.
It was to Charlie, giving the jury a clear view once again of who she turned to under pressure, Charlie.
Fast forward to November 15, 2023.
Donna is arrested.
Forensic evidence shows she and Wendy exchanged texts discussing Charlie's trial as it unfolded.
which the state says that it shows that even years later,
Donna remained entangled in the cover-up all the way up until 2023.
And the defense, though, objected the state referencing Charlie's testimony from his own trial.
After a sidebar, court took a break for lunch.
Before I switched to Wellfront, my APY was probably 0.1.
Once I switched to Ching, with a Wellfront cash account,
earn up to 4.2% APY on your cash.
I can trust Wellfront is taking care of me.
Make your money earn more. Get started at Wealthfront.com. Clients were paid $1,000 for their
testimonials, creating a conflict of interest. How comes very. 3.3%. 3.5%. As a pay pay-fey-y as
January 30th, 2026, is representative variable and earned on funds swept to program banks.
0.65,000 new client for $150,000. Direct deposit $1,000 a $1,000 a $1,000,000
and fund an investing account for a point $1,000,000,000 increase. Cash
Up contract L-LC, member FINRA, SIPC, not a bank. At my bank, I was literally getting pennies
using Welfront. Meet Angela, a wealthfront cash account client since 2023.
I lost my job, not having something else lined up yet. I would
was pregnant with my second. We had to think about how do we make our money work for us.
Every month, there's this much that I'm getting an interest and I didn't have to do anything.
My money is working hard on its own and I can trust Welfront is taking care of me.
With a Welfront cash account earn up to 4.2% APY on your cash. No account fees, no minimums,
and no strings attached. Plus, free instant withdrawals to eligible accounts. Get started at
wealthfront.com. Client was paid $1,000 for their testimonial creating a conflict of interest.
outcomes vary. 3.3%, base API why as of January 30th, 2026 is representative variable and earned on funds swept to program banks.
0.65% new client boost for three months on up to $150,000. Direct deposit $1,000 a month and fund an
investing account for a 0.25% increase. Cash account offered by Wealthfront brokerage LLC member FINRA
SIPC, not a bank. Instant withdrawal subject to conditions, fees and eligibility requirements may
apply to certain checking features of the cash account. Post lunch, cross-examination begins with
defense attorney Josh Zellman taking aim at Sergeant Corbett's testimony.
Zellman pressed him on whether he had manually removed duplicate events from the data,
and Corbett confirmed that duplicates exist but said they were filtered out during review.
Zalman then highlighted that his frequency reports are more like general snapshots than precise counts.
Corbett agreed explaining the reports show associations, but not exact call totals.
Zellman also pushed him on mapping, pointing out that it involves estimation and inference,
basically like guesswork. And Corbett acknowledged that was true, which could undermine the state's
timeline. Another focus on this cross-examination was on duplicate records. So Corbett explained that
one call can generate multiple entries. Zellman seized on this, arguing that the state had
inflated contact counts. Corbett countered that while duplicates exist, they were spread evenly
and the totals weren't exact.
Cross intensified as Zellman drilled into cell tower limitations.
Multiple phones may connect to one tower.
Calls can hand off between towers based on terrain, buildings or network load.
And reports don't prove Donna's intent.
They only show the possibility of contact.
Corbett agreed there are no guarantees.
A phone doesn't always connect to the closest tower.
Tower selection depends on signal strength, geography,
and system demand.
The defense zeroed in on gaps in the records.
Corbyn admitted the data can't reveal whether the tower was under maintenance or running at
reduced capacity.
And Zellman said, you quote, so your maps don't tell the whole story, end quote.
Zellman also challenged Corbett's travel reconstructions, pointing out that the two were just
estimates, and corporate agreed calling them approximations based on routing software, not GPS proof.
So next, Zellman asked Corbett about the erase this text message, which was still stored in Charlie's
eye cloud.
Corbett acknowledged that he could not say whether it had been deleted from Charlie's actual device.
He also couldn't confirm who picked up the Adelson House phone.
Selman stressed that while records show a call occurred, they don't reveal who answered,
where exactly inside the house it was picked up or what was said.
Selby made clear that the defense wasn't disputing that calls happened. Instead, they reminded
jurors that the records only prove contact, not what was said in the conversation. Timing was another
focus. So on one side, both Wendy and Donna's phones showed an 809 a.m. call. Without more detailed
records, Corbett admitted he couldn't determine who dialed first. They also challenged his test drive
from July 2025.
And Corbett conceded there were no records of 2014 traffic nor accounting for possible gas or coffee stops
and no evidence that Donna's phone ever pinged alongside Charlie's at night.
The defense asked if her phone never connected with his, how can the state place her at his house?
Redirect, focus on Donna's own words.
Dugan pointed to Donna's text saying she was outside Charlie's house.
Well, Charlie replied he was 10 minutes away.
Corbett testified that the unaccounted for hour wasn't explained by traffic or construction.
Donna herself placed her location at Charlie's with that message.
He also confirmed that his 2025 test drive done on a Friday night at the same time matched his software's estimates.
From 834 to Charlie's house, the timing was consistent.
And from Charlie's to the 1053 marker, the timing also lined up.
On sell site reliability, Corbett addressed the defense's claims about variables.
If towers had been overloaded or down, he explained there would be no records at all, but in this case, records exist.
You can emphasize that nothing in evidence suggests the analysis was unreliable.
The redirect closed, the loop.
Cell site data may not be flawless, but it is consistent, paired with Donna's own outside the house text.
They argued the evidence is clear.
She did go to Charlie's the night of the murder.
After that, the undercover FBI agent from the 2016 bump operation.
took the stand. The judge instructed jurors and the media that his face cannot be shown because
of his prior FBI work. His voice and audio may be broadcast, but not his image. The significance of
the bump was underscored for the jury. It wasn't a random encounter. The FBI staged it to observe
Donna's reaction under pressure. The state believes that her immediate call to Charlie directly ties her
to the conspiracy, the conspiracy to kill Dan Markell.
The operation of the bump was then explained in detail.
In 2016, the FBI agent posed as a gang member and was ordered to approach Donna on the street.
He handed her a flyer with a news article about Dan's murder, and on it was a handwritten note saying call and text, along with his undercover number plus a demand for $5,000.
Bone records later showed calls linking the agent to the Adelson Institute, Charlie to the undercover line, and Donna to the same number.
The agent confirmed the encounter was recorded on both audio and video.
On cross-examination, defense attorney Jackie Fulford pressed the agent about the sting.
He admitted he was posing as a gang member but said he acted friendly and polite.
However, he agreed that Donna was startled.
The flyer had 5,000 dollars.
written on it, but he testified he never mentioned money during the bump. Instead, he told her,
Katie and Tuto are being taken care of, but not my brother Tato. Tuto was a nickname that referred to
Sikfredo and Tato was Louise, who was in jail at the time. Fulford pointed out that Donna's
immediate response was, quote, I don't know what you're talking about, end quote. The agent acknowledged
that although the flyer referenced $5,000,
Donna never made any payment.
After the April 19th, 2016 encounter,
she did not follow up.
On April 28th, the agent called the Adelson Institute
and left a message, but there was no response.
On May 4th, he sent a more aggressive text,
meant to sound like extortion.
And finally, on May 6th, Donna returned the call.
She told him,
you've got the wrong person. I'm not involved.
go collect from the people who are end quote she even suggested that he pursue the ten thousand
dollar reward fund connected to the case not hush money okay so redirect on the fbi agent was brief
he confirmed that when he bumped donna on april 19th 2016 she was alone she did not have her children
or grandchildren with her attorney capelman left it at that underscoring that donna wasn't
startled or distracted by anyone else being present. Next, FBI special agent Louis Bronstine
testified about his surveillance of Charlie and Catherine at Dolce Vita Restaurant in Miami on April
20, 2016, sitting about 12 feet away, he used bagged equipment to capture video and audio of their
meeting. Bronstine said the two were fully engaged with each other. The air conditioning
turned on in the restaurant so he could get only small audio.
of a small snippet, but their body language showed intense focus. The surveillance recording
was admitted into evidence as states Exhibit 114. And next, James McElvine, a forensic audio expert,
testified about enhancing the noisy Dolce Vita recordings. He explained that he used filtering
to suppress background signs, sounds like espresso machines, kitchen clatter, the AC, and children,
while focusing on isolating the voices of Charlie and Catherine without altering their speech.
The clarified audio exhibits were entered into evidence.
On cross-examination, Zellman pressed McAlveen on the limits of his work, and he admitted
his more recent task wasn't a new enhancement, just singing audio with video.
He also confirmed he was never asked to review Wendy's July 18, 2014 police interview,
and specifically did not analyze the portion where Wendy called Donna after Dan's murder.
Well, the state then called Brian Kendall, a former city of plantation police officer.
So he testified that on April 21, 2016, he went undercover to record Charlie and Harvey at a restaurant.
And using a covert messenger bag with hidden audio and vehicle, Kendall sat right next to Harvey,
acknowledging it was obvious and probably suspicious.
The recording was admitted as States Exhibit 131, and Capulman had no further questions.
That's it.
And the last witness of the day was FBI Special Agent Patrick Sanford.
With 26 years of experience, he became heavily involved in the Dan Markell case after an early colleague retired.
Sanford recounted Luis Rivera's proffer, in which Louise said,
that Siegfriedo accidentally fired a shot into the floorboard of the Prius before the murder.
Years later, investigators tracked down the car finding a patched gas line and bullet hole consistent with Luis's account.
Luis also revealed a June 2014 trip to Tallahassee that acted as a dry run before the July killing, which was later confirmed.
And in 2016, a wiretap on Charlie and Catherine captured over 10,000 calls and texts.
Agent Sanford reviewed a disc containing the calls deemed relevant for trial.
Can you imagine going through 10,000 calls and texts?
Well, the wiretap evidence showed Donna heavily involved in her children's lives from Wendy's
canceled 2013 Tallahassee house purchase to her dating choices.
On call number 989, Donna urged Charlie to manage Wendy's relationship with a man-name
Dave discussing ways to keep her in it.
Prosecutors presented this as proof of control that feeds into the motive theory.
It's definitely controlling.
Exhibit 85, the official wire call summary was tied directly to the intercepted calls and
texts.
Jurors received headsets to hear call number 989 in full where Donna and Charlie discussed Wendy's
love life. Charlie mocked her choices saying, why would I get serious with a 37-year-old
economy model, high mileage, end quote. Charlie talked about how Wendy shouldn't leave her new boyfriend
Dave comparing it to winning the lotto and suggested she wouldn't get another chance.
Donna listened attentively, strategizing Wendy's relationships through Charlie rather than just
acting as a bystander. I mean, this is weird. Controlling to say the least. And her role
as a manager of Wendy's personal life is reinforced by the 2016 undercover FBI.
bump in Miami. After being handed the flyer, Donna calmly folded it up and slipped it into her purse
showing that she was not startled. The first bump after the, the first call after the FBI bump
occurred at 2.14 p.m. when Donna called Charlie. Quote, dad's at work. I have to give you something,
end quote. And when asked for details, she said only to both of us. She, she,
never mentioned Dan or contacted police about the bump and what was handed to her and put in her purse.
A follow-up call at 2.35 p.m. had Charlie and Donna debating whether the note was government or blackmail.
Donna asked, should I bring cash? Charlie replied, yeah, you should bring cash. I don't have much to bring.
Later that afternoon, Donna called again.
Charlie speculated that the bump was government or military.
Both acknowledged that the threat was real, but still neither contacted law enforcement.
Despite the threat being real, law enforcement wasn't in the equation.
And around 3 p.m., Donna described the man who approached her, quote,
a young guy, a little guy, end quote.
The exchange showed that Donna treated the bump as credible enough to report to Charlie,
but still not credible enough to involve the police.
Later, they discuss logistics.
So, quote, so I need to bring cash.
Charlie reiterated, yeah, you should bring cash.
I don't have much cash to bring, end quote.
So instead of rejecting the demand outright, they focus on handling it.
And yes, their conversations do repeat a lot.
It's like they're trying to talk about what to do
without actually saying certain things out loud.
The conversations, while repetitive,
indicate Charlie and Donna's awareness
that it could be a set-up,
but there was still no denial to pay the money
and no police call.
Code Talk also entered the recorder conversations
with Donna referring to the threat
as a particularly bad Yelp review.
That's what she said.
And Kaplan said that this euphonism was code for extortion.
Donna said she had, quote, a pretty good idea of who sent the letter.
Charlie suggested that she sent him a picture of the flyer, but Donna replied, not a good idea.
So instead of contacting authorities, they focused on damage control.
Donna insisted, no talking on the phone.
And minutes later, Charlie pressed again.
Donna downplayed the bump, calling it blackmail and mentioning 5,000, mentioning
quote, $5,000 fucking crazy, end quote.
The state then played the tape of the undercover agent confronting Donna on May 6th.
He said, quote, I know about everybody.
I know who's involved, end quote.
Donna replied, quote, you got the wrong person.
I'm not involved, end quote, but she didn't stop there.
She told the agent, go get the money.
Go get the 100K.
referring to the official reward for information on Dan's murder.
She never agreed to pay and didn't directly incriminate herself,
but acknowledged the scheme by directing the agent to collect the money elsewhere.
Over the conversations, these code words only multiplied.
Donna and Charlie referenced a TV worth about five.
Yeah, a TV worth about five.
Wonder what that means.
And the state explained this was likely,
a coded reference to the $5,000 demand linking back to Charlie's prior joke about buying Wendy a TV instead of hiring a hitman.
And during the call, Donna claimed the undercover agent referenced Charlie's ex-girlfriend,
but the agent had only said Katie and Tuto, end quote.
So Charlie immediately called Catherine afterward.
The day after the bump, Donna met Charlie behind her condo.
They walked quietly, sat by the water, and whispered for about 30 minutes.
And FBI surveillance attempted to record the meeting, but the tape was inaudible.
Kaplanman argued that references to the Yelp.
The Yelp.
Girlfriend were conscious code.
Before the state could finish, the defense objected that prosecutor Kaplan was being cumulative,
essentially reading calls aloud rather than asking new questions,
and I will admit things were very repetitive today.
The judge noted the objection and decided to end court for the day,
which leaves us a much shorter,
a much shorter recap than yesterday's.
But that's good because it's also later.
And there was a lot going on today,
a hidden to crime with the Emmanuel Harrow press conference
and everything going on there.
I'm going to admit I'm not too upset that today's recap was a little bit shorter than yesterday's massive recap.
All right.
We'll see you guys.
Have a good night.
Before I switched to Wealthfront, my APY was probably 0.1.
Once I switched to chiching.
With the Wealthfront cash account, earn up to 4.2% APY on your cash.
I can trust.
Wellfront is taking care of me.
Make your money earn more.
Get started at Wealthfront.com.
Clients were paid $1,000 for their testimonials, creating a conflict of interest.
How comes very.
3.3%.
Base API as of January 30th, 2026 is representative variable and earned on funds swept to program banks.
0.65% new client boost for three months on up to $150,000.
Direct deposit $1,000 a month and fund an investing account for a 0.25% increase.
Cash account offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC, member FINRA SIPC, not a bank.
Before I switched to Wealthfront, my APY was probably 0.1.
Once I switched to chitching.
With the Wealthfront cash account, earn up to 4.2% APY on your cash.
I can trust. Welfront is taking care of me.
Make your money earn more. Get started at Wealthfront.com.
Clients were paid $1,000 for their testimonials, creating a conflict of interest.
outcomes vary.
3.3%, base API Y as of January 30th, 20206 is representative variable and earned on funds swept to program banks.
0.65% new client boost for three months on up to $150,000.
Direct deposit $1,000 a month and fund an investing account for a 0.25% increase.
Cash account offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC member FINRA SIPC, not a bank.
