Donna Adelson, 76, the matriarch of a wealthy Florida family, was sentenced Monday to life in prison without parole for her role in the 2014 murder-for-hire plot that killed her son-in-law, Dan Markel.

Judge Stephen Everett also imposed additional 30-year sentences on conspiracy and solicitation charges, which will run concurrently with each other but consecutively to the murder sentence.

Before her sentencing, Adelson pleaded for her innocence, weeping in court. She maintained that she had no involvement in the plot, which prosecutors alleged was intended to settle her daughter Wendi Adelson’s custody dispute with Markel.

“What happened to Danny is unforgivable – but I am an innocent woman convicted of this terrible crime without evidence,” she said, adding that Markel, a law professor, “would have been appalled by the lack of justice” at her trial.

During a two-week trial in August, jurors heard details about the family’s disputes, including tensions over divorce, in-law relations, and custody battles. Prosecutors described Adelson as a “domineering” figure who helped fund the hit and conspired with her son, Charlie Adelson, to cover it up.

Adelson’s defense argued there was no direct evidence linking her to the murder, pointing instead to her son Charlie, who was convicted of Markel’s murder in November 2023. In a recorded jail call, Adelson reportedly told Charlie she was “getting things in order” to ensure her grandchildren were taken care of. She was arrested at Miami International Airport while attempting to board a flight to Vietnam with her husband, Harvey.

Several other individuals, including Charlie, his then-girlfriend Katherine Magbanua, and hitmen Sigfredo Garcia and Luis Rivera, are already serving prison terms for their roles. Wendi Adelson and her husband, Harvey, have denied involvement and have not been charged.

Although Adelson did not testify during most of her trial, she spoke at her sentencing, tearfully recalling Markel’s final hours and insisting she had no knowledge of the plot.

“This is a lifetime of loss for those children,” she said, referring to Markel’s two children. “They didn’t deserve this. His family didn’t deserve this. Danny didn’t deserve this. I swear to you on my life, I was not involved in any way with Danny's murder.”