Donna Adelson Trial-Defense Opening Statement: ‘Only Theory, No Evidence’ -Adelson’s Lawyer Fights Back

In a powerful counterpunch to the prosecution, Donna Adelson’s defense attorney, Jackie Fulford, tells the jury: “You heard a lot about what other people did… but not a single piece of evidence shows Donna planned or intended this.  Donna is just a grandmother, not a crime boss.

Fulford begins by honoring Dan Markel’s legacy—he was “very well respected” and loved by his peers. She asks jurors to remember the human at the center of all the headlines. Then she frames her client: a 64-year-old woman, “kind,” “normal,” and dedicated to keeping her grandchildren connected—even after the family relational rifts. The defense admits the murder was “outrageous in its cruelty,” but draws a red line between motive and proof: motive alone doesn’t equal guilt. 

Fulford pushes back on the “headline‑grabbing” narrative, cautioning that the prosecution’s storycast Donna atop a pyramid built on speculation. “Without evidence—only motive and theory—they put her at the top of this pyramid,” Fulford asserts. She brings a poignant, humanizing plea to jurors: “Why would this woman want to take away the father of her grandchildren?” The tone is calm, measured, and rooted in doubt—not emotion.

This opening matters because it introduces the trial’s central tension: proof vs. portrayal, fact vs. fiction. Whereas the prosecution constructs a drama of conspiracy, Fulford wants to collapse it into questions: Where’s the evidence? What ties does Donna actually have to the crime? This segment provides a window into the skepticism the defense expects jurors to bring to the state's case.

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