When we left off in Part One, Florida State University law professor Dan Markel had been murdered in what investigators believed was a carefully planned hit.

Nearly two years later, police had traced a rented green Prius from Tallahassee back to South Florida, identified suspected gunmen Sigfredo Garcia and Luis Rivera, uncovered connections to Katherine Magbanua and Charlie Adelson, and staged an elaborate FBI operation known as “the bump.”

Now, investigators are finally ready to make their first arrest. But the arrest of a suspected hitman is only the beginning.

In Part Two, someone on the inside finally starts talking, giving investigators an account of the murder-for-hire plot from someone who was actually there. What follows is a years-long effort to work their way up the alleged chain: from Rivera and Garcia, to Katherine, to Charlie... and eventually to Donna Adelson.

We'll get into multiple murder trials, Katherine's changing story, Charlie's extraordinary claim that he wasn't responsible for Dan's murder but was actually being extorted by the people who killed him, and the recorded jail calls that preceded Donna and Harvey Adelson purchasing one-way tickets to Vietnam.

Donna would make it all the way to the jet bridge at Miami International Airport. She would not make it onto the plane.

We'll also look at Donna's eventual conviction, the questions that continue to surround Wendi Adelson, where every major figure in the case stands as of August 2026, and what happened to the two little boys who were at the centre of the custody battle prosecutors said ultimately led to their father's murder.

Dan Markel was killed in 2014. More than twelve years later, five people have been convicted in connection with his death. But behind the wiretaps, undercover operations, trials and appeals is something much simpler: Two little boys went to preschool one morning expecting their father to pick them up later. He never got the chance.

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Florida State University law professor Dan Markel was 41 years old when he was shot in the garage of his Tallahassee home in July 2014. It quickly became clear that this wasn't a random act of violence. Someone had followed Dan through his morning routine, waited until he returned home, and then disappeared.

But who would want a Canadian-born law professor and devoted father of two dead?

The answer would lead investigators hundreds of miles south to Miami and into the bitter aftermath of Dan's divorce from Wendi Adelson.

In Part One of this two-part deep dive, we look at Dan's life before the headlines, his contentious divorce and custody battle, Wendi's unsuccessful attempt to relocate their two young sons to South Florida, and the increasingly hostile involvement of her family.

Then we follow investigators as they begin piecing together the murder itself: a rented Toyota Prius, surveillance footage, cellphone records, two mysterious trips from South Florida to Tallahassee, and two men who seemingly had absolutely no connection to Dan.

Eventually, investigators uncover a link between suspected gunman Sigfredo Garcia, his former partner Katherine Magbanua, and Wendi's brother, Charlie Adelson.

But having a theory and proving a murder-for-hire conspiracy are two very different things.

Nearly two years after Dan's murder, investigators still hadn't made a single arrest. So the FBI decided to shake things up An undercover agent approached Wendi's mother, Donna Adelson, with a photograph of Dan, a phone number and a demand for money.

The operation became known as the bump. And suddenly...the phones started ringing.

Part Two continues with the first arrest, the insider who finally starts talking, multiple murder trials, Charlie Adelson's extraordinary extortion defence, Donna's attempted flight to Vietnam, and the question that has followed this case for more than a decade: how far did this conspiracy really go?

Sources:

https://www.reddit.com/r/dan_markel_murder

​​​​https://www.courttv.com/tag/dan-markel/ 

https://thecjn.ca/news/slain-law-professor-dan-markels-canadian-family-hopes-for-more-time-with-his-kids-after-new-guilty-verdict/ 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/daniel-markel-murder-hit-men-family-donna-adelson-katherine-magbanua-rcna239425

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/florida-matriarch-convicted-daniel-markel-1.7625845

https://www.wctv.tv/2022/04/21/extended-timeline-key-dates-dan-markel-murder-case/

https://abcnews.com/US/police-tracked-caught-suspected-hit-men-murder-fsu/story?id=42064896

https://law.justia.com/cases/florida/first-district-court-of-appeal/2026/1d2024-0004.html

https://people.com/wendi-adelson-today-what-to-know-12021519

https://abcnews.com/US/south-florida-grandmother-center-murder-hire-saga-spanning/story?id=128005003

https://www.wctv.tv/2025/09/03/contentious-or-typical-dan-markels-divorce-under-scrutiny-donna-adelson-trial-continues/

https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/cnc/date/2025-09-04/segment/02

https://www.wctv.tv/2025/08/29/state-rests-its-case-against-donna-adelson-without-calling-son-charlie-defense-call-witnesses-tuesday/

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In this episode, the True Crimecast team, John and Jamie, sit down with Nikki Young, host of the Serial Napper podcast, to take a deep dive into the disturbing and unsolved disappearance of 22-year-old Liam Tomen.

On the weekend of January 31, 2025, Liam and two friends travelled from Whitby, Ontario, to the resort village of Mont Tremblant, Quebec, for a ski trip. After spending the evening at local village spots—ending at Le P'tit Caribou—Liam got separated from his friends. Surveillance footage captures him walking directly toward his hotel, L'Auberge du Voyageur, just minutes away. He never made it inside.

Despite extensive search efforts using cadaver dogs, snowmobiles, helicopters, and pond drainage, no trace of Liam was found during the winter. Months later, as the snow melted, his wallet was recovered near a parking lot—intact with his ID and bank cards, but stripped of cash. With phone pings raising questions and a white vehicle spotted in the area, Liam’s family continues to fight for answers.

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On a warm September night in 2005, 18-year-old Jennifer Teague finished her shift at a Wendy's restaurant in Barrhaven, Ontario. She stopped to chat with friends at the local Mac's Milk before beginning the short walk home, a route she'd taken countless times before. She never made it.

Jennifer's disappearance shattered the sense of safety in one of Ottawa's fastest-growing suburbs. As police, volunteers, helicopters and search dogs scoured the community, her family refused to believe she had run away. Ten days later, the search ended in heartbreak when Jennifer's body was discovered in the Stony Swamp Conservation Area.

For months, investigators chased leads that went nowhere. A composite sketch. A $100,000 reward. Dozens of new tips. Then, in one of the most unusual twists in Canadian true crime history, a Barrhaven man began telling complete strangers that he had killed Jennifer.

In this episode of Serial Napper, we're revisiting Jennifer's case nearly twenty years later, exploring who she was before she became a headline, how one ordinary walk home changed an entire community, and why her story still resonates with so many people today.

Sources:

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/from-the-archives-jennifer-teague-there-will-never-be-closure-until-the-truth-is-known-father-says

https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/finding-hope-after-the-murder-of-their-daughter-jennifer-teague/

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/jennifer-teague-s-killer-heads-to-prison-after-pleading-guilty-1.712530

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/neighbours-stunned-after-ottawa-man-charged-in-teen-s-slaying-1.586319

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On April 3, 2022, 27-year-old Christian "Toby" Obumseli was fatally stabbed inside the luxury Miami condominium he shared with his girlfriend, influencer and OnlyFans creator Courtney Clenney.

Courtney never denied causing the fatal injury, but she insisted it was self-defence. Prosecutors insisted it was murder.

For years, this case divided the internet. Security footage, police bodycam video, disturbing audio recordings, allegations of domestic abuse from both sides, and forensic evidence all fueled a debate that seemed destined to play out in front of a jury.

But after years of delays, the trial never happened.

In this updated episode of Serial Napper, we're revisiting this case, including the new evidence both sides planned to present, the shocking developments that changed the course of everything, and the plea agreement that brought the criminal proceedings to an unexpected end.

Was Courtney Clenney a victim who fought back? Or was Christian Obumseli the victim all along?

Sources:

https://www.instagram.com/courtneytailor/reels/

https://lawandcrime.com/crime/it-definitely-could-have-been-stopped-former-neighbor-speaks-out-after-onlyfans-model-charged-with-murdering-boyfriend/

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/onlyfans-murder-not-guilty-courtney-clenney-christian-obumseli-1234584744/

https://www.newsweek.com/what-we-know-courtney-clenney-onlyfans-instagram-model-arrested-murder-1733236 

https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/08/03/onlyfans-model-courtney-clenney-plea-deal-boyfriend-stabbing-death/ 

https://nypost.com/2026/07/09/us-news/onlyfans-killer-courtney-clenney-to-use-boyfriends-texts-about-beatings-to-fight-murder-case/

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In June 2009, four women from the same family were found dead inside a submerged car at the Kingston Mills Locks near Kingston, Ontario. At first, it appeared to be a tragic accident. Their family claimed the women had taken the car for a late-night drive and somehow ended up in the water.

But investigators quickly uncovered a much darker truth.

As evidence mounted, police began to suspect that the deaths of Zainab Shafia, Sahar Shafia, Geeti Shafia and Rona Amir Mohammad were not an accident at all, but a carefully planned act of so-called "honour"-based violence carried out by the very people who were supposed to protect them.

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In February 2007, two-year-old Mariah Alvarez died after suffering a catastrophic head injury just days after her family moved into a new apartment in Harlingen, Texas. Within hours, investigators became convinced they were looking at one of the worst cases of child abuse they had ever seen. Mariah's mother, Melissa Lucio, endured a five-hour interrogation while pregnant with twins, eventually uttering the words, "I guess I did it. That confession helped send her to death row.

But nearly two decades later, the case has become one of the most controversial in America. Medical experts have challenged the original forensic conclusions. Specialists in false confessions have questioned the reliability of Melissa's interrogation. Jurors who voted to sentence her to death have publicly changed their minds. And in a stunning turn of events, a Texas judge recommended overturning both her conviction and death sentence, even concluding she is actually innocent of intentionally murdering her daughter.

As of 2026, however, Melissa Lucio remains on death row while the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals decides whether to uphold or overturn her conviction.

Was this a horrific case of child abuse? Or a tragic accident followed by a false confession?

Sources:

https://law.justia.com/cases/texas/court-of-criminal-appeals/2011/21496.html

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/04/26/us/melissa-lucio-what-we-know/index.html#:~:text=Lucio%2C%20a%20mother%20of%2014,wrongfully%20convicted%20of%20capital%20murder. 

https://dockets.justia.com/docket/mississippi/msndce/4%3A2026cv00040/52130

https://legalclarity.org/melissa-lucio-supreme-court-decision-and-legal-update/

https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/trial-judge-signs-agreed-findings-of-fact-and-conclusions-of-law-recommending-melissa-lucios-conviction-and-death-sentence-be-overturned

https://innocenceproject.org/news/case-update-texas-trial-court-recommends-melissa-lucios-conviction-and-death-sentence-be-overturned/

https://www.lmtonline.com/news/article/melissa-lucio-conviction-reversal-20335304.php

https://www.npr.org/2022/04/22/1094156659/melissa-lucio-execution-texas

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On November 24, 2022, 38-year-old Liam Smith stepped outside his home in Shevington, Greater Manchester. He never made it back inside.

For nearly ten hours, Michael Hillier had been waiting in a Mitsubishi Shogun parked outside Liam's home. When Liam approached the vehicle, Hillier shot him in the face at close range before pouring sulphuric acid over him as he lay fatally wounded. The shocking attack stunned the community, but what investigators uncovered next was even more disturbing.

The motive traced back to a single Tinder date three years earlier. Hillier claimed his girlfriend, Rachel Fulstow, had told him Liam had raped her during their encounter in 2019. According to Hillier, the couple spent months planning a vigilante attack because they believed the justice system would never hold Liam accountable. Rachel told a very different story. She admitted she had told Michael about the encounter, but denied ever wanting Liam harmed, insisting she was living under Michael's coercive control and had become trapped in his obsession.

As detectives pieced together CCTV footage, internet searches, cloned licence plates, burner phones, and months of meticulous planning, one question emerged: Was Rachel Fulstow an equal participant in Liam's murder, or another victim manipulated by the man who carried it out?

Sources:

https://www.elle.com/uk/life-and-culture/culture/a71770037/killer-couple-love-on-trial-bbc/

https://www.thejusticegap.com/documentary-reveals-inside-story-of-womans-joint-enterprise-murder-conviction/

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-66600454

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-66615107 

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/i-love-you-much-always-27585163 

https://www.iclr.co.uk/document/2025002869/transcriptXml_2025002869_2025050612425263/html 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1H4-F-wRA1Y 

 https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/murderer-who-shot-dad-face-27582056 

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/michael-hillier-rachel-fulstow-court-b2393233.html

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Frauke Liebs: The Woman Who Kept Calling Home

On June 20, 2006, 21-year-old nursing student Frauke Liebs left an Irish pub in Paderborn, Germany, after watching an England World Cup match with friends. She was expected home in just fifteen minutes. She never arrived.

Then something unimaginable happened.

Over the next week, Frauke made a series of brief phone calls to her roommate, her family, and the people searching for her. She insisted she would be home soon, but she never revealed where she was or who was with her. Each call gave her loved ones hope that she was still alive... while leaving investigators with more questions than answers.

Months later, Frauke's remains were discovered in a wooded area outside Paderborn. Nearly twenty years later, her murder remains unsolved.

If you have any information regarding the murder of Frauke Liebs, please contact the German police.

Sources:

https://www.nw.de/nachrichten/zwischen_weser_und_rhein/23986586_Ungeklaertes-Verbrechen-in-Paderborn-Erneute-Durchsuchungen-im-Fall-Frauke-Liebs.html 

https://www.indonewyork.com/breaking/cold-case-frauke-liebs-murder-mother-shuts-down-information-page-after-h93383.html

https://coolinterestingstuff.com/the-unsolved-murder-of-frauke-liebs

https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/36ec5z/what_happened_to_frauke_liebs/ 

https://www.radiobielefeld.de/nachrichten/am-puls-der-stadt/mordfall-frauke-liebs-bielefelder-polizei-mit-durchsuchung.html 

https://www.presseportal.de/blaulicht/pm/12522/5083988

https://www.zeit.de/news/2022-11/24/akte-im-mordfall-frauke-liebs-bleibt-geoeffnet

https://www.stern.de/panorama/verbrechen/frauke-liebs/mordfall-frauke-liebs--eine-mutter-spricht-zum-moerder-ihrer-tochter-33134070.html

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When Angela Diaz reported that someone was terrorizing her with anonymous emails, Craigslist rape fantasies, and violent threats against her unborn twins, the case seemed straightforward. Her husband, Deputy U.S. Marshal Ian Diaz, told investigators he knew exactly who was responsible: his ex-fiancée, Michelle Hadley.

Police believed him. Prosecutors believed him. The media believed him.

Michelle was arrested and faced the possibility of spending the rest of her life in prison.

But as the digital evidence slowly came to light, the story began to unravel in ways no one expected. What looked like a textbook case of an obsessed ex quickly became one of the most elaborate frame-ups in recent history, exposing fake identities, fabricated pregnancies, forged documents, and a conspiracy that reached far beyond what anyone imagined.

Sources:

https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/press-release/file/1394186/dl

https://lawandcrime.com/crime/u-s-marshal-indicted-for-allegedly-luring-men-from-craigslist-to-rape-his-wife-in-plot-to-blame-his-ex-girlfriend/?utm_source=mostpopular

https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-craigslist-plot-michelle-hadley-20170109-story.html 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/michelle-hadley-da-says-rape-fantasy-attack-was-hoax-woman-arrested-was-framed/

https://www.thedailybeast.com/real-life-gone-girl-framed-love-rival-in-twisted-craigslist-rape-plot/

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