Donna Adelson’s Narcissistic Prison Letter: “If I Don’t Get Out, I Hope I Die Soon”
Update: 2025-10-28
Description
In this episode of Hidden Killers Live, Tony Brueski, Stacy Cole, and Todd Michaels take listeners inside a letter that shocked everyone who followed the Dan Markel murder case — a 2024 note written by convicted killer Donna Adelson from her jail cell.
It begins with a mother’s lament — the pain of missing her grandsons’ first day of school — but quickly morphs into something darker.
“If I don’t get out, then hopefully I die soon so that no one remembers me in prison garb behind bars.”
The words read less like remorse and more like resentment — a woman consumed by self-pity, not guilt.
Donna paints herself as the victim of “vigilante justice” and a hometown prosecutor’s ambition, calling the case “another notch in her belt.” She even asks that her grandsons never see her in prison, telling them instead to “remember the good times.”
But the Markel family’s statement after sentencing makes clear what they think of that narrative.
“Her display of emotion was not remorse for Danny’s death, but sorrow for the consequences she now faces for causing it.”
They recount how Donna and Harvey Adelson kept Dan Markel’s sons from their paternal grandparents for six years — until Florida passed the Markel Act — and describe her “callous indifference” to the murder she helped set in motion.
This letter, and the family’s response, expose the heart of the Adelson saga: control, image, and denial.
Donna’s words show a woman who cannot see beyond her own suffering — who views justice not as accountability but as persecution.
Tony breaks down what these lines reveal about her psyche, her obsession with narrative control, and the haunting reality that even behind bars, Donna Adelson still sees herself as the wronged party.
#DonnaAdelson #DanMarkel #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #MurderForHire #PrisonLetter #JusticeForDanMarkel #FamilyControl #PsychologyOfEvil #TonyBrueski
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It begins with a mother’s lament — the pain of missing her grandsons’ first day of school — but quickly morphs into something darker.
“If I don’t get out, then hopefully I die soon so that no one remembers me in prison garb behind bars.”
The words read less like remorse and more like resentment — a woman consumed by self-pity, not guilt.
Donna paints herself as the victim of “vigilante justice” and a hometown prosecutor’s ambition, calling the case “another notch in her belt.” She even asks that her grandsons never see her in prison, telling them instead to “remember the good times.”
But the Markel family’s statement after sentencing makes clear what they think of that narrative.
“Her display of emotion was not remorse for Danny’s death, but sorrow for the consequences she now faces for causing it.”
They recount how Donna and Harvey Adelson kept Dan Markel’s sons from their paternal grandparents for six years — until Florida passed the Markel Act — and describe her “callous indifference” to the murder she helped set in motion.
This letter, and the family’s response, expose the heart of the Adelson saga: control, image, and denial.
Donna’s words show a woman who cannot see beyond her own suffering — who views justice not as accountability but as persecution.
Tony breaks down what these lines reveal about her psyche, her obsession with narrative control, and the haunting reality that even behind bars, Donna Adelson still sees herself as the wronged party.
#DonnaAdelson #DanMarkel #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #MurderForHire #PrisonLetter #JusticeForDanMarkel #FamilyControl #PsychologyOfEvil #TonyBrueski
Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video?
Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod
Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872
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