Where Are Dan Markel and Wendi Adelson’s Kids Now?

On July 18, 2014, Florida State University professor Daniel “Dan” Markel was gunned down in the driveway of his own home, only for it to later be deemed a murder-for-hire stemming from a custody battle. But alas, as carefully chronicled in ABC’s ’20/20: First Divorced Then Dead,’ NBC’s ‘Dateline: Family Matters,’ and ABC’s ‘Welcome to the Family: The Murder of Dan Markel,’ his ex-wife was alleged not even involved. It was Wendi Adelson’s brother, Charles “Charlie” Adelson, and her mother, Donna Adelson, who orchestrated the whole thing so as to enable the mother of 2 to finally have custody of her sons, then 5-year-old Benjamin and 4-year-old Lincoln.

Dan Markel and Wendi Adelson’s Kids Were in School When Their Father Was Shot

Despite the fact that there was immediate mutual attraction when Dan first came across Wendi Adelson on JDate in the summer of 2004, they couldn’t do anything about it because of distance. The truth is that the 2001 proud Harvard Law graduate was serving as an associate at a private law firm in Washington at the time, whereas his match was pursuing her Juris Doctorate at Miami Law School. Therefore, they initially developed their connection over texts, calls, as well as weekend trips, all of which combined soon made them fall head over heels in love. They were both ready for a long-term commitment and to settle down, so he soon got down on one knee.

Therefore, Dan took up a teaching position at Tallahassee’s Florida State University in 2005, and the school also offered Wendi a faculty role once she graduated with full credit in 2006. That’s the same year they tied the knot in a traditional Jewish ceremony, following which they gladly built a home and welcomed two beautiful boys into their lives – Benjamin was born in 2009, followed by Lincoln in 2010. However, everything between them began crumbling apart within the ensuing two years, leading to their separation in 2012 and the finalization of their acrimonious divorce in 2013.

What’s worse is that Dan and Wendi still had to continue facing one another in court over their disputes in property, finances, child custody, and accusations of familial defamation. According to court records, the former couple had initially decided to share their sons “50-50,” with only minor schedule changes depending on the time of year, but she later filed for full custody. The reason she gave was that her ex-husband was allegedly making things difficult for her at their workplace, so she wanted to start anew with her toddlers in Miami, close to her parents. No one could have ever imagined that the ensuing contentious custody battle would culminate in his homicide.

Dan Markel and Wendi Adelson’s Kids Are Still With Their Mother Today

In the end, Wendi kind of got what she wished for, but it cost Dan his life — she relocated to Miami with Benjamin and Lincoln a couple of days after Dan’s murder. She gradually also forbade the kids’ paternal grandparents from having any visitation or familial rights because she was concerned they might try to take them away. Since then — since the conviction of her mother, her brother, and the people they hired to kill Dan — she has allowed some contact between Dan’s parents and his sons, but it is fairly limited as of writing. However, it’s imperative to note that she has always vehemently maintained she had no hand in the criminal offense that took her ex-husband’s life.

So, today, at the ages of 17 and 16, Benjamin and Lincoln continue to reside with their mother in Miami, Florida, where they are also in close proximity to their maternal grandfather. We should also mention that Wendi has since changed their last name from Markel to Adelson, which has caused Dan’s parents a great deal of pain. Nevertheless, they hope to continue building a real connection with their now near-adult grandsons, no matter how long it takes. A close, long-term friend of Dan’s once publicly stated, “Someday, the Markel boys — whose mother changed their last name after their father’s murder — will Google their names, and will learn that their grandparents and extended family didn’t abandon them, and that they tried everything they could to be in their lives.”

Read More: Luis Rivera and Sigfredo Garcia: Dan Markel’s Killers Are in Prison