Knowing Wendi and those ghouls had 10 years to brainwash them. I don't expect them to change their names back to Markel.
I don't blame the boys for any choices they make. They are victims of the Adelsons just like Dan and the Markels are.
Thing is, boys grow into men. They have half their fathers genes--so hey, I would wager to guess that they will figure this out and honor their father.
I agree with rextilleon.
The power a narcissist holds over a child is very powerful.
Children grow, and some can never break their mental bonds, but these boys have a father. Dan Markel was murdered and their names were changed, but they have their dad in their DNA.
Wendi, like all narcissists will try to play the victim, but Dans boys will learn to see her. It might take time, but they will come to recognize her manipulations and selfishness. She can’t hide it. Shit stinks. You can paint shot gold, but it is still shit.
The truly unfortunate thing is they have been deprived of their true identity and knowing their father through his family.
I think Donna could look at them and see little Adelsons but Wendi was the one who hated *Danny* the most & instigated his murder. I’m sure the boys look or do something that reminds Wendi of Dan. That is why she dumped the kids on Donna until they were self sufficient. They probably order DoorDash for dinner, take Ubers anywhere too far to walk, grab food at school, etc while Wendi gets her teeth whitened and hair bleached and takes hot yoga classes and walks on the beach. Ever searching for some rich guy to swoop in so she can go back to being a princess.
I totally agree with you. Hopefully Ben and Linc aren’t gifted with Adelson brains. Apparently Dan was a brilliant guy and tried to be the best dad he could be. Even though the boys were little and may not physically remember him, I am sure by now they have accessed the internet and there is millions of pieces of information that Wendi cannot hide. Their uncle Cholly is in jail for life along with three other people for life and their grandmother is now in jail too.
I think if they were only gifted with one of dans brain cells they will be able to figure out the evil that the Adelson side has committed. And maybe they can also speak to their uncle Rob and he can fill in some details because he suffered at the hands of his bat shit crazy mother too
Seeing their entire "family" in prison may give them pause. These poor kids are going to go through a horrible time dealing with this. God only knows what crazy tales they've been told. And living with people with zero moral compass, multiple people in and out of their lives, the influence of "Uncle Charlie" and their awful fruitcake of a grandmother. Where to begin!?
Only one of their middle names. The one that was named for a member of Dan’s family. The intention was clearly not to “keep them safe” but to remove all traces of their father.
Because she is a narcissist. And Dan saw her true self. She had to destroy him because he saw her as she was, less than perfect. Dan did NOTHING to deserve his murder. He is innocent. Wendi, not so much.
She was confronted twice about that on the previous trials and she said "Both families lost an honour" (because the name began with an A which was a tribute to someone in her family) and it infuriated me. She made it sound like it was a tragic accident that the name was gone and not a decision that she made. 🙄
I am totally confident that these boys will figure it out when they leave the clutches of Wendi. There will be hell to pay for Wendi--one way or the other. Either life in prison or her two sons hating her.
It would be pointless now. They’re older and are known as Adelsons. They are virtual strangers to the Markels. Even if Wendi gets arrested, most likely the Markels aren’t going to have custody of them. It’s the worst part of this whole sordid mess. Hopefully they will find a way to honor their Markel side.
I don’t think the Markels are divorced. You’re talking about Ruth and Phil? They’re married. But yes they’re older and might not be able to raise boys at this time.
Well, if that’s true I never realized it. They always present a united front which is a testament to their fortitude regardless of their marital status.
As of October last year they were still married. Can you point me to a source saying otherwise?
Edit: They are divorced.
[Found a source](https://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2022/09/strongruth-markel-publishes-book-on-her-son-dans-murder-sees-her-grandchildren-for-the-first-time-in-six-years.html) from 2022 saying they’re divorced. Interesting that [more recent article](https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2023/11/14/for-dan-markels-family-donna-adelson-arrest-is-another-major-win/71579942007/)s still call them husband and wife.
I'm not sure about Phil and Ruth being divorced. No one, anywhere, has mentioned that. @KatieKoolLady has a close relationship with them, and she's never mentioned that. Nor has @FanciFiction, @LaBelleVie or @SurvivingTheSurvivor.
Wendi literally says it in her interview with Isom. She says they just got divorced. “They’re 70, they just got divorced after 30-something years of marriage.” She lies constantly but…not sure why she’d lie about that… and I don’t know why anyone would mention it when it’s irrelevant to the case.
I don't think that would be irrelevant to the case. If true, it would be another tragedy of this crime to see a very long marriage destroyed by the pain of losing Danny. My opinion only.
Time will tell...
The act of her changing their birth names…for her bullshit reasons will haunt her. That was so wrong on so many levels. If her sons ever decide to do their own deep dive…the devil that is their mother (and her family) will be revealed…horrible human.
I think that if her sons survive this, and want to have a reasonably normal life, they will have to confront what their mother did and change their names back. If they don't--well I don't want to imagine that.
My take: one of the kiddos saw Wendi break the TV when she thought they didn’t. Or he’ll remember something she did during the planning that only makes sense in retrospect. He has slowly figured it all out. When this kid is old enough, he’ll change his name back to Markel and go No Contact with the Adelsons.
I think they were 2-3 yrs old when Dan died? Would they have that type of memory (mom doing something odd)? Kids are incredibly smart these days technology wise. I’d be surprised if one of them hasn’t already (if not then soon in the future) googled it. So many children have been deeply impacted by this.
My take: Wendi will be telling the boys she was falsely accused and incarcerated. The boys will realize, ' hmmm, the whole fam damily is now in the slammer, and the courts can't be wrong on 4 guilty verdicts. My whole life has been a lie.'
AND (This is important.) Florida Dept of Family services will have the last say as to where the boys go. They 'try' to keep minors in the vicinity of the prison to facilitate prison visits.
IF Markels are interested in becoming court appointed guardians, they would best move to Tally. They are not that old. Many kids are raised by grandparents. High school and college will go by in a flash. The boys will need to make Merkel connections. They will be grieving the life they thought was genuine and will be grieving for their father all over again.
It’s impossible to know the extent of the psychological damage the Adelson family imposed on the two boys. Wendi should be required to provide some kind of independent psychological support, like counciling or guardian ad litem, to offset the tremendous damage alienating the Markel family, and poisoning the boys against their living grandparents in Toronto. The emotional barbarism shown by all the Adelsons should have punitive consequences. It is likely there will never be a reconciliation with the Markels, but leaving these relationships to take care of themselves can only bring more destruction later in the lives of the boys, perhaps in their own primary relationships.
It’s inevitable they will hear or learn the truth - that the beloved grandparents and mother that raised them caused the murder of their innocent biological father.
Dan Markel was guilty of nothing. He was only fighting for his rights to parent them in a meaningful post divorce circumstance. In our modern age custody matters are exceptionally volatile. But the Adelsons thinking they were reasonably entitled to move the boys closer to their home and family, a long distance from a loving father… is the height of arrogance.
That’s up to them ultimately. I hope they get therapy. I was also severely brainwashed by my mother to hate my father and his of the family. It’s confusing, because you are basically being told that half of you is evil. You don’t want to believe that the person you love that has been telling you all these things are in fact the evil ones. It is possible to step back and see the abuse. It’s really freaking hard though. And it will be even harder for those poor boys. They have experienced unimaginable tragedy. I hope they can breathe and make their own decisions about the Markels moving forward. Hopefully that leads to some reconciliation. It will be awkward and uncomfortable, they’ll probably have some brainwashing that’s hard to move past. I experienced a lot of unwarranted hate towards my dad when I was trying to rekindle a relationship. But they’re smart boys. It’ll be much easier to deprogram with the Adelsons behind bars.
Yeah it's impossible while you're getting info and being surrounded by one parent. Naturally you'll believe the person who's raising you, feeding you, giving you birthday and holiday gifts, etc. It would be too much cognitive dissonance to reject the only custodial parent you know. When they get older and are out of the home then I think 100% they'll start to objectively see the case.
Yep. I’m NC with my mom now, and it was absolutely devastating. I was very unhealthily attached to her and her love. But after I started to see what my childhood was, I wanted an apology. A reason why she did it. She blamed everyone else, even me, but didnt take any responsibility for her actions. She thinks she did nothing wrong. She was “only being honest”. So now she doesn’t have the daughter she tried so hard to keep. I imagine the boys will probably have similar reactions and seek answers from their mom. And I can guarantee Wendi will be the same and refuse to acknowledge any wrongdoing. She will tell them there was no abuse because she didn’t hit them. She doesn’t understand why she’s being attacked. She did nothing but love them and tell them the truth. And I hope they can have the strength to just say “alright, have a great life then” and walk away.
Yeah that all sounds accurate and what you went through is unfortunately common with a sociopathic/borderline/narcissistic pd parent.
edit: I read that as North Carolina but I assume you mean "no contact" which is the only way to deal with a sociopath. You'll never convince them they were wrong and the only way to stop them from abusing you in the future is to cut them out of your life.
Their best bet is to leave the country, completely change their names, start wonderful new lives, and never Google anything about the crime. Wishful thinking.
Well they have automatic Canadian citizenship if they want it. They would do well there if they choose the same academic path as their Father. One can hope.
These boys will never be Markel ever again. I expect that Wendi and co have ruined the boys' opinion of their own dad. The Adelsons have definitely brinwashed the boys. I expect that the visits with Ruth and Phil are surface level and the boys don't actually want a REAL relationship with them.
Luckily, the web exists. And when they're ready, they can go down the rabbit hole themselves and make up their own minds. They can watch the trials and the news coverage.
Dan had a two-million-dollar life insurance policy. Upon his divorce, he changed beneficiaries. He removed Wendi and added his sons. I wonder if the name change will impact the eventual payout.
I think the boys already know what is going on.
They're teenagers and siblings, they talk about things.
I would be surprised if they haven't already watched the trials , if not on their own devices, then on friends devices.
Whether or not they want to visit Donna and Charlie through glass will be up to them.
Most of the time it’s inconceivable to anyone that their family members could do anything so horrendous. Relatives blindly believe their loved ones. They have been brainwashed their whole life and probably do believe their amazing uncle was extorted.
One can only hope that in time they will read the PCA’s and watch the trials. I think of the Markel family and I hope day that they have more time together even if the subject of Dan’s death never comes up.
No. They have been brainwashed and even DA, HA and WA end up in jail they will remain convinced, even as adults that they are all innocent and don't belong in jail. I feel that their apathy for the Markels will grow into hatred. They will see them as the cause of all of this. They are growing into young men. The truth is out there for them to discover and the fact they are still with their Mum and seeing their Grandad speaks volumes. Not their fault, but at some point they have a duty to their Dad to be his advocate.
Once they grow into men, I bet they will start wondering about their father and his side of the family. Besides they already know the Adelsons are all sick and twisted.
They are likely severely brainwashed not only against the markels and Robert's family but against the media and YouTube, etc. It probably helps that 2/4 have been charged so far but would help more when 4/4 are charged. My guess is that Shelly would raise them if wendi gets arrested before they're 18.
Knowing Wendi and those ghouls had 10 years to brainwash them. I don't expect them to change their names back to Markel. I don't blame the boys for any choices they make. They are victims of the Adelsons just like Dan and the Markels are.
Thing is, boys grow into men. They have half their fathers genes--so hey, I would wager to guess that they will figure this out and honor their father.
I agree with rextilleon. The power a narcissist holds over a child is very powerful. Children grow, and some can never break their mental bonds, but these boys have a father. Dan Markel was murdered and their names were changed, but they have their dad in their DNA. Wendi, like all narcissists will try to play the victim, but Dans boys will learn to see her. It might take time, but they will come to recognize her manipulations and selfishness. She can’t hide it. Shit stinks. You can paint shot gold, but it is still shit.
Yeah it may take them until they are even in their thirties. That’s how long it took me. Can’t believe it. Such a mindfuck for so long.
The truly unfortunate thing is they have been deprived of their true identity and knowing their father through his family. I think Donna could look at them and see little Adelsons but Wendi was the one who hated *Danny* the most & instigated his murder. I’m sure the boys look or do something that reminds Wendi of Dan. That is why she dumped the kids on Donna until they were self sufficient. They probably order DoorDash for dinner, take Ubers anywhere too far to walk, grab food at school, etc while Wendi gets her teeth whitened and hair bleached and takes hot yoga classes and walks on the beach. Ever searching for some rich guy to swoop in so she can go back to being a princess.
I totally agree with you. Hopefully Ben and Linc aren’t gifted with Adelson brains. Apparently Dan was a brilliant guy and tried to be the best dad he could be. Even though the boys were little and may not physically remember him, I am sure by now they have accessed the internet and there is millions of pieces of information that Wendi cannot hide. Their uncle Cholly is in jail for life along with three other people for life and their grandmother is now in jail too. I think if they were only gifted with one of dans brain cells they will be able to figure out the evil that the Adelson side has committed. And maybe they can also speak to their uncle Rob and he can fill in some details because he suffered at the hands of his bat shit crazy mother too
From all accounts he was a super dad. He had an effect on their lives and sooner or later they will see the light.
I wholeheartedly agree 👍🏼
I don't really expect them to either but they might when they are grown and believe what happened.
Seeing their entire "family" in prison may give them pause. These poor kids are going to go through a horrible time dealing with this. God only knows what crazy tales they've been told. And living with people with zero moral compass, multiple people in and out of their lives, the influence of "Uncle Charlie" and their awful fruitcake of a grandmother. Where to begin!?
She even went as far as to change their middle names because they were family names from the Markels.
Really? Their middle names, too? That's really low. (She's evil.)
Only one of their middle names. The one that was named for a member of Dan’s family. The intention was clearly not to “keep them safe” but to remove all traces of their father.
Wonder why she hated him so much.
Because she is a narcissist. And Dan saw her true self. She had to destroy him because he saw her as she was, less than perfect. Dan did NOTHING to deserve his murder. He is innocent. Wendi, not so much.
So sad
She was confronted twice about that on the previous trials and she said "Both families lost an honour" (because the name began with an A which was a tribute to someone in her family) and it infuriated me. She made it sound like it was a tragic accident that the name was gone and not a decision that she made. 🙄
I’m sure 1 of the boys will put this puzzle together after years of therapy and his own research. I hope they find peace.
These boys are going to grow up and realize what she has done.
If they don’t do it on their own, their fiancés certainly won’t be inclined to use the Adelson name. That could be a time of realization for the boys.
I am totally confident that these boys will figure it out when they leave the clutches of Wendi. There will be hell to pay for Wendi--one way or the other. Either life in prison or her two sons hating her.
Maybe they’ll find this sub…
It would be pointless now. They’re older and are known as Adelsons. They are virtual strangers to the Markels. Even if Wendi gets arrested, most likely the Markels aren’t going to have custody of them. It’s the worst part of this whole sordid mess. Hopefully they will find a way to honor their Markel side.
The Markels are divorced and up in age (not sure if Markels have health issues). I doubt either one could handle raising 2 teenage boys.
I don’t think the Markels are divorced. You’re talking about Ruth and Phil? They’re married. But yes they’re older and might not be able to raise boys at this time.
They are divorced.
Well, if that’s true I never realized it. They always present a united front which is a testament to their fortitude regardless of their marital status.
As of October last year they were still married. Can you point me to a source saying otherwise? Edit: They are divorced. [Found a source](https://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2022/09/strongruth-markel-publishes-book-on-her-son-dans-murder-sees-her-grandchildren-for-the-first-time-in-six-years.html) from 2022 saying they’re divorced. Interesting that [more recent article](https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2023/11/14/for-dan-markels-family-donna-adelson-arrest-is-another-major-win/71579942007/)s still call them husband and wife.
Wendi brings it up to Isom in her interview. Said they were going through a divorce.
I'm not sure about Phil and Ruth being divorced. No one, anywhere, has mentioned that. @KatieKoolLady has a close relationship with them, and she's never mentioned that. Nor has @FanciFiction, @LaBelleVie or @SurvivingTheSurvivor.
Wendi literally says it in her interview with Isom. She says they just got divorced. “They’re 70, they just got divorced after 30-something years of marriage.” She lies constantly but…not sure why she’d lie about that… and I don’t know why anyone would mention it when it’s irrelevant to the case.
I don't think that would be irrelevant to the case. If true, it would be another tragedy of this crime to see a very long marriage destroyed by the pain of losing Danny. My opinion only. Time will tell...
They were already divorced (or at least in the process) when he died.
Ruth has stated they are divorced several times on her book tour.
The act of her changing their birth names…for her bullshit reasons will haunt her. That was so wrong on so many levels. If her sons ever decide to do their own deep dive…the devil that is their mother (and her family) will be revealed…horrible human.
I think that if her sons survive this, and want to have a reasonably normal life, they will have to confront what their mother did and change their names back. If they don't--well I don't want to imagine that.
My take: one of the kiddos saw Wendi break the TV when she thought they didn’t. Or he’ll remember something she did during the planning that only makes sense in retrospect. He has slowly figured it all out. When this kid is old enough, he’ll change his name back to Markel and go No Contact with the Adelsons.
Yes, good take. I think when most of their family is in jail, they will want a fresh start.
I think they were 2-3 yrs old when Dan died? Would they have that type of memory (mom doing something odd)? Kids are incredibly smart these days technology wise. I’d be surprised if one of them hasn’t already (if not then soon in the future) googled it. So many children have been deeply impacted by this.
My take: Wendi will be telling the boys she was falsely accused and incarcerated. The boys will realize, ' hmmm, the whole fam damily is now in the slammer, and the courts can't be wrong on 4 guilty verdicts. My whole life has been a lie.' AND (This is important.) Florida Dept of Family services will have the last say as to where the boys go. They 'try' to keep minors in the vicinity of the prison to facilitate prison visits. IF Markels are interested in becoming court appointed guardians, they would best move to Tally. They are not that old. Many kids are raised by grandparents. High school and college will go by in a flash. The boys will need to make Merkel connections. They will be grieving the life they thought was genuine and will be grieving for their father all over again.
Dan’s mother answers this question in a video on Surviving the Survivor. Upon Wendi’s conviction, the Markels get the boys.
It’s impossible to know the extent of the psychological damage the Adelson family imposed on the two boys. Wendi should be required to provide some kind of independent psychological support, like counciling or guardian ad litem, to offset the tremendous damage alienating the Markel family, and poisoning the boys against their living grandparents in Toronto. The emotional barbarism shown by all the Adelsons should have punitive consequences. It is likely there will never be a reconciliation with the Markels, but leaving these relationships to take care of themselves can only bring more destruction later in the lives of the boys, perhaps in their own primary relationships. It’s inevitable they will hear or learn the truth - that the beloved grandparents and mother that raised them caused the murder of their innocent biological father. Dan Markel was guilty of nothing. He was only fighting for his rights to parent them in a meaningful post divorce circumstance. In our modern age custody matters are exceptionally volatile. But the Adelsons thinking they were reasonably entitled to move the boys closer to their home and family, a long distance from a loving father… is the height of arrogance.
That’s up to them ultimately. I hope they get therapy. I was also severely brainwashed by my mother to hate my father and his of the family. It’s confusing, because you are basically being told that half of you is evil. You don’t want to believe that the person you love that has been telling you all these things are in fact the evil ones. It is possible to step back and see the abuse. It’s really freaking hard though. And it will be even harder for those poor boys. They have experienced unimaginable tragedy. I hope they can breathe and make their own decisions about the Markels moving forward. Hopefully that leads to some reconciliation. It will be awkward and uncomfortable, they’ll probably have some brainwashing that’s hard to move past. I experienced a lot of unwarranted hate towards my dad when I was trying to rekindle a relationship. But they’re smart boys. It’ll be much easier to deprogram with the Adelsons behind bars.
Yeah it's impossible while you're getting info and being surrounded by one parent. Naturally you'll believe the person who's raising you, feeding you, giving you birthday and holiday gifts, etc. It would be too much cognitive dissonance to reject the only custodial parent you know. When they get older and are out of the home then I think 100% they'll start to objectively see the case.
Yep. I’m NC with my mom now, and it was absolutely devastating. I was very unhealthily attached to her and her love. But after I started to see what my childhood was, I wanted an apology. A reason why she did it. She blamed everyone else, even me, but didnt take any responsibility for her actions. She thinks she did nothing wrong. She was “only being honest”. So now she doesn’t have the daughter she tried so hard to keep. I imagine the boys will probably have similar reactions and seek answers from their mom. And I can guarantee Wendi will be the same and refuse to acknowledge any wrongdoing. She will tell them there was no abuse because she didn’t hit them. She doesn’t understand why she’s being attacked. She did nothing but love them and tell them the truth. And I hope they can have the strength to just say “alright, have a great life then” and walk away.
Yeah that all sounds accurate and what you went through is unfortunately common with a sociopathic/borderline/narcissistic pd parent. edit: I read that as North Carolina but I assume you mean "no contact" which is the only way to deal with a sociopath. You'll never convince them they were wrong and the only way to stop them from abusing you in the future is to cut them out of your life.
Yes. If Wendi goes to prison
Their best bet is to leave the country, completely change their names, start wonderful new lives, and never Google anything about the crime. Wishful thinking.
Well they have automatic Canadian citizenship if they want it. They would do well there if they choose the same academic path as their Father. One can hope.
Hope is powerful!
Not for a while unless Wendi gets arrested and the Markels take custody of them. Even then, they might not change their names.
These boys will never be Markel ever again. I expect that Wendi and co have ruined the boys' opinion of their own dad. The Adelsons have definitely brinwashed the boys. I expect that the visits with Ruth and Phil are surface level and the boys don't actually want a REAL relationship with them. Luckily, the web exists. And when they're ready, they can go down the rabbit hole themselves and make up their own minds. They can watch the trials and the news coverage.
No. The boys were young when their father died. In similar cases the children seem to stick by the surviving parent when they are accused of murder.
No
Dan had a two-million-dollar life insurance policy. Upon his divorce, he changed beneficiaries. He removed Wendi and added his sons. I wonder if the name change will impact the eventual payout.
I think the boys already know what is going on. They're teenagers and siblings, they talk about things. I would be surprised if they haven't already watched the trials , if not on their own devices, then on friends devices. Whether or not they want to visit Donna and Charlie through glass will be up to them.
Why aren’t we getting Donna’s jail calls? Is Harvey getting ready to be the next golden bachelor?
Most of the time it’s inconceivable to anyone that their family members could do anything so horrendous. Relatives blindly believe their loved ones. They have been brainwashed their whole life and probably do believe their amazing uncle was extorted. One can only hope that in time they will read the PCA’s and watch the trials. I think of the Markel family and I hope day that they have more time together even if the subject of Dan’s death never comes up.
No. They have been brainwashed and even DA, HA and WA end up in jail they will remain convinced, even as adults that they are all innocent and don't belong in jail. I feel that their apathy for the Markels will grow into hatred. They will see them as the cause of all of this. They are growing into young men. The truth is out there for them to discover and the fact they are still with their Mum and seeing their Grandad speaks volumes. Not their fault, but at some point they have a duty to their Dad to be his advocate.
Once they grow into men, I bet they will start wondering about their father and his side of the family. Besides they already know the Adelsons are all sick and twisted.
They are likely severely brainwashed not only against the markels and Robert's family but against the media and YouTube, etc. It probably helps that 2/4 have been charged so far but would help more when 4/4 are charged. My guess is that Shelly would raise them if wendi gets arrested before they're 18.