LIVE! Real Lawyer Reacts: Fiery Cross Examination of Charlie Adelson 

The prosecutor in this case was fantastic! She's calm, thorough, and love her sarcastic humor.

I think the whole point of her cross was to give the jury a good picture of exactly how pompous and cocky and heartless he was about the murder. And she accomplished her goal, without beating it out of him. She just let him hang himself with his own attitude and words and smirks. She made it look like he was being hostile towards her and not her towards him. Brilliant.

Prosecutor did a good, slow job of breaking down Charlie's RIDICULOUS story. She WON!!!!

No man who saved his money since he was young would hand it over to someone that he was in a casual relationship with, that he had no intention of marrying. Why would he pay anyone off after they murdered someone they didn't even know, that was only beneficial to his family?

He’s been extorted before and had called the police about other issues but not now. Agree Peter He just hand the money over to her and let her spend the night. It just doesn’t add up.

She absolutely achieved what she wanted. She basically told jurors: don’t you see who are we dealing with? And it was enough to get him life sentence!

I would have asked: "So Katie ran her mouth and the killers took things in their own hands and committed the murder?" (Yes) "So Katie is only guilty of extortion, not being involved in a murder plot... but she testified in this trial that she was involved in the murder plot. If your theory is true, don't you think she would rather be doing a few years for extortion rather than life without parole for murder?"

Let's be real here. No one extorts someone by killing a guy their extortion victim would love to see gone. Charlie also claims to have known for 2 years who killed Dan .... and never bothered to tell his sister who was married to the guy?

I think he's gone over his defense so often and for so long that he's started to believe it.

slam dunk is when Georgia the prosecutor said Charlie went to the police for menial reasons to report marginal crimes, now His family is at threat along with his own life....

Charlie is very good at making up his own truth and getting it across it’s scary

Georgia exposed the ludicrousness of Charlie’s story, and she did it well.

he slept with Katy the night that he gave the money of the extortion to her 😂 and she left the next day with the money and after that he told her I love you 😂😂😂 someone in the world can believe that?

Here is my problem with the defence theory the killers were promised payment aday after the job and if Charlie had no idea of what went down how could Katie have guaranteed extorting any money out of Charlie to pay the killers 😮

That just proves that he has memorized EVERYTHING to have an answer for EVERYTHING. what person would know the exact date and time??? And stress that they remembered the exact date???

Charlie’s cross examination only revealed how incredibly cunning and easy a liar he is. He’s smart and quick on his feet. But he’s so guilty. Let’s hope the jury sees through the scripted and non scripted lies.

As a juror my first and only question would be if him and his family we're innocent victims why is his mom and dad NOT testifying on his behalf or sitting in the court room on his behalf, his side of the Court room should've been packed for this innocent doctor

I will always pay a blackmailer or extortionist with monthly payments.....I won't tell my family except mom..I feared for their lives and mine so I didn't call the police or warn them...I continued working and going about my business..I continued to treat Katie with gifts to keep her happy and will continue to pay the extortionist for life.....if they weren't caught...

Exactly!! One of many things I've found to be extremely unbelievable...that he let a girl, an unarmed girl simply take the huge amount of cash that he'd been saving and collecting for years. He's a freaking Dr. He's smarter than what he's testified to. He's guilty as hell and the evidence shows that. If he is aquitted I'll lose my faith in humanity. It will be a hung jury at best.

I think it’s horrible that the kingpin mother Donna, who probably started this whole thing, is not in court supporting her son. It’s also horrible that sister Wendy, who was directly involved with the victim and the defendant, is also is not there. Either is the father. Tells you all you need to know about this criminal family. Family members should be there also to support Charlie to show you believe in him. Not to hide in shame. Whether he’s guilty or not.

It almost sounded like Georgia was questioning her own story at times

Charlie did much better than I expected.

I think your commentary of the cross is well taken and I agree. It must be much more difficult to do in the moment. Every prosecutor is stronger in different areas.

He had perfect, flawless recall when his attorney questioned him on direct from his script

I just can’t give him the benefit of the doubt. Explanations for everything. Too many coincidences. I believe he manipulated Katie into helping him find the hit man and was willing to give her gifts and cash too build that relationship. Guilty

He’s a well practiced liar. Arrogant. Argumentative. Clever. Narcissists don’t become flustered

Going to be honest, I expected more from the prosecution. Charlie still had an answer for everything.

His testimony is that he never thought Katie had anything to do with the extortion.

It seemed to me that the prosecutor bailed on cross examination early after it didn't go the way she expected it to. Her specialty is making a defendant squirm in front of the jury, and she's really good at it. The issue is, he didn't squirm. He didn't hesitate on any of his answers, he had a plausible explanation for each and every question. The prosecutor is a class act but she was clearly frustrated that the cross wasn't going where she wanted it to. BTW-- this dude blinks a TON. But, keep in mind that is his baseline. There's not huge flurries of blinking when the prosecutor asks a hard question. I am kind of blown away at how this defense pulled this one out of their nether-regions. Have to respect it.

I really expected the cross to be better, I really thought the procession would rip his story apart. I felt like she had a lot of good points, but fell flat on questions in my opinion. He comes off cocky and kind of a jerk, but being a jerk doesn’t make someone guilty.

He did the best I have ever seen against a great lawyer.

Completely agree. The defense presented a reasonable alternative narrative. Is it true? Probably not… but it is reasonable to think that the prosecution got it wrong.

I hope the closing arguments for the Prosecution will be MUCH stronger than this (disappointing) cross examination! This cross needed to be tighter, more damaging

I hope that the prosecuting attorney listens to you. I was expecting so much more and hoping she lambasts him in closing.

I was extremely disappointed with cross. She was very scattered with her questions & didn’t follow up until later. Peter for giving us your take on this! Let’s see how the closing arguments go on Monday. 💙💙💙

Loved hearing the questions you would have asked. Great job, Peter.

I was disappointed in Georgia’s cross. I think she left a lot of questions unasked. I’m more confident she will bring it in closing on Monday.

I definitely wouldn't want most of these in chats to be on the jury!!!! They've already found him guilty b4 it's started.

I’m a big fan of Georgia but I was so disappointed in her cross, I don’t think she was anticipating Charlie to lie so well. Hopefully the jury sees through it. The Markel family definitely deserve justice.

Putting him on the stand was genius!

No way would Charlie part so easily with his big stash of cash. Any person in his position would have gone to the police because they would not want to be connected in any way to a murder. And it is unbelievable that these randos would just take it upon themselves to kill a man that they had no issue with. Such BS.

He's an educated man and didn't bother to consult with an attorney about his extortion? B.S.

The biggest arguments against him, come from Katie. Why would he believe her from the beginning? He didn’t immediately know how/why Dan died - so why believe that her friends k!lled him? Why not go to the Police first, to figure out what happened and determine if he was actually murdered?? And to that, if he thought Katie/her friends murd3red his sister’s ex (Father of his nephews 🥺) and then extorted him for his hard earned money - why continue to give her 3k a month? ON TOP OF paying for her insurance, car troubles, flights for her & sigfredo, gifts for sigfredo, boobs, etc and then tell her you STILL love her?!? His behavior doesn’t line up with a scared man who’s worried him or his family will be k!lled. In fact, he keeps this from his sister and ALLOWS HER & HIS NEPHEWS TO MOVE CLOSER TO THE MURDERERS - without any additional security or safety precautions?! Make it make sense! He then claims he’s SO afraid of Katie and needed her protection, but then immediately flips out/threatens her & her ex (after the bump) when he thinks he’s ACTUALLY being extorted. You were afraid they’d k!ll you before this, according to you, but finally put your foot down after the 2nd extortion!? Lol You’re suddenly not afraid? ORRRR was that a Freudian slip of your TRUE reaction to believing Katie was extorting you!? He knows he’d be aggressive, threatening & dirty if he truly thought he was being taken advantage of. Lastly, Katie would have helped her appeal & possiblyyy (..but not probable) been released or resentenced, had she gone along with his theory, claiming she was threatened by the Latin Kings to extort CA. However she DIDNT do that. Instead, she admitted that she helped CA orchestrate a murder-for-hire on his ex Brother in Law. That actually HURT her in the long run, as it null in voids the argument of her currently filed appeal. So Katie lied & gave herself a BIGGER role in this whole tragedy - for nothing?! Just because she likes being in prison and wants to stay longer?! Riiiiiiiight. In order to believe Charlie, you have to discredit EVERY OTHER WITNESS, thus far. Meaning you believe that the ONLY honest person here, is the one fighting (for their life) on the stand - with everything to lose?!? And everyone else with absolutely NOTHING to gain- or lose - are lying in this trial (for no apparent reason).🥴 In fact, CHARLIE didn’t even come forward with “his truth,” for over 9 years (ironically not until he was charged & saw the State’s overwhelming evidence against him), but that’s ok because he came forward with it now (when it benefited him the most). And you must believe everything Charlie says because….✨he says so…✨ Also - I think the prosecutor was trying to poke at him to show his true character & temperament. You can see when he gets angry/frustrated with her because he becomes condescendingly sassy, petty & direct (NOT cowardly or indirect). His raw reactions aren’t indicative of a passive coward who lets people from “the other side of the tracks” (his words) take advantage of and extort him.

I didn't think the cross went poorly overall. She seemed somewhat scattered this time. I've seen her before and she really zeroed in on the cross, but not this time. Not sure what happened. I was very disappointed with her cross.

I'm on the replay crew today, but I also wanted to say thank you to Peter for letting us know your thoughts on this trial. I actually got to watch a lot of this today but missed a lot too, so I'm grateful for you and this channel.

I hope Georgia can include the fact Donna refused to testify in her close. If she can’t, then it was a huge mistake not forcing her to come anyway and plead the 5th, question after question, for the jury to hear

He had so many years to rehearse his answers, could remember dates and times so vividly? that most of us would be incapable is so unbelievable! Georgia’s cross was lackluster and disappointing, and she allowed Charlie to continue his prolonged answers vs yes-no. I expected a strong rebuttal, which she chose not to do. I’m fearful of a hung jury unless she returns Monday with a forceful determination to disprove his 123 usages of “extortion” in her closing.

If I was a jury on this case , I felt Charlie was smug and came off that he was going to put one over on the jury , I would be seating there as a juror i would be thinking this guy thinks I'm an idiot

You are so awesome and your youtube channel is the absolute best. You blow everyone out of the water!! Thank you so much for all you do!

Peter is just so darned good-natured!! I appreciate the ever-respectful and sincere breakdowns of these court cases. It’s rare to listen to such a fair and kind perspective, and it’s one the world needs!

Also, she really missed an opportunity to reply to his "Gotcha" when he so quickly replied about that April 26 call time, date, what he words he said etc... She should have replied, "Have you studied & memorized every single piece of evidence in this case for the past 18 months so you could make your story fit the evidence?" BTC

I would really like to watch Peter in action, in the court room. You have brilliant thoughts!

I have not followed this trial closely, but I did watch some of the cross examination. I thought the prosecutor was ineffective for the most part, but I don’t know how much more she could have done. You either believe him or you don’t, and I don’t think most people will find his story the least bit plausible. She also did not rattle him at all during the whole cross.

As someone who sits in criminal trials for a living, I find Charlie to actually be a good witness. Will we hear the final jury instructions?

You’re an amazing lawyer. I’d really hate to be up against you in any argument! The thing is you’re only going to get sharper & better- pretty impressive. Loving your take on this.

I feel like he’s involved but if on the jury - the prosecution did not prove it to me.

He took her Thunder on answering her question! I feel like he ate her lunch!

While I believe all the Aldersens are guilty, I think the lawyer for Charlie did a heck of job!! The doubt is there, in my opinion 😊

I found him believable. As a mother of a former addict I can tell you, you pay when you feel threatened even if you’re not directly threatened and the last thing you want to do is involve the police. You feel like your son’s being held to ransom with underlying threats but you’re scared to involve the police, you don’t even know if some LE aren’t involved with people at high level. I’m not saying he’s not involved but there’s enough doubt for me. I can totally get what he’s saying. It’s plausible.

His testimony came across much like Amber Heard's testimony, to me. An answer for everything, twisting his words to mean something else, that everyone else was lying.

Since Charlie is obviously Katie's intellectual superior, which one of them is the manipulator? Allegedly Katie claimed responsibility for Dan Markel's murder and stated to Charlie that she knew the killers and they wanted one third of a million dollars or they would kill him. Why did 6' 3" Charlie not subdue Katie and immediately contact police to report Markel's killers and thereby protect himself and family???????????

The lawyer you know gives an objective, thoughtful analysis. And he's right. The prosecutor opened the door to reasonable doubt.

Great points!! Thanks!

The defendant outperformed the Prosecutor, I agree. But how stupid does he think the jurors are? This whole thing is preposterous! We’re to believe that 2 strangers to the victim concocted an elaborate murder sequence based on the gossip they’ve heard from the wife of one who’s having an affair with the victim’s ex brother in law?? Without any involvement from the defendant at all?? If true, at the very least why wouldn’t he call the police! ?

This was the prosecutor's trial to win. Unfortunately, Georgia's cross was lacking big time. She let Charley take control, and he had too many opportunities to speak on & on. Hopefully, her cross didn't offer the jury to have any doubt. Another thing they should have done was offer a lesser charge along with the top charge. Without a lesser charge, it may end up just like the Casey Anthony case. I hope I am wrong.

Finally live…… I watch you all the time. Love it from Tennessee

She smirks more than Charlie. The irony.

I believe the prosecution put their foot in their mouths during cross. It wasn't strong and she took too much time asking why everyone else said what they said and how others felt instead of interrogating him. Trying to trick. That being said, Charlie did come of as smug and matter of fact. If I was on the panel I wouldn't be able to say one way or another if he is guilty.

I do agree!! So much material she could have used it was such a lackluster cross I was astounded and confused. Him telling her what to do and (if going quote me out a time to it) that she is misusing words and that definition of word wrong was crazy.

You are a very excellent communicator! Unlike most public speakers, you don’t start every sentence with the word “So…”

What a strange cross. It was more like an argument in a supermarket queue.

Wendi was the favorite golden child and Charlie was the screw up. Having Dan killed was Charlie’s big chance to be the family hero. The whole family wanted Dan out of the picture permanently and Charlie was eager to prove his worth especially to his mother. Totally guilty.

She would benefit from watching this, she could learn much from listening to you and herself.

I am so impressed with your analysis today. Many great thoughts

Great analysis, so appreciate that "The Lawyer You Know" goes point by point while offering a fair-minded critique.

She should have asked him to re-explain what the second extortion was. Because it was so confusing and it may have highlighted how ludicrous this entire story is.

I judged him guilty years ago but I almost feel sorry for him that he is the fall guy for his moms hatred of Dan and he got caught up right in that hate

I couldn't agree more, while I believe Charlie orchestrated this whole thing (why else would Dan Markel be the target - the only person "in the family" the Adelson's have no love loss for? However, I really don't think the state's proving that burden beyond a reasonable doubt. He was really prepared, possibly has a photographic memory or something the way he cited the call date/ time/duration. I think Georgia is good but seemed harder on Wendi than Charlie which surprised me and I didn't get it. Him looking cocky would make sense for someone who wasn't involved, has been in jail 1.5 years waiting for his trial, and has loss everything. Even if he gets off he won't be able to have the same life. I watched this whole trial. Saw many people commenting he's guilty and they are going to be shocked when he gets off. I wouldn't be. His performance was incredible.

Thank you llykno!!

Katie gave Garcia and Rivera a piece of paper with Dans address.Where did Katie get the address from. That’s what Georgia should have asked Charlie.

The moment the state uses the word "theory," seems like a lost cause. The state has to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

I actually hope Georgia does see your analysis Peter because you have some great ideas for her closing.Great recap. Thx.

Just came across your channel and wasn't disappointed.Dont have any clue what they will do.

I thought prosecution's style set up well for rebuttal witnesses - but then didn't call any. That confused me. A strong closing can def pull it all together for the state.

Charlie is 100% guilty as his "script" is lame and completely unbelievable. The fact that many observers think he's not guilty is beyond frightening.

I was honestly disappointed in the cross examination. I was expecting so much more and she could have approached totally differently. She roasted Wendi more than she did Charlie.

Really appreciate your comments and insights!

Great perspective!!! Thank you!!!

I believe she had it all under control. She didn't have to prove his guilt. That narcissist did it all for her. She didn't get into any arguments with him. If the jury has any common sense, they will see him as he is and see right through him. Here's hoping.

I think Georgia was magnificent in her own quiet, determined manner. She was wonderful. He was like putty in her hands…. she drove home the questions she wanted answered I take my hat off to her kudos Georgia you were unbelievable and nobody can tell me any different …. everybody can judge her, but I applaud her way to go Georgia.👍

I don't know....I think he tripped up the state with his almost deadpan responses to the cross.

Charlie wasn’t the mastermind. Donna was the mastermind and Charlie played out what Donna wanted. My vote is guilty or hung jury. People in the courtroom are saying there is one juror they can’t read.

Charlie did better than the prosecutor

The state knows he is Innocent now, that's why they went easy on him. His body language tells the truth 100

Tjanks for the coverage I was wondering how this case would end. I am unsure see doubt there. Some people act a little different when they might talk or to wrong person. The girl who lied amny times dont trust her word.

Great analysis, and wow are you handsome! Lovely to listen to and watch ❤❤

Smh. He would have been better off not testifying

I think the State and all of for that matter, underestimated Charlie. I think we all did not think he was a smart guy. But, this cross tells a different story.

Having watched many a trial, I think Georgia has a brilliantly unique and understated approach. She played off of his arrogance and I think knew confidently that she had the jury just by being the opposite.

Where is his family? Hiding? That’s terrible they’re not there to support him. He should turn on them and tell the truth.