Donna and Charlie Adelson Did WHAT With the Hit Money?!

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

This is Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski.

Tony Brueski (0:11)

You've been watching the Adelson documentary on Hulu right now, where you followed the case from the get-go, and you're just continuing this journey into hell, like many of us are. Have you ever wondered, have you ever, have you ever sat and pondered, just how, how tight, how, how, how close, how close of a relationship do you think Donna Adelson and Charlie Adelson had?

There's a lot of mother-son relationships in history where extreme activities are carried out at the behest of mom by the son. And then upon further digging, you realize, oh God, there's a lot more happening here than just, let's keep mom happy.

We're not going to talk about that.

You're like, are you going there? I don't know that I'm going quite there, but we'll see. I don't think we're quite to Norman Bates level, but give it 20 more years. And if they were free, I think we could have possibly gotten there. If the allegiance and the bond held the way that it does. I mean, in all reality, would anybody be super surprised if you found out Charlie and Donna went into the back room of the Adelson Institute at lunchtime and Charlie had chocolate milk meeting from Donna with Hershey's chocolate syrup. And I don't mean she got a milk carton and said, here you go, son. Let me put some syrup in there for you. Meaning that maybe he never really stopped feeding. That's probably a bit much. And Charlie, I know you're sitting in there trying to throw your tablet across the room. If you have one right now. And Donna, I know that probably I would never do that with my son.

SPEAKER_3 (2:38)

Tony, this is Donna Adelson.

Tony Brueski (2:41)

I want to let you know.

SPEAKER_4 (2:42)

I am not very happy with your portrayal of me and my son.

We have never engaged in activity like that as much as I would have. I sometimes have dreams about it at night.

SPEAKER_3 (2:56)

I will never speak of that though.

Tony Brueski (2:57)

The only person who knows that is Harvey. Because I tell him everything I possibly can to emasculate him every day of the week, even for my boss! Okay, that's probably not quite how it went. In the cartoon version of Donna Adelson, maybe that's how it went. But again, let's pull back. We went down that road a little bit, a little much. I don't really quite think it went that far. But, I don't know. With the Adelsons, it's been feeling like anything is possible, right?

November 7th of 2020, November 7th of 2023, the day after Charlie Adelson's conviction, he calls his mother from a Leon County jail phone. She picks up. 86 calls that week. Somebody needed assurance from somebody.

2118 minutes, more than 35 hours. The longest one ran nearly two hours. I mean, think about that. A 47-year-old podiatrist, pulling in $3.5 million a year, driving a Ferrari, having girlfriends everywhere, and the only person who could calm his nervous system was the same woman who had been booking his flights and paying his bills since he was 12

SPEAKER_4 (4:21)

And don't forget milk time at the Institute.

Tony Brueski (4:25)

Okay, again, that's probably not what was happening. Mommy, I'm thirsty.

It's such a preposterous idea, but no. She tells him he's going to be okay, tells him he's getting out of that stupid room. And she's here, don't stop you from dreaming, Charlie.

SPEAKER_4 (4:50)

You're going to get out of that stupid room. We're all going to get back together at the Institute someday and we're going to have a delicious non-kosher meal of brawns.

Just to defy little Danny.

Tony Brueski (5:06)

Defy him.

SPEAKER_3 (5:08)

Because I'm Donna and nobody messes with the Donna. Mom?

Tony Brueski (5:19)

Mom, you're a what's that noise?

And then she just fades away. Then comes a line she didn't realize what was going on. She didn't realize she was being recorded. Yeah, Charlie drops off. She keeps talking apparently to Harvey. Didn't realize she didn't hang up the phone.

SPEAKER_4 (5:53)

Am I suicidal?

Tony Brueski (5:54)

No.

SPEAKER_4 (5:54)

Do I want to go to sleep and not see my son? I do.

Tony Brueski (5:59)

Perfectly honest, I do.

SPEAKER_4 (6:01)

We could do it together.

Tony Brueski (6:03)

Leave a note.

SPEAKER_4 (6:05)

No, no, wouldn't they come to get us?

Tony Brueski (6:10)

Basically talking about ending it.

Simultaneously with her son.

She doesn't want to go out by herself, no. But if the idea of her leaving and Charlie leaving the planet at the same off-ramp at the same time, well, ain't that a little blow romantic in the eyes of Donna?