Dan Markel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | October 9, 1972 |
| Died | July 19, 2014 (aged 41) Tallahassee, Florida, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Gunshot wound |
| Education | Harvard University (BA, JD) Emmanuel College, Cambridge (MPhil) |
| Occupation(s) | Law professor, author |
| Spouse | Wendi Jill Adelson (2006-2013) |
| Children | 2 |
Daniel Eric Markel (October 9, 1972 – July 19, 2014) was a Canadian-born attorney and a law professor, who wrote various works on retribution in criminal law and sentencing, with a focus on the role of punishment in the criminal justice system. He earned a J.D. degree from Harvard University in 2001 and after working as a law clerk to a federal judge and as an associate at a law firm, joined the faculty of Florida State University in 2005.
Markel was killed in Tallahassee, Florida, in 2014, in a murder for hire motivated by child custody issues following Markel's divorce from Wendi Adelson, a clinical law professor and child advocate also employed at Florida State University at the time.[1][2][3]
Four individuals have been convicted in the case. Charlie Adelson, Wendi Adelson's brother and Markel's former brother-in-law, was convicted of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and solicitation of murder,[4] and sentenced to life in prison plus an additional 30 years each for the conspiracy and solicitation convictions.[5] Sigfredo Garcia was found guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, and sentenced to life in prison. After a mistrial in her original trial, Katherine Magbanua was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and solicitation of murder in a retrial and sentenced to life in prison plus two consecutive 30-year sentences.[6] Luis Rivera pled guilty to second-degree murder, and was sentenced to 19 years in prison.
Donna Adelson, Wendi Adelson's mother and Markel's former mother-in-law, was arrested at the Miami International Airport on a warrant from Leon County, evidently trying to flee to Vietnam, a country with no extradition treaty with the U.S.[7] She is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and solicitation of murder.[8] Originally scheduled to start September 17, 2024, her trial is expected to begin in late 2024 or early 2025.[9][10] Neither Markel's ex-wife Wendi Adelson nor Wendi Adelson's father (and Markel's former father-in-law) Harvey Adelson have been charged,[11] but both have been named by prosecutors as "conspirators" in the killing.[12]
- ^ "Documents: Markel Custody Battle May be Motive for His Murder". WTXL-TV. June 2, 2016. Retrieved June 2, 2016. [dead link]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
GarciaRiveraIndictedwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Casey, Nikki (January 17, 2018). "Who Had Dan Markel Killed?". The Forward. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
- ^ "Florida dentist convicted in 2014 slaying of his former brother-in-law, a prominent professor". AP News. November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
- ^ "Charlie Adelson sentenced to life in prison for 2014 murder-for-hire of Dan Markel". WCTV. December 12, 2023.
- ^ "Katherine Magbanua sentenced to life in prison". WTXL. July 29, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
- ^ "Donna Adelson arrested days after son's conviction in Dan Markel murder". Tallahassee Democrat.
- ^ Jeff Burlew (November 15, 2023). "Grand jury indicts Donna Adelson in Dan Markel murder two days after Miami airport arrest". USA Today.
- ^ Burlew, Jeff (September 19, 2024). "'Epic disaster': Donna Adelson's trial went off the rails. Here's what's coming next". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
- ^ Burlew, Jeff. "Judge sets trial date for Donna Adelson in 2014 murder of Dan Markel". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ^ Etters, Karl (October 1, 2019). "Ex-wife Wendi Adelson testifies under immunity in Dan Markel case". Tennessee Democrat.
- ^ Burlew, Jeff (October 26, 2023). "Wendi Adelson says she was surprised to learn Charlie knew Dan Markel's murderer all along". Tennessee Democrat.