Murder of Professor a contract hit?

in #news5 years ago

An update on the investigation and upcoming trial in the 2014 murder of Florida State law professor Dan Markel. As the article explains, prosecutors believe that the murder was a contract hit commissioned by the family of Dan's ex-wife, Wendi Adelson, so that she could have sole custody of their two sons. One of the killers (Luis Rivera) has confessed and turned states' evidence. The other (Sigfredo Garcia) is going on trial this summer, along with Katherine Magbanua, who had relationships with both Garcia (the father of her children) and Wendi's brother Charlie (who is her ex-boyfriend). Prosecutors claim she was the go-between who set up the murder for the Adelsons.

The authorities think Wendi's mother and brother were involved in the murder. But they have not found any evidence against Wendi herself, despite investigating her pretty thoroughly.

The article includes descriptions of various e-mail and cell phone data that the prosecution recently entered into evidence. You can judge it for yourself. But I will say that Donna Adelson was wrong to call Dan a "religious zealot." He had religious views that were fairly conventional for relatively observant, but non-Orthodox Jews.