Prof. Dan Markel Dies in Murder-for-Hire Contracted by Ex-In-Laws
A Custody Dispute That Ended in Murder
On July 18, 2014, Daniel Eric Markel, a 41-year-old Florida State University law professor, was shot twice in the head while sitting in his car inside his Tallahassee garage. After clinging to life for 14 hours, he died the following morning. What initially appeared to be a random act of violence would eventually expose a chilling truth: Prof. Dan Markel dies in murder-for-hire contracted by ex-in-laws who wanted their daughter to relocate with her children to South Florida.
Over more than a decade, the case unraveled, revealing a conspiracy that stretched from Tallahassee to Miami. Donna Adelson and her son Charlie Adelson, Markel’s former mother-in-law and brother-in-law, orchestrated a plot that involved hitmen, intermediaries, and payments funneled through a family dental practice. Their motive was shockingly simple: because they wanted Wendi Adelson, Dan’s ex-wife, to move closer to them with her two young sons, something a judge had explicitly forbidden.
Five people have been convicted in this murder-for-hire scheme. However, the case continues to haunt those who knew Markel and raises troubling questions about how far some will go to control family dynamics.
What Happened to Dan Markel?
The Day of the Murder
On the morning of July 18, 2014, Markel dropped his two sons at preschool before running errands and visiting his gym. Meanwhile, two men in a rented Toyota Prius had been trailing him throughout Tallahassee. Surveillance footage from city buses, street cameras, and Markel’s gym captured the vehicle following his movements.
After Markel returned home shortly before 11 a.m., the men ambushed him in his garage. Sigfredo Garcia fired two shots into Markel’s head while he sat in his car. A neighbor reported hearing gunshots and seeing a light-colored Prius speeding away from the scene.
Although emergency responders rushed Markel to the hospital, he died early on July 19, 2014. Emergency response was initially delayed because a dispatcher misclassified the 911 call as less serious than it actually was.
The Victim: A Respected Scholar
Daniel Eric Markel was born on October 9, 1972, in Montreal and raised in Toronto. After graduating magna cum laude from Harvard as an undergraduate, he earned a master’s degree in political theory from Cambridge before receiving his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2001.
Following his clerkship for Judge Michael Daly Hawkins of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Markel joined Florida State University’s College of Law in 2005. By 2010, he was tenured and held the position of D’Alemberte Professor of Law. His scholarship focused on retribution, criminal sentencing, and the role of punishment in the justice system.
In addition to his academic work, Markel co-founded PrawfsBlawg, a prominent legal blog, and authored numerous articles for the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review, Vanderbilt Law Review, and University of Pennsylvania Law Review. Additionally, he wrote opinion pieces for The New York Times, Slate, and The Atlantic.
Who Orchestrated Dan Markel’s Murder?
The Adelson Family
Wendi Adelson married Dan Markel in February 2006. They had two sons, born in 2009 and 2010. Although the couple separated in 2012, their divorce was not finalized until July 31, 2013. The split was acrimonious, marked by bitter disputes over custody, finances, and personal property.
Because Wendi sought to relocate to South Florida with the children to be closer to her family, she petitioned the court for permission. However, a judge denied her request, ordering that the children remain in Tallahassee where Markel lived and worked.
Donna Adelson, Wendi’s mother and Markel’s former mother-in-law, became increasingly hostile toward Dan. In 2014, Markel filed a court motion alleging that Donna disparaged him in front of his sons during unsupervised visits. According to court records, his children reported that “Grandma says you’re stupid” and “She says you’re trying to take her sunshines away from her.”
Charlie Adelson, Wendi’s brother and a Fort Lauderdale periodontist, allegedly arranged the murder-for-hire plot. According to testimony, Charlie used Katherine Magbanua as an intermediary to hire the killers. Meanwhile, Magbanua had a romantic relationship with Charlie between 2013 and 2015 and shared two children with Garcia.
The Hitmen
Luis Rivera, a leader in the North Miami branch of the Latin Kings gang, and his childhood friend Sigfredo “Tuto” Garcia carried out the killing. Rivera rented the Toyota Prius used to stalk Markel. In addition, cellphone records, GPS data, and surveillance footage placed both men in Tallahassee on two separate trips: June 4-6, 2014, and July 16-18, 2014.
Later, Rivera testified that Garcia recruited him for the hit, promising $35,000. According to Rivera, Garcia told him that “the lady wants her two kids back” and “wants full custody of them kids.” Rivera claimed he served as the getaway driver while Garcia fired the fatal shots.
The Intermediary
Katherine Magbanua served as the connection between the Adelson family and the hitmen. As a result of their investigation, detectives discovered she received regular paychecks from the Adelson family’s dental practice, the Adelson Institute, signed by Donna Adelson. Despite these payments, there was no record of any work schedule or job title for Magbanua in business documents subpoenaed by prosecutors.
Following the murder, Magbanua received a large sum of money from the Adelsons. In addition, phone records showed Garcia called Magbanua immediately after shooting Markel.
Timeline: How the Investigation Unfolded
July 18-19, 2014: The Murder
Dan Markel was shot in his garage on July 18, 2014. Early the next morning, he died in the hospital. Tallahassee Police announced he was the “intended victim” and launched a murder investigation.
July 19, 2014: Memorial Service
At Congregation Shomrei Torah, the synagogue Markel attended in Tallahassee, a memorial service was held. Later, he was buried at Pardes Shalom Cemetery in Maple, Ontario.
2015: Investigation Intensifies
On the one-year anniversary of the murder, Tallahassee Police held a press conference. They released photographs of a silver-green Toyota Prius and asked the public for help locating the vehicle. In addition, a $100,000 reward was offered for information leading to an arrest.
April 2016: FBI Undercover Operation
In April 2016, the FBI conducted an undercover sting operation targeting Donna Adelson. An undercover agent approached her claiming to be the brother of one of the suspects and demanded $5,000. When Donna claimed not to know what he was talking about, the agent handed her a press release about Markel’s murder with a phone number.
Immediately after the encounter, Donna called Charlie. Their conversation was secretly recorded. “Does it involve me or other people?” Charlie asked. When Donna replied, “Well, probably the both of us,” Charlie then called Magbanua, demanding she “find out who it is and tell them to stop playing their games.”
May 2016: First Arrests
On May 26, 2016, Sigfredo Garcia was arrested for first-degree murder. Days later, investigators released a probable cause affidavit revealing that Garcia and Luis Rivera had traveled from Miami to Tallahassee in a rented Prius, staying in motels on July 16 and 17, 2014.
June 2016: Grand Jury Indictment
A Leon County grand jury indicted Garcia and Rivera on first-degree murder charges. At the time, Rivera was already in federal custody serving time for racketeering conspiracy related to his leadership in the Latin Kings gang.
October 2016: Rivera’s Plea Deal and Magbanua’s Arrest
On October 1, 2016, Katherine Magbanua was arrested and charged with murder. Three days later, Rivera pleaded guilty to second-degree murder as part of a plea agreement. As a result, he was sentenced to 19 years in prison, to run concurrently with his existing sentence.
During his testimony, Rivera confessed that Garcia recruited him for the killing. He claimed Magbanua was “the woman in the middle doing everything” and that the motive was custody-related: “Because the lady wants her two kids back.”
October 2019: First Trial
Garcia and Magbanua were tried together in October 2019. On October 11, 2019, a jury found Sigfredo Garcia guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy. As a result, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole plus 30 years for conspiracy. However, the same jury deadlocked on Magbanua’s charges, resulting in a mistrial. The vote was reportedly 10-2 for conviction.
May 2022: Magbanua’s Retrial
After pandemic-related delays, Magbanua’s retrial began on May 16, 2022. On May 27, 2022, a jury found her guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy, and solicitation. Consequently, she received a life sentence plus two consecutive 30-year sentences.
April 2022: Charlie Adelson’s Arrest
On April 21, 2022, Charlie Adelson was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy, and solicitation. His arrest came after FBI analysts enhanced a 2016 recording of Charlie speaking with Magbanua. The improved audio quality revealed Charlie saying, “If they had any evidence, we would have already gone to the airport.”
November 2023: Charlie’s Conviction
Charlie Adelson’s trial began on October 26, 2023. When he testified in his own defense, he claimed Magbanua extorted him the night of the murder by demanding money or threatening that he or his family would be killed next. He claimed he never went to police because he feared for his life.
On November 6, 2023, a jury convicted Charlie of first-degree murder, conspiracy, and solicitation after just three hours of deliberation. Later, on December 12, 2023, he was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years each for conspiracy and solicitation.
November 2023: Donna’s Arrest
On November 13, 2023, Donna Adelson was arrested at Miami International Airport. She and her husband Harvey Adelson were attempting to flee to Vietnam on one-way tickets. Significantly, Vietnam has no extradition treaty with the United States.
September 2025: Donna’s Conviction
Donna Adelson’s trial began on August 22, 2025, after delays caused by her attorney withdrawing on the first day of jury selection in 2024. On September 4, 2025, a jury found her guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy, and solicitation.
As the verdict was read, Donna wailed “Oh my God” repeatedly and left the courtroom in handcuffs. Subsequently, on October 13, 2025, she was sentenced to life imprisonment.
What Role Did Wendi Adelson Play?
Wendi Adelson has never been charged in her ex-husband’s murder. However, prosecutors named her as an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the killing.
During the investigation, Wendi’s former boyfriend Jeffrey Lacasse told police that Wendi had told him in the summer of 2013 that Charlie “had looked into having Danny killed.” According to Lacasse, Wendi “meant it dead serious” and mentioned it would cost about $15,000.
When police interviewed her after the murder, Wendi characterized her brother’s comments as jokes. She cooperated with investigators, allowing them to view her phone, swab her for fingerprints, and photograph her.
Later, Wendi testified at her mother’s trial in 2025. She insisted, “I was not involved in any plot to kill Danny.” She described her mother as someone who had “micromanaged” her life and was “really upset” when the court denied her relocation request.
According to her testimony, Wendi has not spoken to her mother since November 2023. Currently, she lives in South Florida with her two sons. After Markel’s murder, Wendi cut off contact between his parents and their grandsons. In addition, she changed her sons’ last names from Markel to Adelson, claiming it was for their safety.
Harvey Adelson, Wendi’s father, has also never been charged but is named as an unindicted co-conspirator. Although he attempted to flee the country with Donna, he was not arrested.
How Did Police Solve the Case?
Surveillance Footage
On the day of the murder, police obtained critical surveillance footage from multiple sources. Because cameras on city buses, street cameras, and footage from Markel’s gym captured a green Toyota Prius following him throughout the morning, investigators had a clear lead. For example, one video from a Tallahassee bus showed the Prius heading north on Thomasville Road immediately after the murder. An individual in the passenger seat could be seen changing into a long-sleeved white shirt.
Toll Records and Rental Agreement
Toll records from Florida’s SunPass system led investigators to a car rental agency in Miami. The rental agreement showed Luis Rivera had rented the Prius. In addition, a second phone number written on the contract with the word “Brother” beside it tracked back to Sigfredo Garcia.
Cellphone and GPS Data
Using cellphone data and GPS information, investigators placed Rivera and Garcia in Tallahassee on two separate trips. Evidence showed they conducted surveillance on Markel during their first trip in June 2014, then returned in July to carry out the killing.
Financial Evidence
Banking records revealed suspicious payments. Katherine Magbanua received regular paychecks from the Adelson family’s dental practice starting shortly after the murder, despite never working there. These payments, signed by Donna Adelson, continued for more than a year.
FBI Recordings
The FBI’s undercover operation in April 2016 produced crucial recordings of conversations between Donna and Charlie Adelson. Enhanced audio from a 2016 recording of Charlie and Magbanua, improved by FBI analysts in 2022, provided the breakthrough that led to Charlie’s arrest.
Witness Testimony
Luis Rivera’s cooperation was pivotal. Because his detailed confession about the planning, execution, and aftermath of the murder provided prosecutors with the foundation for their case, they could move forward with additional arrests. Later, Katherine Magbanua testified against Charlie Adelson at his trial, confirming that he orchestrated the plot.
What Was the Motive?
A Bitter Custody Battle
The motive for Dan Markel’s murder was straightforward yet shocking. Because Donna and Charlie Adelson wanted Wendi to live near them in South Florida with her two sons, they orchestrated his killing. A judge had explicitly prohibited this relocation, ruling that the children must remain in Tallahassee with their father.
Prosecutors argued that the Adelson family viewed Markel as an obstacle to their desired family arrangement. During Donna’s trial, Assistant State Attorney Georgia Cappleman stated, “All their lives depended on the success of this relocation effort.”
Family Control and Manipulation
According to testimony, Donna Adelson was deeply involved in her daughter’s life. When Wendi described her mother, she characterized her as someone who “micromanaged” her decisions. The custody arrangement that required Wendi to remain in Tallahassee was intolerable to Donna.
Days after Markel’s murder, Wendi relocated to South Florida with her sons. Through her ex-husband’s death, she achieved what the courts had denied her through legal means.
Financial Resources
The Adelson family had significant financial resources. They owned a successful dental practice and lived in an affluent Miami condo building alongside local celebrities. According to testimony, the family paid approximately $100,000 for the murder-for-hire plot.
What Are the Current Sentences?
Convicted Individuals
Sigfredo Garcia is serving life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 30 years for conspiracy. He was convicted in October 2019.
Katherine Magbanua is serving life in prison without parole plus two consecutive 30-year sentences. She was convicted in her retrial in May 2022.
Luis Rivera is serving a 19-year sentence that runs concurrently with his existing federal sentence for racketeering. After pleading guilty to second-degree murder in October 2016, he received this sentence as part of his plea agreement.
Charlie Adelson is serving life in prison plus 30 years each for conspiracy and solicitation. In June 2025, a Florida appeals court upheld his convictions and sentence. He was transferred to a prison in South Dakota in February 2024.
Donna Adelson is serving life imprisonment without parole. She was sentenced on October 13, 2025. Currently, she is incarcerated at Homestead Correctional Institution. In August 2025, she filed an appeal requesting a new trial, arguing she “was not the mastermind” and that prosecutors convicted her on “legally insufficient evidence.”
Unindicted Co-Conspirators
Wendi Adelson remains uncharged but is named by prosecutors as an unindicted co-conspirator. After Charlie Adelson’s conviction, Assistant State Attorney Georgia Cappleman told reporters to “stay tuned,” hinting at possible future prosecutions. Similarly, after Donna’s conviction, Cappleman again declined to comment on future charges.
Harvey Adelson, Donna’s husband and Wendi’s father, is also named as an unindicted co-conspirator but has not been charged.
The Markel Family’s Ongoing Pain
Loss of Grandparent Access
Following the 2016 arrests, Wendi Adelson cut off contact between Dan Markel’s parents and their grandsons. As a result, Ruth and Phil Markel have had minimal access to the children over the past decade.
Florida’s grandparent visitation laws are among the most restrictive in the nation. Before the murder, the Markels had no legal standing to petition courts for visitation rights.
The Markel Act
In 2022, Florida passed HB 1119, informally known as the Markel Act. This legislation expanded the conditions under which grandparents can access courts to seek visitation with grandchildren. Subsequently, Governor Ron DeSantis signed the bill into law.
The legislation came after an earlier attempt in 2020 failed to pass. At the time, Wendi Adelson’s attorney denounced that earlier bill as an “absolute outrage.”
Victim Impact Statements
At Donna Adelson’s sentencing, Ruth and Phil Markel delivered emotional victim impact statements. Ruth described the “unimaginable pain and heartbreak” her family has endured for 11 years. She called the crime “a murder of convenience so that one grandmother could live closer to her grandchildren.”
When Phil Markel spoke, he addressed his statement to the entire Adelson family, noting the harm they caused not only to the Markels but to their own family. He pointed out that Rivera’s children have no father, Garcia and Magbanua’s children have no parents, and Charlie’s son Roman has no father.
“My only short question to Donna: was it worth it?” Phil Markel asked in court.
Ruth Markel called Donna “the curse” on both families. She also praised Tallahassee for “its law enforcement and prosecution,” thanking investigators and prosecutors for never giving up on her son’s case.
Will There Be More Arrests?
Prosecutor’s Hints
Assistant State Attorney Georgia Cappleman has repeatedly suggested the investigation remains active. After Charlie Adelson’s conviction in November 2023, she told reporters, “Stay tuned.” Similarly, after Donna’s conviction in September 2025, she again deflected questions about future charges but repeated, “Stay tuned.”
Focus on Wendi Adelson
After Donna’s conviction, Dan Markel’s father told reporters, “We want anybody and everybody who had anything to do with Dan’s death brought to justice. And until that day happens, I will not be a fully, fully happy individual.”
Legal observers believe Wendi Adelson remains under scrutiny. Despite her testimony that she was not involved, prosecutors have maintained her status as an unindicted co-conspirator.
The Evidence Against Wendi
Several factors point to potential involvement. For example, her former boyfriend Jeffrey Lacasse testified that Wendi told him about Charlie’s plan to have Dan killed. While Wendi characterized this as a joke, investigators found the context concerning.
Additionally, Wendi relocated to South Florida with her sons within days of her ex-husband’s murder. This move accomplished what she had sought through the courts but been denied.
During her police interview shortly after the murder, Wendi made comments about a TV that later seemed significant. In fact, prosecutors noted that in the 2016 FBI recordings, Donna used “TV” as a code word, suggesting a shared family language around the conspiracy.
Remembering Dan Markel: A Life Cut Short
Professional Legacy
Dan Markel’s academic work focused on criminal justice reform and the philosophy of punishment. His scholarship argued against shaming as punishment and advocated for abolishing the death penalty. These positions reflected his deep commitment to human dignity within the justice system.
As co-founder of PrawfsBlawg, Markel created a space for legal academics to engage in substantive discussions about law, teaching, and scholarship. The blog remains influential in legal circles.
His book Privilege or Punish: Criminal Justice and the Challenge of Family Ties explored how family relationships intersect with criminal law. Tragically, his own family ties would lead to his death.
Personal Qualities
Ruth Markel described her son as “a loving, caring and inspiring person.” She emphasized that “of all my son’s accomplishments, I am most proud of the devoted father Danny was to his two sons, Benjamin and Lincoln.”
Friends and colleagues remembered Markel as energetic, brilliant, and deeply committed to his work and his children. Memorial services drew large crowds of students, faculty, and community members whose lives he had touched.
The Father He Was
Dan Markel’s devotion to his sons was at the heart of the custody dispute that led to his murder. Because he wanted to remain an active, present father, he refused to allow Wendi to relocate. On the morning he was killed, he took his sons to preschool.
His children were four and five years old when they lost their father. Because of Wendi’s actions after the murder, they have been largely separated from their paternal grandparents and extended family. For the past decade, they have lived knowing their father was murdered but likely not knowing the full truth about who was responsible.
Stay Connected for Updates on This Case
As appeals proceed and prosecutors potentially pursue additional charges, this case continues to develop. For comprehensive coverage of the Dan Markel murder and other true crime cases, subscribe to the Crime and Psyche YouTube channel, where we provide thoughtful analysis of the psychology behind criminal behavior and the pursuit of justice.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Dan Markel
- ABC News: 9 Years After Murder of Florida Law Professor
- Tallahassee Democrat: Dan Markel’s Parents Trace Donna Adelson’s Trail
- Forbes: New Series Goes Inside Investigation
- Yahoo: How a Wealthy Florida Family Plotted the Diabolical Murder
A Family’s Curse, A Community’s Lesson
The murder of Dan Markel stands as one of the most disturbing domestic crimes in recent memory. What makes this case particularly haunting is not just the calculated nature of the killing, but the motive behind it. Because a grandmother’s desire to live closer to her grandchildren became twisted by entitlement and wealth, it resulted in a father being gunned down in his own garage.
Five people have been convicted. Meanwhile, two young boys have lost their father. As a result of the conspiracy, a family has been torn apart by grief and cut off from their grandchildren. In addition, another family has been destroyed by their own actions.
Ruth Markel’s words at her former mother-in-law’s sentencing capture the tragedy perfectly. When Donna claimed her family was cursed, Ruth responded, “She is the curse.” Indeed, Donna Adelson’s inability to accept a judge’s custody ruling set in motion a chain of events that destroyed multiple families and took a brilliant scholar’s life.
As this case potentially moves forward with additional prosecutions, one question lingers. How many more people knew about the plot to kill Dan Markel? When will complete justice finally be achieved for a man whose only crime was wanting to be a present father to his children?
The answer to that question may determine whether the Markel family can ever find true closure.
