GUILTY FL - Dan Markel, 41, FSU law professor, Tallahassee, 18 July 2014 - #1 *Arrests*

[dotr]

28 Jul 2014 at 12:55 PM
David Lat

http://abovethelaw.com/2014/07/upda...ion-into-the-killing-of-professor-dan-markel/



"So it seems that Markel briefly saw the person who shot him. In this video report, legal analyst Dan Abrams notes that any statement by Markel describing his attacker would be admissible, hearsay concerns notwithstanding, as a “dying declaration.” (Abrams also made a comment about the vehicle of interest — “A Prius isn’t a typical hit-man vehicle… [Was it] the person who wants to protect the environment and kill someone?” — that was not well received by the commenters over at Gawker.)

As for the identity of the person or persons behind Markel’s killing, the Tallahassee Democrat offered these observations from Ohio State University law professor Douglas Berman, a leading law blogger like Markel:

“Could this have been related to something that went wrong in the classroom or other professional interactions?” Berman wondered. “Did somebody, in a big, horrible way, take something that he wrote the wrong way?”

While rare, such incidents have occurred in Tallahassee. In 1976, FSU professor James Fisher was shot and killed by a disgruntled grad student. An FSU chemistry lecture hall was later named in Fisher’s memory. And in 1995, FSU law student Joann Plachy was convicted of hiring a hit man to kill a secretary who was going to reveal she had cheated on a law school exam."

 

[Mysti88c]

Picture of the car:

http://www.wtxl.com/news/tallahassee-police-release-picture-of-vehicle-of-interest-connected-to/article_58cd5df4-1294-11e4-b0b6-0017a43b2370.html

 

[Mysti88c]

GMA video says he was shot through the window of his car while he was talking on his phone:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/fsu-professor-talking-cell-phone-shooting-happened/story?id=24737462

 

[colette]

From Dotr's link:
A Florida State University criminal law professor was pulling into his driveway and talking on his cell phone when he was fatally shot, ABC News has learned exclusively…. The killer was waiting for Markel outside his home in Tallahassee’s Betton Hills section, a source told ABC News, and followed Markel into the garage, shooting him in the side of the head through the window of his car. The bullet entered just beneath Markel’s jawline.

http://abovethelaw.com/2014/07/upda...ion-into-the-killing-of-professor-dan-markel/

So he was talking on the phone when shot, he may have described the killer and the car before dying.

 

[dotr]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQJ0AzkiGEw

July 28 2014
"New Details Arise in the Murder of FSU Professor"

 

[Mysti88c]

This article has a lot of information about the divorce. It says:
"In legal pleadings, Markel’s attorneys said the separation surprised him. They said that Adelson hired professional movers while her husband was away for a short business trip, and that she left town with her belongings and the children.

“This abrupt and cruel departure shocked Mr. Markel, who, in a six-year marriage unmarked by any abuse, addiction or infidelity, was devoted to his wife and children,” his attorneys wrote. “For six weeks, Ms. Adelson gave no correct information regarding where she lived with the children.”

Several months later, Adelson asked a judge for permission to relocate with the kids to South Florida, where her family lived and she had been offered a job at a private law firm. Her request was denied.

After the bitter divorce, the couple continued to battle over money and family heirlooms."

http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/07/25/4255588/the-shooting-death-of-a-well-known.html

 

[Kip]

GMA video says he was shot through the window of his car while he was talking on his phone:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/fsu-professor-talking-cell-phone-shooting-happened/story?id=24737462

Very interesting. Do we know if he had just gotten home or was he about to leave? [Edited to add: Never mind - it looks like he had just arrived home.]

IMO, this would indicate that it wasn't a road rage incident - if someone had followed him home, I would think his first call would be to 911.

Unless this is a random crime, which it doesn't appear to be, I think LE will solve this one. It seems like if a student or colleague or other person had a grudge against him for some reason, that this would come out.

Just going by the odds, it's usually someone close to the victim, though in these cases it's not always the person you'd think. Someone earlier mentioned the Rusty Sneiderman case. Or sometimes, as in the Heather Strube case (where the MIL murdered her ex-DIL without her son's knowledge), someone takes it upon themselves to "improve" the situation for a loved one.

 

[dotr]

Could an apparently, environmentally responsible person, also be a killer, could that be a clue to his or her identity?

 

[Mysti88c]

Abc news reports on its website that he was on his cell phone when he came into the driveway and remarked to the person he was talking to that someone is in the driveway. Seems more and more like a hit? Because I assume if he knew the person he would say "oh so and so is waiting in my driveway."

I agree 100%. I don't think he knew the killer. Looks like a "hit" to me. In my opinion, in road rage altercations, the aggressor usually wants to beat someone up or at least yelll at them and get them out of the car, to satisfy their rage.

 

[Yellow]

"Published Monday, July 28, 2014 12:52PM EDT

Police in Florida are seeking the public's help as they continue to investigate the shooting death of Canadian law professor Daniel Markel.

Markel, 41, was shot in the head in his Florida home on the morning of July 18. Police have released few details about his killing but say it is clear he was directly targeted.

On Monday, the Tallahassee Police Department released a statement asking for anyone who may have seen Markel on the day of his death, or the day before. They say he may have been in the area of the Florida State University law school, where he taught; near a local interstate highway, "possibly near commercial/retail establishments"; or near a local synagogue called the Congregation Shomrei Torah Home.
Markel would have been driving a 2008 black Honda Accord with a Florida licence plate, they say".

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/police...nto-dan-markel-murder-1.1935534#ixzz38molm9Tu

bbm.

This indicates to me that maybe LE are looking into this being road rage, someone got mad at him and followed him home. I think it would have to be simmering road rage bc if it was rage that day would not the car be behind him? A car would have followed him home and someone get out and he would have said that

But he said someone was waiting in driveway which indicates that if road rage it had to have been from another time, maybe earlier That morning?

Wonder if there are any videos of the hway or turnpike

I never heard of a case of simmering road rage, immediate rage sure but not rage where someone waits a few hours. At least in the case of a stranger.

 

[Mysti88c]

Here is an obituary a friend of his wrote:

http://www.jewishjournal.com/obituaries/article/dan_markel_legal_scholar_dies_at_41

 

[SeaEclipse]

Pleased this has finally broken in MSM: "A Florida State University criminal law professor was pulling into his driveway and talking on his cell phone when he was fatally shot, ABC News has learned exclusively."

http://abcnews.go.com/US/fsu-professor-talking-cell-phone-shooting-happened/story?id=24737462

I'd heard this from the beginning -- the part about him being on the phone when it happened -- why I was very VERY sure it wasn't a suicide, but couldn't find anything in MSM. (The story I'd originally heard was that he was on the phone when the doorbell rang and he went to open it, which shows you how the rumor mill often contains a kernel of truth but gets specifics wrong.) I also think this sort of rules out it being someone he knew well/recognized, since he apparently didn't remark on the identity of the person. I really wonder if this is going to end up being some person who was mad about his scholarship or something, rather than anything personal in nature.

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

I am asking for some help with understanding how the person who committed this crime has to be someone that DM did NOT know. Is this assumption from the fact that he didn't say who was there (aside from "someone") to the person with whom he was speaking (on the phone)?

I think it could be someone he knew FWIW. i.e., the person on the other end of the phone call may not have known the person in DM's garage, so "someone" was the word he chose. Or it may have been someone he knew who was in disguise.

 

[SeaEclipse]

I am asking for some help with understanding how the person who committed this crime has to be someone that DM did NOT know. Is this assumption from the fact that he didn't say who was there (aside from "someone") to the person with whom he was speaking (on the phone)?

I think it could be someone he knew FWIW. i.e., the person on the other end of the phone call may not have known the person in DM's garage, so "someone" was the word he chose. Or it may have been someone he knew who was in disguise.

Yes -- I don't know to what extent he saw the person who was in his driveway or just the car before he was shot, but I think it makes it very unlikely it's someone he knew well enough to recognize the car of at least (unless, I suppose, it turns out the car was borrowed or a rental). In general, I think it would be weird to say "someone" was in your driveway if it was someone you were close to, e.g., <modsnip>; given who I understand that he was on the phone with (not in MSM, so consider this impression a rumor only), I think it would be weird if he hadn't identified the person if it was a colleague/close friend/family member (at least by saying "oh, a colleague is here..." or similar).

 

[Mysti88c]

I am assuming he didn't know the person by the smidgen of information that he said "someone is in the driveway" and that's not even confirmed. We have so little information, I guess I should wait for more, before drawing too many conclusions.
I suppose we can assume he didn't say the person's name or they would probably be arrested by now.

 

[MDB]

I wonder if he saw the person waiting for him or just the car. If it was the car, it had to be parked in front of the house unless his driveway can fit two cars side by side since he made it all the way into the garage. Was the killer lying in wait in the car or in the garage or by the side of the house? If the person was in the driveway, would he drive by the person and proceed into the garage without stopping first? Seems odd.

This article has a picture of the front of the house. It doesn't look like much room to fit two cars. It must have been the person he saw in the driveway then. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...hoto-suspicious-Toyota-Prius-seen-nearby.html

 

[Yellow]

I am asking for some help with understanding how the person who committed this crime has to be someone that DM did NOT know. Is this assumption from the fact that he didn't say who was there (aside from "someone") to the person with whom he was speaking (on the phone)?

I think it could be someone he knew FWIW. i.e., the person on the other end of the phone call may not have known the person in DM's garage, so "someone" was the word he chose. Or it may have been someone he knew who was in disguise.

Yes it could have been someone he knew but did not recognize. Also he could have said that on the phone and then just pulled up to the driveway. I wonder if he hung up after that or the person on the other line heard the gun shots. If they did, I wonder if that is why the neighbor ran over, that is the person on the phone maybe called the neighbor and the neighbor having heard the shots came over or called 911. We don't know if neighbor came over or just called 911 first.

In any event unless the person was in disguise I doubt it was someone he knew extremely well. For a key person in his life he probably would have said "that looks like so and so, wonder why they are here". seems like probably a tangential relation

Few things in legal lit are really that controversial. I doubt anyone would kill over them. He did not really write in any subject that was that contentious. Maybe a disgruntled student? Or someone in professional life that he blocked tenure on, etc? If from his life as law prof I think it has to be something where someone would have been personally affected by something he did. I don't think anyone would really care about his legal writings. And u would have to be mental to shoot someone over them taking down your blog postings.

If from professional life it was something immediate, ie., IMO, something that happened within The past week or so that they were pissed about. That is why it is unlikely it is a student. School is out for summer, they got grease weeks ago so it would seem off for anger over a grade to boil for weeks to get to the point of killing someone. No, if it was a grade, the student would have met w him, filed an appeal, etc

 

[dotr]

I wonder if he saw the person waiting for him or just the car. If it was the car, it had to be parked in front of the house unless his driveway can fit two cars side by side since he made it all the way into the garage. Was the killer lying in wait in the car or in the garage or by the side of the house? If the person was in the driveway, would he drive by the person and proceed into the garage without stopping first? Seems odd.

This article has a picture of the front of the house. It doesn't look like much room to fit two cars. It must have been the person he saw in the driveway then. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...hoto-suspicious-Toyota-Prius-seen-nearby.html

Thanks for the info. and welcome to Ws MDB!

 

[Indy Anna]

Yes it could have been someone he knew but did not recognize. Also he could have said that on the phone and then just pulled up to the driveway. I wonder if he hung up after that or the person on the other line heard the gun shots. If they did, I wonder if that is why the neighbor ran over, that is the person on the phone maybe called the neighbor and the neighbor having heard the shots came over or called 911. We don't know if neighbor came over or just called 911 first.

In any event unless the person was in disguise I doubt it was someone he knew extremely well. For a key person in his life he probably would have said "that looks like so and so, wonder why they are here". seems like probably a tangential relation

Few things in legal lit are really that controversial. I doubt anyone would kill over them. He did not really write in any subject that was that contentious. Maybe a disgruntled student? Or someone in professional life that he blocked tenure on, etc? If from his life as law prof I think it has to be something where someone would have been personally affected by something he did. I don't think anyone would really care about his legal writings. And u would have to be mental to shoot someone over them taking down your blog postings.

If from professional life it was something immediate, ie., IMO, something that happened within The past week or so that they were pissed about. That is why it is unlikely it is a student. School is out for summer, they got grease weeks ago so it would seem off for anger over a grade to boil for weeks to get to the point of killing someone. No, if it was a grade, the student would have met w him, filed an appeal, etc

BBM I think this may answer your question, Yellow:

A neighbor found a Florida State University law professor bleeding from a gunshot to the head in the driver's seat of his car in his garage, and the window had been smashed, according to a 911 call released Monday.

The neighbor told authorities he went to Markel's home after hearing a loud bang. The 41-year-old father of two did not respond to the neighbor but was moving. The keys were in the car, and the door was unlocked.

more at....

http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2014/07/florida_state_law_professor_wa.html

 

[creepingskills]

If the other person on the line was not the neighbor and didn't call 911, he probably ended the call after noticing someone in the driveway. If a person I didn't know was standing in my driveway, I'd probably confront them before opening the garage. If the window was up when he was shot, did he not even confront this person? Pulling into the garage gives this stranger access to the locked house, but maybe he thought the remote garage door would close faster than it could. If he didn't think the guy was a threat, it makes more sense. I just can't imagine taking the risk that the garage door would shut without this threatening person sliding under.

I do wonder if the neighbor saw more than LE is sharing with the public. If this person was just waiting in the driveway, I bet the Prius was parked on the road. It seems like a sloppy contract killing but maybe its not. The hit man could have been dressed as a UPS guy standing in the driveway with a package, which wouldn't be immediately threatening, or out of place.

ETA: If the neighbor discovered him in the garage, the garage door was open. So, the hit man probably appeared to be nonthreatening. Mail carrier, landscaper...someone who wouldn't seem out of place in the driveway.