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

[Jersey*Girl]

Perhaps the Prius was stolen, and that is why they are not looking for the owner, but the driver?

Good point missy1970! I just found this article from Nov 2012. Makes me wonder if the crime or police call log would be listed online for a period before Dan's death up until recent days. Maybe you're spot on!

http://archive.tallahassee.com/usatoday/article/1718669

As if there weren't enough practical reasons to buy a Toyota Prius hybrid, here's another: It's apparently so dorky that thieves won't steal it.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau says despite its popularity, the Prius has a much lower theft rate than other cars and a much higher recovery rate. Could that mean that even when it's stolen, thieves can't wait to give it back?

No surprise here: The states with the most Prius thefts happen to be the most populous or Sunbelt states where the car is popular. They include California (1,062), Florida (127), New York (111), Washington (92) and Texas (89).

 

[missy1970]

Good point missy1970! I just found this article from Nov 2012. Makes me wonder if the crime or police call log would be listed online for a period before Dan's death up until recent days. Maybe you're spot on!

http://archive.tallahassee.com/usatoday/article/1718669

I am sure the TPD has something listed somewhere. I will look.

 

[Jersey*Girl]

"911 Audio Released in Dan Markel Investigation, Listen to the Full Call here"

http://www.wtxl.com/news/local/audi...cle_931d1baa-18d6-11e4-8c82-0017a43b2370.html

Caller says garage door was open. Caller says he thought he was backing out but when he looked again the car hasn't moved. 911 dispatcher asking mundane questions my gosh! I can only wonder if he automatically alerted emergency services as soon as caller said to send an emt. Asked some of the same questions just in different ways. Is that standard procedure? Minimal time so maybe wouldn't matter anyway? Maybe it's done just to keep the caller talking and calm? Idk, I'm not a dispatcher & that's why I'm asking. It's so crazy that caller is standing next to the street waiting for an emergency vehicle instead of next to Dan. Why the heck didn't dispatcher guide this man since he knew Dan was moving around? Or maybe the answer is bc the man didn't feel it was safe? This call rubs me the wrong way. Dispatcher doesn't ask exactly where the wound is, etc. I'm so confused. Since Dan was moving around, shouldn't this caller be guided to help him? Or no bc of all the blood and shattered window?

 

[Jersey*Girl]

This dispatcher OMG says emt won't come out until police assess the situation! I wonder if the time lost for emt dispatch, which was minimal I think, makes a difference between life and death.

 

[Jersey*Girl]

I wonder if the window was shattered into the car or out of the car.

 

[justbeachy]

That 911 call is making me bonkers. Thankfully, I've never had the need to call 911, but it seems like it is taking an awfully long time for them to dispatch help. I'm still listening to it as I type this and I want to scream, "Send help NOW! It's an emergency!"

 

[Jersey*Girl]

Caller says NUMEROUS times an emt is needed. Dispatcher says police have to assess the situation first. The call lasts 12:37 minutes! It ends the with dispatcher saying well they're on their way too and the caller saying the police are there. 12:37 is a very long time IMVHO to dispatch an emt to a gunshot to the head call. Wth? Unless I'm listening to the call incorrectly?

 

[Jersey*Girl]

That 911 call is making me bonkers. Thankfully, I've never had the need to call 911, but it seems like it is taking an awfully long time for them to dispatch help. I'm still listening to it as I type this and I want to scream, "Send help NOW! It's an emergency!"

Me too & I'm so glad this was released! Maybe it'll make prime time news! I have a sneaking suspicion the dispatcher may come under fire...unless he was maybe trained that way? Again, no idea of proper protocol but in all honesty it seems ridiculous to take that long to dispatch an emt to a head wound call, one in which said victim is still moving & alive.

 

[dotr]

This dispatcher OMG says emt won't come out until police assess the situation! I wonder if the time lost for emt dispatch, which was minimal I think, makes a difference between life and death.

The neighbour should be commended for keeping his cool, that wait seemed to be forever!
The horror of seeing a bleeding man moving around, yet not be able to save him, whilst having to explain the immediacy of the situation, must have been terrible.
Not to mention, what if it had been a crazed gunmen just shooting people, the neighbour could have been in danger too, especially if he had been a witness
Also, he was wise not to stay in garage at that time, it was not safe, what if the car or house was rigged too?
imo.

 

[Jersey*Girl]

The neighbour should be commended for keeping his cool, that wait seemed to be forever!
The horror of seeing a bleeding man moving around, yet not be able to save him, whilst having to explain the immediacy of the situation, must have been terrible.
Not to mention, what if it had been a crazed gunmen just shooting people, the neighbour could have been in danger too, especially if he had been a witness
Also, he was wise not to stay in garage at that time, it was not safe, what if the car or house was rigged too?
imo.

I totally agree with you! This gentleman sounds older, experienced, professional. Maybe in his younger years experienced a battle or war so was a little more prepared (sensitive wise) how to handle the situation. Or maybe his career requires or required a strong will to keep his cool and stay calm when under pressure. I notice that he didn't offer up innuendo or give info unless prompted. Makes me think he's been trained on a professional level to just sick to the facts at that precise moment. Either way this guy deserves a medal! He even told the dispatcher he knew there were break-ins in the area lately so thought he'd check to see why the vehicle wasn't moving, etc. That tells me this man is courageous bc he didn't even consider if somebody bad could be in that garage, or if he did then he still thought enough of his neighbor to check on him anyway. Wonderful man!

Eta - Great point re the reason to stay by the road. He did go back to check on him though to see if he was still alive. I still want the emt time though bc I know somebody that tried to commit suicide by bullet through the mouth and lived bc emergency was there within 5 minutes and he was taken to the hospital for surgery ASAP. He lived, lost alot of memory but learned alot and is able to walk again now. He holds a job, is married now and has children. He overcame his attempt when he was 18 and his family was extremely grateful for all of the medical personnel's work.

 

[MDB]

"Police are reportedly investigating whether law professor Dan Markel may have been murdered by one of a handful of blog commenters who blasted him with threatening messages — including one who ranted about ‘shutting people like YOU down.’

Markel, who was gunned down in the driveway of his Florida home, sparred with several commenters on his own blog and other sites that cater to law students, The Tallahasse News reported.

The prominent Jewish professor even complained that he felt physically threatened by one nasty internet commenter on a now-defunct site called insidethelawschoolscam.blogspot.com, which prompted even more ominous posts.

“You’re worried about your home and private life being a target?” the correspondent wrote. “What about your graduate’s homes and private lives? (Or lack thereof?) YOU’VE RUINED THEIR LIVES YOU FOOL.”

Read more: http://forward.com/articles/203190/are-hostile-blog-posts-clues-to-dan-markel-murder/#ixzz393lsZ0kf

According to that article, the commenter was called atheistATLlawyer. The paper speculated this meant the commenter was from Atlanta. But as one who hangs out on law blogs might know, ATL also refers to Above the Law," a very popular legal gossip blog that often has posts about the foundering job market and is critical of law schools' blithe response to this issue.

 

[Zuri]

It feels like a "hit" but then again I would think a "hit-man" might want to make sure he was dead. Maybe the killer could tell he was so badly wounded that he wouldn't make it, and didn't want to stick around for another shot. Hope they get the killer soon.

I think you are right. Most contract killers use a double tap.

 

[Jersey*Girl]

Well now... Ah say Ah say...

http://www.tallahassee.com/story/ne...eleases-911-call-in-dan-markel-case/13413325/

An error by dispatchers in classifying the shooting death of Dan Markel contributed to a slower response time to his Betton Hills home by emergency officials.

During a news conference Thursday, Tallahassee-Leon County Consolidated Dispatch Center Director Timothy Lee said the normal response time is between 7 and 12 minutes and that the dispatcher that took the call from Markel's neighbor classified the incident as a priority three instead of a more urgent priority one incident.

Priority one calls alert emergency responders to a gunshot, while priority three calls are listed as an assist to EMS for an incapacitated individual. Lee said it was unclear if the slower response time contributed to Markel's death.

The duration of the 911 call, made available by the Tallahassee Police Department Thursday, indicates it took nearly 13 minutes before an officer or medical personnel arrived at Markel's Betton Hills home.

Check back with Tallahassee.com for updates on this story.

 

[Jersey*Girl]

So, though I don't know WA personally, I have found out that we share at least one set of very close couple friends. (I also have multiple friends in common with DM, though no one who is very close to both of us.) As a result, I am completely biased, but... I don't think she had anything to do with it. Yes, the divorce was super-messy. Yes, I've heard there is a lot behind her "suddenly" moving out that isn't reflected in the public record (no allegations of abuse of any kind re: either party, fwiw). Yes, they were still battling over custody-type issues. All that said -- and I'm sure everyone says this about everyone remotely implicated in any crime that they know -- I think there is no way she was involved. I think the rumors of her involvement stem solely from the sketchy details given out by LE early and the public record of their acrimonious divorce.

ETA: My best guess is that this was either work related or some sort relatively random/bizarre occurence (e.g., he was targetted based on some random run-in, his community involvement that someone objected to, etc; some bad interaction on a scale where no one would ever dream that they might be targetted for murder as a result).

:clap: :bow:

 

[Zuri]

I would imagine that LE is looking at anyone associated with WA. IMO, this appears targeted and his death had to be of benefit to someone. I hope they catch whoever did this and is arrested quickly. I feel so badly for his ex wife and children. They will never be the same.

 

[Koshka]

That 911 call is making me bonkers. Thankfully, I've never had the need to call 911, but it seems like it is taking an awfully long time for them to dispatch help. I'm still listening to it as I type this and I want to scream, "Send help NOW! It's an emergency!"

Just to reassure you, there's a difference between call-takers and dispatchers. Generally when you call 911, your call is answered by the call-taker, whose job it is to get usable info from you. As they are asking you questions, they are typing that info into a computer. A dispatcher is receiving that info and dispatching accordingly. Many people don't realize this and get upset that the call-taker is (as they perceive it) asking so many questions rather than "getting help now!"

 

[Jersey*Girl]

Just to reassure you, there's a difference between call-takers and dispatchers. Generally when you call 911, your call is answered by the call-taker, whose job it is to get usable info from you. As they are asking you questions, they are typing that info into a computer. A dispatcher is receiving that info and dispatching accordingly. Many people don't realize this and get upset that the call-taker is (as they perceive it) asking so many questions rather than "getting help now!"

Thank you so much for this Koshka! That's definitely reassuring. I have no idea how their 911 call system operates. Question though, is that the way all 911 systems operate? Or just major cities? Thanks for your insight. In this situation it seems like the 911 operator screwed up or at the very least needs more training.

 

[Jersey*Girl]

Just to reassure you, there's a difference between call-takers and dispatchers. Generally when you call 911, your call is answered by the call-taker, whose job it is to get usable info from you. As they are asking you questions, they are typing that info into a computer. A dispatcher is receiving that info and dispatching accordingly. Many people don't realize this and get upset that the call-taker is (as they perceive it) asking so many questions rather than "getting help now!"

Thank you so much for this Koshka! That's definitely reassuring. I have no idea how their 911 call system operates. Question though, is that the way all 911 systems operate? Or just major cities? Thanks for your insight. In this situation it seems like the 911 operator screwed up or at the very least needs more training.

Quoting myself to add this job description. Needless to say this seems like it could be very overwhelming!
http://www.talgov.com/Uploads/Public/Documents/hr/hr/specs/377.pdf

Taken from here:
Tallahassee-Leon County Consolidated Dispatch Center
http://www.talgov.com/hr/cda-psco.aspx

 

[dotr]

In a hypothetical case, where the caller might also be the shooter, maybe it would make sense for the dispatcher to try and keep the caller on the line for as long as possible?

 

[Jersey*Girl]

In a hypothetical case, where the caller might also be the shooter, maybe it would make sense for the dispatcher to try and keep the caller on the line for as long as possible?

Yet again - very good point!