GUILTY FL - FSU Law Professor Dan Markel Murdered by Hitmen #18

[Gypsy Road]

found answer today ... it was Rashbaum on cross of WA that ask her to identify
"party invite", which was found inside her van. He refers to it and comments
he was not aloud to present it. (Not sure if I've explained this clearly)

Wonder why he wasn’t allowed to put it into evidence?

 

[Zedzded]

Has Wendi been caught out in a lie? I'm a bit confused as to where the police put the tape, was it just near Dan's house or was it at the beginning of Trescott Dr? I think WA said she went to turn right onto Trescott off Centerville Rd, but saw it was taped off so did a K turn and went back on Centreville Rd. But Dan's house is quite far down Trescott, round a corner and can't be seen at the start of Trescott. She would have had to travel at least a mile down the road, go round the corner and then she'd see his house, the tape, the police etc and the police saw her. But she's saying that didn't happen?

 

[nodamselindistress]

My interest going forward is hoping that some journalist does a deep dive into DA's upbringing. I suspect the estrangement of her oldest son multiplied her intense need to control her youngest daughter (who seened ok with that by all accounts)

But there had to be some other factor in her early upbringing that I am missing. Big into physchology.

 

[amicuscurie]

Has Wendi been caught out in a lie? I'm a bit confused as to where the police put the tape, was it just near Dan's house or was it at the beginning of Trescott Dr? I think WA said she went to turn right onto Trescott off Centerville Rd, but saw it was taped off so did a K turn and went back on Centreville Rd. But Dan's house is quite far down Trescott, round a corner and can't be seen at the start of Trescott. She would have had to travel at least a mile down the road, go round the corner and then she'd see his house, the tape, the police etc and the police saw her. But she's saying that didn't happen?

Yes. All of it. The testimony by the officer was that you could not see the tape from the entrance to Trescott off Centerville, you’d have to drive down the road, and you could see the house if you got to the tape.

 

[Gypsy Road]

At around 1:34 Georgia starts questioning her about Harvey’s birthday. I wanna know why Georgia asked her if Harvey’s birthday present was Dan’s murder. Was she bluffing? Does the State know something?

 

[nodamselindistress]

Yes, I think they do. They have something else that they are saving.

 

[Zedzded]

At around 1:34 Georgia starts questioning her about Harvey’s birthday. I wanna know why Georgia asked her if Harvey’s birthday present was Dan’s murder. Was she bluffing? Does the State know something?

Isn't Georgia just referencing the various calls when they were talking about Harvey's 70th present? Nothing really incriminating in those calls I think? But easy to perceive the present as code for the murder.

 

[clearskies1]

Trial 2 -- 2022. Starting at 1:08:00 -- Georgia shows Wendi a page of her cell phone data from the morning of the murder -- information that was deleted from Wendi's phone before she turned her phone over to police that afternoon.

 

[ch_13]

At around 1:34 Georgia starts questioning her about Harvey’s birthday. I wanna know why Georgia asked her if Harvey’s birthday present was Dan’s murder. Was she bluffing? Does the State know something?

This came up in CA's trial. Charlie and Donna were using Harvey's birthday as code for the murder.

LIVE BLOG: Charlie Adelson’s testimony wraps, closing arguments set for Monday

The South Florida periodontist faces extensive questioning as he seeks to defend himself from allegations that he plotted and paid for the murder of his former brother-in-law.

www.wctv.tv

Harvey’s 70th birthday happened between the first two murder attempts.

Cappleman asks Charlie why Donna asked him to erase a text she sent. He says it was probably because she didn’t want Harvey to see that text, which Charlie says relates to Harvey’s birthday present.

Charlie texted Donna at one point that he’s still working on dad’s birthday present, and Donna texts him back saying she knows he’ll come through for her.



Edit - Found it....The exchange starts at 1:21:41.

 

[LinasK]

This came up in CA's trial. Charlie and Donna were using Harvey's birthday as code for the murder.

LIVE BLOG: Charlie Adelson’s testimony wraps, closing arguments set for Monday

The South Florida periodontist faces extensive questioning as he seeks to defend himself from allegations that he plotted and paid for the murder of his former brother-in-law.

www.wctv.tv

Harvey’s 70th birthday happened between the first two murder attempts.

Cappleman asks Charlie why Donna asked him to erase a text she sent. He says it was probably because she didn’t want Harvey to see that text, which Charlie says relates to Harvey’s birthday present.

Charlie texted Donna at one point that he’s still working on dad’s birthday present, and Donna texts him back saying she knows he’ll come through for her.

So we've gone from murder as a divorce present (TV) to a birthday present???

 

[Gypsy Road]

Probably could not be authenticated or something.

This came up in CA's trial. Charlie and Donna were using Harvey's birthday as code for the murder.

LIVE BLOG: Charlie Adelson’s testimony wraps, closing arguments set for Monday

The South Florida periodontist faces extensive questioning as he seeks to defend himself from allegations that he plotted and paid for the murder of his former brother-in-law.

www.wctv.tv

Harvey’s 70th birthday happened between the first two murder attempts.

Cappleman asks Charlie why Donna asked him to erase a text she sent. He says it was probably because she didn’t want Harvey to see that text, which Charlie says relates to Harvey’s birthday present.

Charlie texted Donna at one point that he’s still working on dad’s birthday present, and Donna texts him back saying she knows he’ll come through for her.



Edit - Found it....The exchange starts at 1:21:41.

Exactly! This question has never come up in the previous trials.

 

[amicuscurie]

Exactly! This question has never come up in the previous trials.

He seems to be saying he had to erase the text on HIS phone so his dad won’t see it on HER phone.

 

[Orange Tabby]

I still don’t really understand the TV thing. Why would she need an alibi if she wasnt the shooter? And also, the repair person left at like 10. He was killed at 11. The whole TV/alibi thing is strange.

One reason for the TV repair thing the day of the murder, and scheduled before the murder, is that it provides an explanation for why WA is having so much contact with DA and CA. “We were just talking about my TV. I needed to know when the guy was coming. I had to ask my bro whether I should simply replace it. I wanted to let my mom know that the repair dude she scheduled did actually come to do the work.”

You know, the sort of thing an adult graduate of law school serving on a university faculty does all the time!

It is cover for their last-minute phone and text machinations. Like so many of the explanations for their behavior, it makes no sense to a reasonable person. I guess it’s a good thing they hadn’t settled on “toaster” as their code word, cuz that would be difficult for even the most hardcore Wendi fans to swallow.

 

[Zedzded]

One reason for the TV repair thing the day of the murder, and scheduled before the murder, is that it provides an explanation for why WA is having so much contact with DA and CA. “We were just talking about my TV. I needed to know when the guy was coming. I had to ask my bro whether I should simply replace it. I wanted to let my mom know that the repair dude she scheduled did actually come to do the work.”

It's ridiculous how much time and effort went into repairing this TV as well as the amount of people involved in getting it sorted out. WA, DA and CA + TV repairman all involved, multiple phonecalls, texts etc And also Wendi said she contacted her mother as her mother purchased it and the purchase was in her name. But that's irrelevant. Perhaps if it was a warranty case then yeah you might be able to argue that, but she had put a fist sized hole in the TV.

 

[formerreddingrunner]

I still don’t really understand the TV thing. Why would she need an alibi if she wasnt the shooter? And also, the repair person left at like 10. He was killed at 11. The whole TV/alibi thing is strange.

the TV thing was so Wendi would have an excuse to call Charlie on the day of the murder. According to the phone records, she spoke to him for 18 minutes.

 

[ChezSimone]

I still don’t really understand the TV thing. Why would she need an alibi if she wasnt the shooter?

She needed an alibi so she could explain to LE where she was and what she was doing at the time of DM's murder. She was well aware that, being the ex-wife/mother of his childs, she was going to be warned by LE about the incident and then questioned, at least to eliminate her from potentiel suspects list. I guess it is easier to provide proof you were home if you have some verifiable appointment, as opposed to just saying "that you were home alone taking a bath" with no one to corroborate.

 

[Orange Tabby]

It's ridiculous how much time and effort went into repairing this TV as well as the amount of people involved in getting it sorted out. WA, DA and CA + TV repairman all involved, multiple phonecalls, texts etc And also Wendi said she contacted her mother as her mother purchased it and the purchase was in her name. But that's irrelevant. Perhaps if it was a warranty case then yeah you might be able to argue that, but she had put a fist sized hole in the TV.

No one ever cared about fixing the TV. Wendy broke it on purpose and made darn sure JL would remember it was kaput.

Why? Because they were arrogant enough to assume that if they explained all those phone calls and texts the day of the DM’s demise by saying they all had to liaise over the poor telly, folks would believe them and not question it.

They needed an explanation in order to conceal what those texts and calls were really about: finalizing their murderous plans.

Bringing in the repair dude was just a dramatic flourish. It’s like the line from Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta “The Mikado”, where Pooh-Bah describes a particular lie as, “Merely corroborative detail, intended to give artistic verisimilitude to an otherwise bald and unconvincing narrative.”

 

[apeXperience]

FROM @amicuscurie: The people arrested first were not exactly innocent victims, though they were not as wealthy or connected as the Adelsons. I do agree the Adelsons should have been charged sooner. Katie wasn‘t forced to do what she did. To reduce her to a “brown” person who was prosecuted instead of the white people who should have been diminishes her agency and culpability. I’m not saying that’s what you’re doing, though. But some people do. is

@amicuscurie Sorry maybe you edited your response as now I see 2 different posts above:

No I am not reducing KM to a brown person, I brought his up as this was a defense strategy at her first trial as to why none of the Adelson’s had been charged and given the social justice climate that existed there was speculation that this contributed to the first hung jury.

And regarding MEEGS there have been many articles written about the fact that he did not want to arrest either KM or CA with SG and LR as stated in article below. Many in law enforcement were incredulous he at first refused to arrest KM. I purchased a subscription for the Tennessee Democrat for their detailed coverage of these events. The relationship between Meggs and the TPD is very contentious and does not make sense at all. Given that “ Meggs declined to approve probable cause for the arrest of Magbanua and Charlie Adelson, sources in the State Attorney’s Office confirmed TPD began seeking the authority of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida.”

Have highlighted MEGGS direct quotes and have linked article sources.

Tennessee Democrat Septemper 9, 2016
“After two years of investigation into the murder-for-hire plot of Dan Markel, prosecutors are unlikely to approve the arrest of his former in-laws.
Police chipped away at leads, drafting arrest affidavits filled with evidence laying out investigators’ case against Charlie and Donna Adelson, the brother and mother of Markel’s ex-wife Wendi Adelson.

Documents detailing their theories were made public Thursday.

But State Attorney Willie Meggs said the speculations of police investigators do not make a case for murder.

Documents detail potential links to Markel's in-laws

TPD's release of the documents is an indication of the tension between police — who have devoted extensive resources to piece together evidence — and prosecutors, who must rely on that evidence to try to secure a conviction.

But that’s the problem, Meggs said. It’s what investigators say, not necessarily what the evidence shows. Making the jump from theories to formal charges is a big leap.

“If they believe that somebody said something and we’re supposed to adopt what an officer thinks and arrest somebody, that’s not the way it works," Meggs said.

After Meggs declined to approve probable cause for the arrest of Magbanua and Charlie Adelson, sources in the State Attorney’s Office confirmed TPD began seeking the authority of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida.

Sources also say portions of the investigation that could have led to Magbanua’s arrest were bungled, primarily the chance to speak with her in the days before Garcia’s May 25 arrest.

Un-served probable cause for Charlie Adelson

Two TPD officers were sent to her Fort Lauderdale home for questioning. She was inside but didn’t answer the door, documents said. State attorney sources said they stayed roughly an hour then left.

Meggs said the documents released Thursday were working documents and should not have been made public.

TPD spokesman David Northway, however, said they were part of evidentiary discovery given to Garcia and Rivera’s defense attorney’s making them public.

“Our job is to collect the evidence,” Northway said. “It’s the job of the State Attorney’s Office to determine if the case could be tried in a court of law.”

Asked if there should have been more arrests by this point, Northway said: “That’s not up to us to determine.”

Documents reveal early Markel investigation

Meggs’ office and TPD have sparred since Garcia’s summer arrest.

TPD wanted to keep his charging documents confidential out of fear other potential defendants would flee the country. TPD’s attorney said she was not given notice Garcia's probable cause for arrest was going to be unsealed.
TPD investigators were suspicious State Attorney’s Office investigators were leaking information. Emails obtained during that time frame indicate the two offices often have disagreements on cases.

Meggs said those disagreements continue, but until police gather more substantial evidence that can be proven in court, there would likely be no more arrests in Markel's killing.

Officers can arrest Magbanua or the Adelsons without a warrant because they face felony charges, Meggs added.

“If they believe they have probable cause then they should go make the arrest. They don’t need me,” Meggs said. “I would say to Chief (Michael) DeLeo go make the arrest and get ready for your civil suit from whoever they have arrested without probable cause.'”

I have linked the articles below that are worth a read detailing the relationship between MEGGS and the TPD.

After two years of investigation into the murder-for-hire plot of Dan Markel, prosecutors are unlikely to approve the arrest of his former in-laws.
Tensions flare in Markel case after unexpected document drop

In newly released documents, the Tallahassee Police Department laid out its case for why two of Dan Markel’s in-laws should be considered prime suspects in his slaying.
Documents detail potential links to Markel's in-laws


October 6, 2016 Tennessee Democrat
“The court documents supporting her arrest, which were released by TPD on Sunday, are clear: The 31-year-old is the only apparent link between Markel and Garcia and Rivera. The trio, court documents said, "were compensated for their actions."

The 18-page probable cause affidavit, which was signed Friday, comes three weeks after State Attorney Willie Meggs said he would not approve arrests for Magbanua and Charlie Adelson. Meggs told the Tallahassee Democrat in early September there wasn't enough evidence for their arrests to hold up in court.”
Police suspect a South Florida love triangle provided the guns and money to kill Florida State law professor Dan Markel.
Reference: Police: Magbanua was 'conduit' in Markel slaying

To be unbiased, I suggest a nutshell overview of the career of William N. “Willie” Meggs, former State Attorney for the Second Judicial Circuit of Florida:

1. Political success: in 2016, Meggs, a Democrat, retired after serving as the State Attorney (elected official) over the Second Judicial Circuit for 32 years.

2. Ethics standing: in 2018, former State Attorney was appointed to the Florida Commission on Ethics by Governor Rick Scott, a Republican.

3. Meggs advised the TPD to run their affidavits concerning the Dan Markel murder through Grand Jury. We do not know if such Grand Jury (Juries) scrutinized the evidences against any Adelson, and abstained from indicting until the GJ of November 16, 2023 indicted Donna Adelson.

4. It is challenging to prosecute 1st degree murder in Florida (and Texas) where a large jury pool is Catholic or influenced by Catholic education, especially when the death penalty is on the table.

 

[amicuscurie]

the TV thing was so Wendi would have an excuse to call Charlie on the day of the murder. According to the phone records, she spoke to him for 18 minutes.

This is her family.

I think this TV excuse actually draws more attention than it attempts to conceal. But I have not been alleged to have planned a murder, so what do I know?

 

[amicuscurie]

To be unbiased, I suggest a nutshell overview of the career of William N. “Willie” Meggs, former State Attorney for the Second Judicial Circuit of Florida:

1. Political success: in 2016, Meggs, a Democrat, retired after serving as the State Attorney (elected official) over the Second Judicial Circuit for 32 years.

2. Ethics standing: in 2018, former State Attorney was appointed to the Florida Commission on Ethics by Governor Rick Scott, a Republican.

3. Meggs advised the TPD to run their affidavits concerning the Dan Markel murder through Grand Jury. We do not know if such Grand Jury (Juries) scrutinized the evidences against any Adelson, and abstained from indicting until the GJ of November 16, 2023 indicted Donna Adelson.

4. It is challenging to prosecute 1st degree murder in Florida (and Texas) where a large jury pool is Catholic or influenced by Catholic education, especially when the death penalty is on the table.

People are not overwhelmingly Catholic in Tallahassee, it’s more like Alabama. Otherwise I’m with you.