GUILTY FL - FSU Law Professor Dan Markel Murdered by Hitmen #19

[0101ABA]

Florida State University professor Dan Markel was found in his Tallahassee, Florida, home on Friday. Police say there were no signs of robbery or burglary and have yet to disclose any motive.
According to Tallahassee police, officers found Markel after a neighbor called 911 at about 11 a.m. with reports of a "loud bang."

Markel, 41, was rushed to a local hospital, where he died the following day. "While we cannot release specific information or details regarding this case, the Violent Crimes Unit is releasing that Mr. Markel's cause of death was a fatal gunshot wound to the head," Tallahassee Police Chief Michael DeLeo said in a statement.
By Monday, police had categorized the case as a homicide, and according to Tallahassee Police Department spokesman David Northway, Markel was the intended target.
Clues sought in slaying of FSU law professor Dan Markel - CNN
Probable Cause documents
Leon County Court Motions (dissolution of marriage)

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Thread #18

 

[turaj]

This will be an unpopular thought but one character in all of this that I find some empathy for (outside of Markel family) is KM. I went back to fill in the blanks and listened to her court cases, verdicts and proffers. Again lots I missed but I find her the most real of the Adelson players. I think her protection of SG goes down as the biggest mistake of all time. As he walked out of the court and looked at her I do think there was a real bond (love or children or whatever) between them. In listening to her speak both in court, in proffers and even to her guard at the proffer she is smart and could have had a good life. She got involved with the wrong man. I find it difficult to think that she went from being offered the deal (which she rejected) to LWOB. I can see some severe sentence for counts 2/3 but on Murder not so sure for KM. Clearly they will use her again with DA and hope at the end of the day she is given a chance in society. I don't see her as a killer or a future danger to society. Just my feelings as I watch her. DA and WA and of course CA much more directly involved in this plot...but KM needs to be punished too...but not LWOB.

 

[amicuscurie]

This will be an unpopular thought but one character in all of this that I find some empathy for (outside of Markel family) is KM. I went back to fill in the blanks and listened to her court cases, verdicts and proffers. Again lots I missed but I find her the most real of the Adelson players. I think her protection of SG goes down as the biggest mistake of all time. As he walked out of the court and looked at her I do think there was a real bond (love or children or whatever) between them. In listening to her speak both in court, in proffers and even to her guard at the proffer she is smart and could have had a good life. She got involved with the wrong man. I find it difficult to think that she went from being offered the deal (which she rejected) to LWOB. I can see some severe sentence for counts 2/3 but on Murder not so sure for KM. Clearly they will use her again with DA and hope at the end of the day she is given a chance in society. I don't see her as a killer or a future danger to society. Just my feelings as I watch her. DA and WA and of course CA much more directly involved in this plot...but KM needs to be punished too...but not LWOB.

I think she was manipulated and used by Charlie. But for me, there’s no excuse for answering “yes” when someone asks you if you know someone who can hurt someone. Thinking that you are being kept out of it is not enough. You still know that someone wants to do this, and you don’t immediately shut that down and run away? No.

 

[turaj]

I think she was manipulated and used by Charlie. But for me, there’s no excuse for answering “yes” when someone asks you if you know someone who can hurt someone. Thinking that you are being kept out of it is not enough. You still know that someone wants to do this, and you don’t immediately shut that down and run away? No.

yes I agree and she could have derailed it at many points but did not. She traveled in some rough circles. I wonder who will raise her children...and most of all why she did not take what I think was a deal to be free to raise her children rather than take a risk that they have no parents to be with them? Have to wonder what her legal counsel advised. I guess they were counting on another hung jury based on the first one? And then I wonder how much more does she know? She sure lied a lot and probably still is about some things . I think we will find out as things proceed with the DA case.

 

[Knitpicker]

yes I agree and she could have derailed it at many points but did not. She traveled in some rough circles. I wonder who will raise her children...and most of all why she did not take what I think was a deal to be free to raise her children rather than take a risk that they have no parents to be with them? Have to wonder what her legal counsel advised. I guess they were counting on another hung jury based on the first one? And then I wonder how much more does she know? She sure lied a lot and probably still is about some things . I think we will find out as things proceed with the DA case.

Her brother Francisco (or Fernando-I forget) has been raising her children,

 

[Knitpicker]

I think she was manipulated and used by Charlie. But for me, there’s no excuse for answering “yes” when someone asks you if you know someone who can hurt someone. Thinking that you are being kept out of it is not enough. You still know that someone wants to do this, and you don’t immediately shut that down and run away? No.

she did a lot of lying in her proffer bc she is appealing. She claims she didn’t know it was Dan Markel who was to be killed, she never saw the paper in the Manila envelope, and she never knew how much they were getting paid nor what her cut was. She claims she never counted the $…lots of lies but too many to put here.I understood why Georgia limited her to “yes” and “no answers on the stand.The one thing she did bring in as new evidence is the “moldy” damp $ and that it was dropped off before she arrived by D and H (she claims CA told her this), the night of the murder.

 

[jbc]

This will be an unpopular thought but one character in all of this that I find some empathy for (outside of Markel family) is KM. I went back to fill in the blanks and listened to her court cases, verdicts and proffers. Again lots I missed but I find her the most real of the Adelson players. I think her protection of SG goes down as the biggest mistake of all time. As he walked out of the court and looked at her I do think there was a real bond (love or children or whatever) between them. In listening to her speak both in court, in proffers and even to her guard at the proffer she is smart and could have had a good life. She got involved with the wrong man. I find it difficult to think that she went from being offered the deal (which she rejected) to LWOB. I can see some severe sentence for counts 2/3 but on Murder not so sure for KM. Clearly they will use her again with DA and hope at the end of the day she is given a chance in society. I don't see her as a killer or a future danger to society. Just my feelings as I watch her. DA and WA and of course CA much more directly involved in this plot...but KM needs to be punished too...but not LWOB.

Over the years I have tended to sympathize with your view turaj. Thank you for stating it so eloquently. But, in the end, I have come to terms with her sentence. There is an old saying that conscientious stupidity is a most dangerous human trait, and KM exudes this. She graduated from college - yet, she made multiple conscientious decisions to accept money to arrange a murder. Then, to top that she refused the biggest sweetheart deal in the history of Western justice. Being conscientiously stupid is not a get-out-of-jail card and her bizarre decision-making process likely will lead only to bad decisions in the future, to the danger of society as she has already demonstrated. Perhaps Sigfredo deserves more sympathy, because he may have less innate capacity for reasoned judgement and I wouldn't be surprised if he has some degree of intellectual disability (not that I'm advocating his release).

 

[browneyes]

This will be an unpopular thought but one character in all of this that I find some empathy for (outside of Markel family) is KM. I went back to fill in the blanks and listened to her court cases, verdicts and proffers. Again lots I missed but I find her the most real of the Adelson players. I think her protection of SG goes down as the biggest mistake of all time. As he walked out of the court and looked at her I do think there was a real bond (love or children or whatever) between them. In listening to her speak both in court, in proffers and even to her guard at the proffer she is smart and could have had a good life. She got involved with the wrong man. I find it difficult to think that she went from being offered the deal (which she rejected) to LWOB. I can see some severe sentence for counts 2/3 but on Murder not so sure for KM. Clearly they will use her again with DA and hope at the end of the day she is given a chance in society. I don't see her as a killer or a future danger to society. Just my feelings as I watch her. DA and WA and of course CA much more directly involved in this plot...but KM needs to be punished too...but not LWOB.

I have zero empathy for her. She should have notified LE and Dan Markel. Lord knows she is not a person to raise competent and honest children. I’m hoping Wendy is arrested next.

 

[Kerri br]

Does anyone know what KM’s grounds for appeal are ?

 

[clearskies1]

Rewatched the Wendi police interview and realized that I missed this before: It's only after Isom asks if he can download her phone (at 20:30) that she tells him that she's worried that someone could have shot Dan because he didn't treat her very well and also tells him about the Charlie hitman joke etc. Before Isom asked for her phone, she was generic about anyone having a beef with Danny (starting at 9:50), basically saying he's argumentative, rubs people the wrong way, but doesn't think anyone would hate him. I think Isom's request for her phone was a turning point in the interview.

I also just watched the part with her friend, Jane. Wow -- she got adversarial with Isom, saying basically "You'll discuss that he's not going to survive but won't discuss if anything was stolen (from Danny's place)? (2:29:41). Pretty nervy IMO. LE is clearly not going to reveal investigatory info to her and Wendi -- that is SOP! She also basically says that LE should look into Lacasse. Not surprised that soon thereafter she tells Wendi that she's being kicked out of the room. Clear to me that Isom told Jane to leave. JMO.

 

[Weki]

Katie Magbanua is not a sympathetic figure for many reason.

1. Her motive was financial gain.
2. I don’t believe for 1 second that all she did was pass the envelope! I think they discussed it and planned it for months, which means she had time to come to sanity and back out or go to LE. She didn’t.
2a. Charlie did not manipulate her because when he calls her after the bump to call the undercover she doesn’t do it! She has more street smarts than Charlie. The calls make it very clear that no one bosses Katherine Magbanua around!
3. Once it happened, life just went on for her and she was calling CA saying things like “don’t be rude to someone who helped you out.” She was hitting him up for financial favors. She hit the jackpot. Again, didn’t go to LE out of a sense of guilt.
4. Once the hammer started to fall, she wanted to run.
5. Once she was arrested and offered the best deal ever, she said no because she didn’t want to admit what she did. Again, no remorse, only concern for her reputation. No concern for who will raise her children.
6. Once she was convicted, she’s still jerking LE around. She’s now sniffing for a deal and still wants to play Ms. Innocent. Again, her only concern is her reputation. Not her kids! Definitely not Sigfredo!

JMO

 

[Florida_marlin]

Katie Magbanua is not a sympathetic figure for many reason.

1. Her motive was financial gain.
2. I don’t believe for 1 second that all she did was pass the envelope! I think they discussed it and planned it for months, which means she had time to come to sanity and back out or go to LE. She didn’t.
3. Once it happened, life just went on for her and she was calling CA saying things like “don’t be rude to someone who helped you out.” She was hitting him up for financial favors. She hit the jackpot. Again, didn’t go to LE out of a sense of guilt.
4. Once the hammer started to fall, she wanted to run.
5. Once she was arrested and offered the best deal ever, she said no because she didn’t want to admit what she did. Again, no remorse, only concern for her reputation. No concern for who will raise her children.
6. Once she was convicted, she’s still jerking LE around. She’s now sniffing for a deal and still wants to play Ms. Innocent. Again, her only concern is her reputation. Not her kids! Definitely not Sigfredo!

JMO

Couldn’t agree more. KM is a player and manipulator. In it for herself. Still totally reluctant to admit that she is a murderer. The A’s could have gotten this evil deed done without her, but she provided a means and worked hard to get it done. Then, she had a golden opportunity to free herself from the depth of her due punishment back in 2016. She was the key to having the A’s in jail all the way back then. But no. Justice delayed largely due to her. She deserves all the loathing that the A’s deserve. She needs to share a cell beside CA so he can literally talk her to death.

 

[turaj]

Over the years I have tended to sympathize with your view turaj. Thank you for stating it so eloquently. But, in the end, I have come to terms with her sentence. There is an old saying that conscientious stupidity is a most dangerous human trait, and KM exudes this. She graduated from college - yet, she made multiple conscientious decisions to accept money to arrange a murder. Then, to top that she refused the biggest sweetheart deal in the history of Western justice. Being conscientiously stupid is not a get-out-of-jail card and her bizarre decision-making process likely will lead only to bad decisions in the future, to the danger of society as she has already demonstrated. Perhaps Sigfredo deserves more sympathy, because he may have less innate capacity for reasoned judgement and I wouldn't be surprised if he has some degree of intellectual disability (not that I'm advocating his release).

Now SG I have no time for...he got what he deserved...anyone that can walk up to a car..blow up a man and then leave well no words. Now he is a major danger to society.

 

[Tapeartree]

This will be an unpopular thought but one character in all of this that I find some empathy for (outside of Markel family) is KM. I went back to fill in the blanks and listened to her court cases, verdicts and proffers. Again lots I missed but I find her the most real of the Adelson players. I think her protection of SG goes down as the biggest mistake of all time. As he walked out of the court and looked at her I do think there was a real bond (love or children or whatever) between them. In listening to her speak both in court, in proffers and even to her guard at the proffer she is smart and could have had a good life. She got involved with the wrong man. I find it difficult to think that she went from being offered the deal (which she rejected) to LWOB. I can see some severe sentence for counts 2/3 but on Murder not so sure for KM. Clearly they will use her again with DA and hope at the end of the day she is given a chance in society. I don't see her as a killer or a future danger to society. Just my feelings as I watch her. DA and WA and of course CA much more directly involved in this plot...but KM needs to be punished too...but not LWOB.

At the core, KM is very greedy. She sacrificed her children to a life without their mother, and she allowed the Markel family to remain in the dark about what really happened to DM. She did this because she felt she could beat the system and garner a pot of gold in the end. She gambled and lost. Now, she isn't holding the same hand as she thought she was. I understand feeling empathy for someone, but KM is not someone I have any for.

 

[Knitpicker]

Does anyone know what KM’s grounds for appeal are ?

That’s a good question. It was torture getting through her two proffers and she was claiming she lied prior bc she was protecting Sigfrego which makes no sense since at the second trial he already had a life sentence. In her proffers she claims basically (If I heard it correctly), that the hit was between Sigfredo and Charlie and she knew none of the details (how much money) and didn’t even know it was Dan markel to be killed. So it will be interesting what she comes up with. She also claimed he didn’t give her the cash that Charlie claimed in his trial.(But she admits the checks from the dental office,

 

[Knitpicker]

At the core, KM is very greedy. She sacrificed her children to a life without their mother, and she allowed the Markel family to remain in the dark about what really happened to DM. She did this because she felt she could beat the system and garner a pot of gold in the end. She gambled and lost. Now, she isn't holding the same hand as she thought she was. I understand feeling empathy for someone, but KM is not someone I have any for.

She went to UCF and SG followed her there. I often wonder what her life would have been like if she just got through school and he wasnt in her life. Once she had her first child with him while in school (not sure how she managed that) she was tied to him.
interesting to think that if he wasn't int he picture when she was 18, Dan Markel would still be alive today.
Or if CA found someone else, she would still probably be a free woman with a different life.
I grew up middle class but I lived close to a very affluent town and it is easy to be in awe of the wealth and seemingly ease of life of privileged families.
Charlie gave her a taste of what “the good life” was, and she probably forgot that she really was only being used and she would never have it, Kind of like a Cinderella story, but the shoe didn’t fit.
I’m sure Wendi was good at pretending Katie would now be “one of them”.

I am wondering if her appeal may be incompetent counsel who did not urge her to take a plea (twice).
If thats possible-I’m no lawyer

 

[Wishbone]

At the core, KM is very greedy. She sacrificed her children to a life without their mother, and she allowed the Markel family to remain in the dark about what really happened to DM. She did this because she felt she could beat the system and garner a pot of gold in the end. She gambled and lost. Now, she isn't holding the same hand as she thought she was. I understand feeling empathy for someone, but KM is not someone I have any for.

She could have blown the whole case wide open and all the A's would have been behind bars in short order. But, someone capable of being a part of a murder for hire wouldn't really be interested in justice or doing the right thing. Instead she continued to lie, trying to escape punishment for her crime. IMO She's a weasel and deserves to rot in prison for the rest of her vile life.

 

[Orange Tabby]

She deserves all the loathing that the A’s deserve. She needs to share a cell beside CA so he can literally talk her to death.

SBM

Hilarious!

CA to KM (in prison): “When I said if they had anything on us we’d be on a plane, what I really meant was ‘TV, birthday gift, 555, banana bread, extortion not blackmail, mama mama mama, absolutely not Wendi, open wide for the Maestro.’ What don’t you understand? And hey, who swiped my stapler? I’ve got a bunch of bologna slices I need to attach to each other before I give them to Spikehead for this week’s protection.”

 

[clearskies1]

Does anyone know what KM’s grounds for appeal are ?

Looking at the trial and appellate court dockets, as far as I can tell, she has not yet filed her brief in support of her appeal -- so I don't think it's known what grounds she will argue. The trial court granted her motion to expand the record for her appeal in August 2023, but after that I still don't see her filing a brief.

 

[IQuestion]

Katie Magbanua is not a sympathetic figure for many reason.

1. Her motive was financial gain.
2. I don’t believe for 1 second that all she did was pass the envelope! I think they discussed it and planned it for months, which means she had time to come to sanity and back out or go to LE. She didn’t.
2a. Charlie did not manipulate her because when he calls her after the bump to call the undercover she doesn’t do it! She has more street smarts than Charlie. The calls make it very clear that no one bosses Katherine Magbanua around!
3. Once it happened, life just went on for her and she was calling CA saying things like “don’t be rude to someone who helped you out.” She was hitting him up for financial favors. She hit the jackpot. Again, didn’t go to LE out of a sense of guilt.
4. Once the hammer started to fall, she wanted to run.
5. Once she was arrested and offered the best deal ever, she said no because she didn’t want to admit what she did. Again, no remorse, only concern for her reputation. No concern for who will raise her children.
6. Once she was convicted, she’s still jerking LE around. She’s now sniffing for a deal and still wants to play Ms. Innocent. Again, her only concern is her reputation. Not her kids! Definitely not Sigfredo!

JMO

WEKI, WEKI, WEKI...You are definitely "in my head!" Oh yeah, she is the Queen Bee from the other side of the tracks and despite having an education continued to roll in the mud with the worst of the worst. For a stack of stapled moldy bucks, an old vehicle, and a set of prosthetic rubber bags implanted in her chest....she set in motion the murder of a devoted father. And, oinstead of having regret...she continues to contact CA and asks to be put on the payroll in order to commit further financial fraud. Wow, how difficult would it have been to say, "No, I don't know anyone you can hire to hurt another human being. I am a busy hardworking mother of two...why would you even ask me such a question?" Also don't forget she cut herself in for a full 1/3 of the blood money from the get-go!! And a whole lot of perks post murder.
Anyway, she doesn't strike me as a "babe in the woods"...she is sneaky, very sneaky. At the end of the day, she still preferred SG over CA...huh?