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

[dotr]

Nothing new, just an article in People mag, July 2015, which- for all we know may even have generated tips about the car, imo
http://www.people.com/article/one-y...ins-who-shot-florida-law-professor-dan-markel

"But still, there are no named suspects.

"We have nothing to show that this was anything else than that he was the person they were attempting to locate," Tallahassee Police spokesman David Northway tells PEOPLE.

Douglas A. Berman, a law professor at Ohio State University and friend of Markel's, tells PEOPLE: "I do know it's not unheard of for mysterious murders to go unsolved. But it is, needless to say, dispiriting to have this be one of them."

"The sadness," he says, "is deepened by the mystery."

 

[dotr]

An ode to Daniel Markel.

http://prawfsblawg.blogs.com/prawfsblawg/2015/10/leaving-prawfs.html

 

[dotr]

Wonder what if anything is happening with this case, where is that dang car ??
Is it a lucky fluke for the perp that the car he was driving has not yet been located, or is the perp very experienced in such matters and knows that finding the car will be difficult if not impossible?
imo.

 

[fasteddy8170]

I think I said this before, but I'll say it again. The longer this case goes unsolved, the less likely it was someone close to Dan who did it. More and more this case reminds me of the murder of Timothy Davison--you can look it up on here. Everybody, including me, thought his death was a simple case of road rage that went WAY too far. Instead, it was a case of mistaken identity--which is a reason NOBODY could've seen coming. The cops caught the guy by sheer luck when a person with a similar vehicle to Timothy's came forward to say he and his wife had been threatened right around the time Davison was murdered.

So, sometimes, many times, the motive isn't obvious. And the longer Dan's murder goes unsolved, the more likely the motive is something unique and nebulous.

 

[fasteddy8170]

Wow. This thread has gone ice cold. Nobody's heard anything? Not even a rumor?

I was just thinking . . . I've been studying up about buying my first hand gun. So I've been looking at a lot of different guns, ammo, styles, etc. I've also been watching a lot of YouTube videos about learning how to shoot a gun, self-defense scenarios, etc. And the more I learn, the more I think it's weird only one bullet was fired at Dan. I mean, no matter the kind of handgun, you can crank off two or three shots in a second.

Also, it might be helpful if we knew the caliber of the bullet. It would tell us a little bit about the shooter. There's a definite difference between a .22 caliber shooter and a .357 shooter.

I'm still not convinced it was anyone close to Dan.

 

[colette]

IMO the one who did the killing was not close to Dan, but the one that hired him was and had a lot to gain. Someone knows something and they need to talk.

 

[wildebeest]

Wow. This thread has gone ice cold. Nobody's heard anything? Not even a rumor?

I was just thinking . . . I've been studying up about buying my first hand gun. So I've been looking at a lot of different guns, ammo, styles, etc. I've also been watching a lot of YouTube videos about learning how to shoot a gun, self-defense scenarios, etc. And the more I learn, the more I think it's weird only one bullet was fired at Dan. I mean, no matter the kind of handgun, you can crank off two or three shots in a second.

Also, it might be helpful if we knew the caliber of the bullet. It would tell us a little bit about the shooter. There's a definite difference between a .22 caliber shooter and a .357 shooter.

I'm still not convinced it was anyone close to Dan.

You have a good point, fasteddy, about only one bullet being fired. Why not fire two or three just to make sure?

Still think someone close to him who had something to gain, hired a hit man. Just a hunch.

IMHO

 

[geektreehouse]

I can't believe how cold this case has become either. Very interesting points made by everybody here. My biggest question is about the Prius that they are looking for. It doesn't make sense to drive up to this house, kill Dan in his front yard, then expect to get away. The street is a wide circle with only 2 ways in and out. I think the car is incidental and the killer was on foot. Look at the satellite images and you can see the house backs up to a wooded area and appt. bldgs. Also an office bldg, all on a busy 4 lane rd. I can't find any info on whether they canvassed these places, but probably not since they were focused on that car . JMO

 

[geektreehouse]

Amazingly, the Tallahassee Police Dept released an update to the public on their website one day after my previous post. I will link to the page they set up with all the other dumps to date. It doesn't look like a lot of new info, but I am glad they are showing a little life in this case.http://www.talgov.com/tpd/news/4295.aspx

 

[liz b.]

Interesting case. Sounds like he went out to the gym, and met up with the driver of the Prius (prearranged), then they both drove back to his home. Likely that the killer had argued with him, or was holding a grudge of some sort. The Prius itself is interesting. Here (Seattle) they are mostly driven by young, just starting out in a career, types. Wonder if there was a teaching assistant at the law school who felt they had been treated unfairly. Perhaps a poor evaluation... likely someone who had been to the house before, and knew how to get out of that area fast. Wonder if he had a relationship prior to the woman he had met before his death ? If so, how did it end ?
Why did he get divorced ? (Forgive me if this has been discussed already ). all jmo

 

[liz b.]

I can't believe how cold this case has become either. Very interesting points made by everybody here. My biggest question is about the Prius that they are looking for. It doesn't make sense to drive up to this house, kill Dan in his front yard, then expect to get away. The street is a wide circle with only 2 ways in and out. I think the car is incidental and the killer was on foot. Look at the satellite images and you can see the house backs up to a wooded area and appt. bldgs. Also an office bldg, all on a busy 4 lane rd. I can't find any info on whether they canvassed these places, but probably not since they were focused on that car . JMO

Perhaps the killing was emotionally driven ...not so much planned. Perhaps the killer had thought about murder, but not as a well honed plan. jmo

 

[fasteddy8170]

There wasn't a lot in those reports. If they were any more redacted they'd look like a report you'd get out of Area 51. However, one thing was interesting to me.

Look at how many houses around Dan's were empty at the time of the shooting. The cops went to multiple residences and found no one home at most of them. In fact, out of 7 neighboring homes, only 2 owners were there. And of those, 1 heard nothing and the other called the shooting in. I guess we now know why there weren't multiple calls to 911.

It sure does seem for fortunate for this murderer, doesn't it? I mean, it could almost lead me to believe he/she knew those houses would be empty.

In fact, I'll go a step farther. I'd like to know if those neighbors who were home that morning, are usually there. Or, do they usually have appointments on Friday mornings and plans got re-arranged on that particular day? Meaning, it could be the shooter thought NO ONE would be home around Dan that morning. And that would mean the shooter knew the neighborhood very well.

However, to keep it simple, I don't believe it's a coincidence that a multitude of neighbors were gone when the shooting happened.

 

[colette]

There wasn't a lot in those reports. If they were any more redacted they'd look like a report you'd get out of Area 51. However, one thing was interesting to me.

Look at how many houses around Dan's were empty at the time of the shooting. The cops went to multiple residences and found no one home at most of them. In fact, out of 7 neighboring homes, only 2 owners were there. And of those, 1 heard nothing and the other called the shooting in. I guess we now know why there weren't multiple calls to 911.

It sure does seem for fortunate for this murderer, doesn't it? I mean, it could almost lead me to believe he/she knew those houses would be empty.

In fact, I'll go a step farther. I'd like to know if those neighbors who were home that morning, are usually there. Or, do they usually have appointments on Friday mornings and plans got re-arranged on that particular day? Meaning, it could be the shooter thought NO ONE would be home around Dan that morning. And that would mean the shooter knew the neighborhood very well.

However, to keep it simple, I don't believe it's a coincidence that a multitude of neighbors were gone when the shooting happened.

I just take it most of the neighborhood had day time jobs, and was not full of retirees or people staying home with small children.

 

[Torontonian]

Interesting comment in the comments section of this article:

http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/F...-Murder-Case-370119851.html?device=tablet&c=y

 

[geektreehouse]

There wasn't a lot in those reports. If they were any more redacted they'd look like a report you'd get out of Area 51. However, one thing was interesting to me.

Look at how many houses around Dan's were empty at the time of the shooting. The cops went to multiple residences and found no one home at most of them. In fact, out of 7 neighboring homes, only 2 owners were there. And of those, 1 heard nothing and the other called the shooting in. I guess we now know why there weren't multiple calls to 911.

It sure does seem for fortunate for this murderer, doesn't it? I mean, it could almost lead me to believe he/she knew those houses would be empty.

In fact, I'll go a step farther. I'd like to know if those neighbors who were home that morning, are usually there. Or, do they usually have appointments on Friday mornings and plans got re-arranged on that particular day? Meaning, it could be the shooter thought NO ONE would be home around Dan that morning. And that would mean the shooter knew the neighborhood very well.

However, to keep it simple, I don't believe it's a coincidence that a multitude of neighbors were gone when the shooting happened.

That is an excellent point, as it is also the popular time for break-ins- out in broad daylight while everybody is working. Also may have been cased for a while to study the neighborhood activity. I drove through the area recently and noticed that a city park backs up to the house. A lot of escape options IMO

 

[geektreehouse]

Interesting comment in the comments section of this article:

http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/F...-Murder-Case-370119851.html?device=tablet&c=y

We do have some dip sticks here in town, but those are interesting comments. I don't recall that any info re: the prius came from any source other than the neighbor. IIRC they did not release that info coming from DM's cell.

 

[fasteddy8170]

I read the comments at that link. Frankly, I dismiss most of what anybody says in any Comments section at any type of site: political, sports, plane crashes, etc. People will say anything to seem clever or appear to have insider info.

I think I've posted this a couple times over the last year and a half: This doesn't feel like a pro hit to me. Shooting through a car window? One shot that doesn't kill the target instantly? Leaving before making sure the target is dead? Hanging out in the driveway of the target in broad daylight? All those put together makes it feel quite amateurish.

As for the Prius, safe to say by now that the police never found it. I'll say what I said before regarding it: I'm still convinced it was some kind of salvage title vehicle or one that was headed to the scrap yard. The wrong mirror, the exposed opening in the front bumper--that car is telling a story and it's not one in which that car was going to be on the road much longer.

 

[kemo]

From what I can tell, there was some serious custody issues involved in the Markel's divorce but the wife is a well respected attorney herself so a hired hit seems unlikely (although not impossible). Most people, even criminal attorneys, which I do not believe she is, would not know a reliable "hit man". I would expect the police to do a cursory background check on her just in case.

It is not unknown for a grandparent or other relative to go "proactive" in a child custody case without the parent's permission or knowledge. I have no idea who the wife's father is . The commenter claims that the grandfather has ties to a "Russian- Jewish Mafia" in Canada. This is the sort of information that was either obtained by someone "close to the investigation" or it was Just Made Up.

Anyone out there know anything?

 

[0101ABA]

I haven't read any of the comments about Russian-Jewish mafia ties. I have no clue as to the veracity of those posts. With that said, the rumor MAY have surfaced due to the fact that Dan's ex-wife's maiden surname is the same surname as a well known businessman/billionaire (I believe) who is rumored to have ties to the mafia. It seems more than a bit far-fetched to me, but I guess almost anything is possible.

 

[liz b.]

I read the comments at that link. Frankly, I dismiss most of what anybody says in any Comments section at any type of site: political, sports, plane crashes, etc. People will say anything to seem clever or appear to have insider info.

I think I've posted this a couple times over the last year and a half: This doesn't feel like a pro hit to me. Shooting through a car window? One shot that doesn't kill the target instantly? Leaving before making sure the target is dead? Hanging out in the driveway of the target in broad daylight? All those put together makes it feel quite amateurish.

As for the Prius, safe to say by now that the police never found it. I'll say what I said before regarding it: I'm still convinced it was some kind of salvage title vehicle or one that was headed to the scrap yard. The wrong mirror, the exposed opening in the front bumper--that car is telling a story and it's not one in which that car was going to be on the road much longer.

I agree about the method and manner of this murder. To me it sounds more like an emotionally driven shooting, done out of extreme anger. IF it's true that DM was on the phone when he was killed, and IF he said that he didn't know the person coming towards him in the driveway, this might have been a road rage thing. I can see why this was what some thought... although, would DM not have said to the other person on the phone something like : a guy I just cut off has followed me home ?