Dan Markel was a highly respected law professor at Florida State University (FSU), a Harvard graduate, and a published author specializing in criminal justice.

Born in Toronto in 1972, he was known for his intellect and conservative Jewish faith. In Washington D.C., he met Wendi Adelson, a beautiful and accomplished woman from a wealthy South Florida family, through the dating app JDate.

They married in 2006, both having prestigious law careers. Dan took a teaching position at FSU in Tallahassee, and Wendi later joined him as a professor at the same university.

They had two sons. However, their marriage, which began with a contentious dispute over non-kosher food at their wedding reception, eventually crumbled.

In 2012, Wendi filed for divorce. The split was acrimonious, primarily centered on a bitter custody battle. Wendi desperately wanted to relocate with the children to South Florida to be near her family, but Dan staunchly opposed the move, and the court sided with him, denying her request.

Wendi’s family, particularly her mother Donna and brother Charlie Adelson (an orthodontist), were allegedly furious with Dan for preventing the move and for the contentious nature of the divorce. Emails revealed Donna Adelson actively suggested ways for Wendi to “antagonize” Dan, even proposing they convert the children to Catholicism to spite him.

Despite the ongoing custody battles, both Dan and Wendi had begun moving on. Wendi was dating a fellow professor, Jeffrey Lacasse, while Dan also had a new girlfriend. On the morning of July 18, 2014, Dan returned home from the gym. As he sat in his car inside his garage, talking on the phone, a light-colored car pulled into his driveway.

His friend on the phone heard Dan mention the car, followed by two gunshots and a low groan. The neighbor who called 911 reported seeing a light-colored Prius speeding away. Dan Markel was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries, passing away early the next morning.

Police initially investigated various theories, from disgruntled students to road rage. Wendi Adelson, interviewed by police, detailed their difficult marriage but also suggested they look into her new boyfriend, Jeffrey Lacasse.

Lacasse, however, had a solid alibi. He, in turn, told investigators they should look at Wendi’s family, noting Donna and Charlie’s extreme animosity towards Dan and their desperation to move Wendi home.

The case stalled for nearly a year until a persistent investigator, reviewing countless hours of CCTV footage, found a light-colored Toyota Prius on a bus camera near the scene.

Tracing the car led police to a car rental agency in Miami. The car had been rented by two men: Luis Rivera and Sigfredo Garcia.

Background checks revealed Rivera was a leader of the Latin Kings gang, and Garcia had a criminal record. Phone records showed the pair had traveled from Miami to Tallahassee days before the incident and their phones pinged near Dan Markel’s gym and home on the day of the crime.

But the link back to the Adelson family was missing. The FBI began surveillance on Wendi’s family and noticed a woman frequently visiting Charlie Adelson: Katherine “Katie” Magbanua.

Magbanua, a Filipina-American, worked various jobs and was the mother of Sigfredo Garcia’s two children.

Investigators soon uncovered the connection: Katherine Magbanua was not only Garcia’s ex-partner but was also in a romantic relationship with Charlie Adelson from 2013 to 2015.

They also found bank records showing regular payments from the Adelson family business to Magbanua, despite her not being an employee.

Police now had their theory: a desperate family, a bitter divorce, and a love-triangle middle-woman.

They alleged Charlie Adelson, at the behest of his family, used his girlfriend Katherine Magbanua to hire her ex-boyfriend, Sigfredo Garcia, and his associate, Luis Rivera, as hitmen for $100,000 to eliminate Dan Markel, the sole obstacle to Wendi moving home.

To confirm the conspiracy, the FBI launched a sting operation. An undercover agent, posing as an associate of the hitmen, approached Donna Adelson, handing her a note implying the men wanted more money.

The-panicked Donna immediately called Charlie, who in turn immediately called Katie, creating a clear, recorded chain of communication linking the key players.

Before trial, Luis Rivera took a plea deal, confessing to his role and testifying against the others in exchange for a 19-year sentence. Sigfredo Garcia was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Katherine Magbanua’s first trial in 2019 ended in a mistrial.

However, she was retried in May 2022. Despite her denials, the jury found her guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy, and solicitation. She was sentenced to life in prison plus an additional 60 years.

Following her conviction, Charlie Adelson was arrested in April 2022 and charged for his alleged role as the operation’s financier. As of the latest reports, he remains in custody awaiting trial.