I have spoken often about the murder of Dan Markel since the day after it happened. Not only was Dan a noted law professor at Florida State University, the murder happened five minutes from our iHeart studios. It took place on July 18, 2014.
Before I knew anything about the hitmen (Luis Rivera and Sigfredo Garcia) and the woman (Katie Magbanua) involved, I believed (strong degree of certainty) the family was behind it.
I was fortunate to serve as a Grand Juror in Leon County, Florida many years ago, before the murder of Markel. All of the cases were potentially capital murder cases. That experience informs my view of cases like the Markel case. Some of the cases I was enpaneled to review were open and shut. Others relied on circumstantial evidence.
None of those cases offered the amount of evidence this one, the murder of Dan markel, provides. It was about a bitter divorce and the custody battle which would follow. One of the hitmen plead guilty. The other and the woman were convicted.
The trial of Markel's former brother-in-law, Charlie Adelson is nearing its conclusion. I believe Charlie and his mother, Donna, were the chief architects of this crime. The evidence, I think, is overwhelming. You can check out the podcast "Over My Dead Body - Tally" on the iHeart Radio app and decide for yourself. I think Wendy's father, Harvey, knew of the plot, but did not actively participate. I think he could be charged as an accessory.
Then, there's Wendy. Did she participate in the murder of her ex-husband so she, and notably her mother, did not have to share custody of the couple's two sons?
I have offered a daily recap of the trial which can be heard here.
In this lengthy video, four of the world's top experts in body language and behavior analyze the testimony of Wendy Adelson. They call themselves "The Behavior Panel" and they have been featured on Dr. Phil and have a YouTube channel with more than 800,000 subscribers. They know very little about the cases they look into, they objectively look at key witness testimony.