Florida State University law professor Dan Markel was shot in his garage in Tallahassee on July 18, 2014, after a suspicious vehicle appeared to track his movements. He died the next day, beginning a decade-long investigation into a murder-for-hire plot linked by prosecutors to a bitter custody dispute. A new docuseries examines the case through surveillance footage, phone records, wiretaps and courtroom testimony.
The investigation resulted in convictions for Charlie Adelson, Katherine Magbanua, Sigfredo Garcia, Luis Rivera and Donna Adelson. Wendi Adelson, Markel’s former wife, has denied involvement and has not been charged.
| 1) | The shooting followed a routine day |
| 2) | A custody dispute became the alleged motive |
| 3) | Investigators followed a trail of digital and financial evidence |
| 4) | Multiple defendants were convicted |
| 5) | Wiretaps and a documentary revisit the case |
The shooting followed a routine day
Dan Markel, 41, had left a gym and returned to his home in Tallahassee on July 18, 2014. He was speaking by telephone with music teacher Stewart Schlazer about school options for his children when he noticed an unfamiliar person in his driveway. Moments later, Schlazer heard a loud sound over the call.
“Can you please hold on a second? There’s an unfamiliar person in my driveway,” Markel said.
Markel was shot in the head while sitting in his car in the garage. He died on July 19. Surveillance footage later showed a silver-colored Prius repeatedly moving around the gym parking lot without stopping, which investigators viewed as evidence that someone may have been waiting for him.
A custody dispute became the alleged motive
Markel married Wendi Adelson in 2006 after they met online. The couple had two sons, Benjamin and Lincoln, before their marriage ended in a contentious divorce in 2013. The central dispute was whether the children would remain in Tallahassee, where the parents shared custody, or move to South Florida to be closer to Adelson’s family.
Prosecutors said the relocation dispute intensified tensions with Donna Adelson, Wendi’s mother, after the move was denied. They alleged that Donna helped orchestrate Markel’s killing because he stood in the way of the proposed relocation. Defense attorneys argued that the evidence did not sufficiently connect Donna to the murder plot.
Investigators followed a trail of digital and financial evidence
The case took years to develop because investigators initially suspected family involvement but lacked enough evidence to prove it. Authorities examined cellphone data, surveillance video, financial records and secretly recorded conversations. They also traced vehicles, including silver-colored Priuses, and reviewed thousands of phone records for links between the suspects and the crime scene.
Prosecutors alleged that Charlie Adelson, a dentist and Donna’s son, arranged the killing through his then-girlfriend, Katherine Magbanua. They said Magbanua connected him with Sigfredo Garcia, the father of her children, and that Garcia enlisted his friend Luis Rivera. Garcia was accused of shooting Markel while Rivera drove the getaway car.
Multiple defendants were convicted
Charlie Adelson was convicted in 2023 of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation to commit murder, and was sentenced to life in prison. Magbanua and Garcia were also convicted of first-degree murder. Rivera pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, cooperated with prosecutors and received a 19-year prison sentence.
In 2025, Donna Adelson was convicted of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation to commit murder. She received life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 30 additional years for the conspiracy and solicitation convictions. Wendi Adelson has repeatedly denied involvement and has not been charged.
Wiretaps and a documentary revisit the case
The docuseries “Welcome to the Family: The Murder of Dan Markel” includes interviews with FBI agent Pat Sanford and recorded material involving Rob Adelson, who testified against his mother. It also reviews evidence presented during the trials, including testimony, surveillance footage and hundreds of wiretap recordings.
Producer Lily Fletcher described the surveillance footage as especially unsettling because it showed an ordinary day unfolding alongside what appeared to be deliberate tracking. She also said the recordings portrayed family members continuing their lives while investigators worked to establish the case.
“This is the story of a breakdown of a marriage, a custody dispute, and problems that escalated and seemed so irreconcilable,” Fletcher said.
| Number | Key Point |
|---|---|
| 1 | Markel was shot in his Tallahassee garage on July 18, 2014, and died the following day. |
| 2 | Prosecutors linked the alleged plot to a dispute over where Markel’s children would live. |
| 3 | Investigators used phone, surveillance, financial and wiretap evidence. |
| 4 | Five defendants were convicted in connection with the killing. |
Summary
The Markel case grew from an unsolved 2014 shooting into a series of murder and conspiracy convictions. Prosecutors argued that a family dispute over child custody led to a paid killing, while investigators spent years assembling evidence from technology, surveillance and recorded conversations. The documentary presents the investigation and trials while distinguishing the convictions from allegations against people who were never charged.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Dan Markel killed?
Markel was shot on July 18, 2014, at his home in Tallahassee, Florida. He died the following day.
What motive did prosecutors present?
Prosecutors said the killing was connected to a dispute over whether Markel’s two sons would move from Tallahassee to South Florida after his divorce from Wendi Adelson.
Who was convicted?
Charlie Adelson, Katherine Magbanua, Sigfredo Garcia, Luis Rivera and Donna Adelson were convicted in connection with the murder. Wendi Adelson has denied involvement and has not been charged.
Where can the case be revisited?
The docuseries “Welcome to the Family: The Murder of Dan Markel” is available for streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.
