Dan Markel Slain in His Garage — Report Suggests He Knew Killer
Law professor Dan Markel was reportedly shot and killed in the garage of his Florida home — and cops are hunting a silver Toyota Prius seen leaving the scene of the puzzling crime.
The new details were revealed in a heavily-redacted four-page police report obtained by the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper.
The edited report said Markel’s keys were found in his own unlocked black Honda, which was in the garage where his body was found. But it did not say what he may have been doing before the slaying.
The report suggests Markel knew his attacker, since there was no sign of forced entry or robbery at his home in the Florida capital.
Markel, 41, was killed with a gunshot to the head on July 18.
Police have been tight-lipped about the crime, but say they are sure he was the “intended victim” of the murder, as opposed to a break-in or random attack.
Investigators did not offer any possible motive for the crime or say if there were any suspects.
His estranged wife, also a law professor, was said to be distraught at the news and cooperating with the investigation.
The Jewish Florida State University College of Law professor was at home when neighbors heard a loud bang Friday morning.
Paramedics rushed the popular professor and scholar to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!