Dan Markel Slain in His Garage — Report Suggests He Knew Killer
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
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.
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
