Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Breaking News

Law Professor Dan Markel Killed by Gunshot to Head

Dan Markel, a prominent Jewish Florida law professor and author found murdered in his home, died from a gunshot wound to the head, police reportedly said.

Tallahassee Police Chief Michael DeLeo said police want to release as much information about Markel’s murder, without compromising the case.

“TPD will strive to release updates in a timely manner,” DeLeo said, according to the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper. “but must protect the integrity of the case so that we can assure a favorable outcome once this case is brought before the judicial system.”

The reward for any information leading to an arrest in the case has been upped from $1,000 to $3,000.

“Remember, any one piece of information could be the one we need to bring this tragedy to a close,” DeLeo said in the release. “We encourage anyone who may have been in the area of Trescott Drive on Friday to call us.”

Earlier, police said Markel was the “intended victim” in his shooting death.

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 41-year-old professor and scholar to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.