The mother of slain Florida State Univerity professor, Dan Markel, is hoping that her son’s memory is not forgotten, despite a case that centers around the arrests of several members of a prominent Florida family.
“My son, Dan Markel, was murdered in 2014,” Ruth told CBS News. “He became known as the slain professor in Florida, and I became known as the mother of the slain professor in Florida.”
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Markel was fatally shot while walking into the garage of his Tallahassee home on July 18, 2014.
Markel’s former mother-in-law, Donna Adelson, is accused of masterminding the killing. Her son, Charles Adelson, hired his former girlfriend, Katherine D. Magbanua, to kill Markel after his sister, Wendi Adelson, lost a bitter custody battle with Markel.
Magbanua subsequently hired Sigfredo Garcia (her former lover who is the father of her children) and his friend Luis Rivera to carry out the hit. Magbanua, Garcia, Rivera, and Charles Adelson were all subsequently convicted of murder.
Ruth feels the case has been focusing more on the defendants, while her son is being overlooked and overshadowed by the high-profile case.
“One of the things that I started to notice is that the victims are really underexposed in the court system and in the public,” she said. “You just see them and the court (suspects), so the point is that the victim suddenly becomes invisible.”
Markel and his former wife, Wendi, were going through a tumultuous divorce when he died. Wendi, who denies any involvement and is not facing charges, shared custody of her children with Markel. She wanted to move from Tallahassee to South Florida to be closer to her family, but a judge ruled that she couldn’t move without Markel’s consent.
Before his murder, Markel reportedly refused, expressing concern about the children moving too far away.
“She was seven years younger than him, and she had to finish law school,” Ruth explained. “And so they moved to Tallahassee and then became a professor at Florida State University.”
Ruth confirmed with CBS that her son went through a messy divorce, adding that despite all the hardships, he remained focused on taking care of his two children.
“He was a great father. That’s the most important thing about Dan. He loved those two boys.”
Meanwhile, Donna Adelson remains jailed on first-degree murder charges. When asked whether she feels justice has been served, Ruth said, “we’re on the way.”
“We’re in a good situation now. So Charlie Adelson, that’s Wendi’s brother, he was just convicted Nov. 6, 2023, and that his mother, Donn Adelson was arrested, she was trying to leave the country and go to Vietnam. So she’s in jail. This is really new, and and we don’t know exactly when her trial will be. So we’re certainly coming in the room, the right chapter.”
Donna Adelson attempted to flee the country with her husband a week after a jury found Charles Adelson guilty. She remains jailed at the Leon County Detention Facility.
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[Feature Photo: Dan Markel/FSU College of Law faculty biographies]
