In newly released documents, the Tallahassee Police Department laid out its case for why two of Dan Markel’s in-laws should be considered prime suspects in his slaying.
But State Attorney Willie Meggs has dismissed the probable cause affidavits as “speculation” and refused to issue a warrant for their arrest.
The documents maintain the family of Markel’s ex-wife Wendi Adelson tried to convince her to offer him $1 million to allow their children to move to South Florida after their acrimonious divorce. Documents also say investigators focused on her brother Charlie Adelson, who police say looked into hiring a hit man the summer before Markel was killed.
The probable cause affidavits became public Thursday after a records request by the Tallahassee Democrat. They included affidavits drafted by TPD and sent to Meggs’ office for everyone police believe was a suspect in the killing of Markel, including Charlie Adelson and his his ex-wife’s mother, Donna Adelson.
The family has denied any involvement in Markel’s slaying, calling investigators’ theories “fanciful fiction.” No members of the Adelson family have been arrested.
Sigfredo Garcia and Luis Rivera are scheduled to stand trial this fall on charges they shot the Florida State law professor in the head in his Betton Hills garage on July 18, 2014.[...]
Tallahassee Democrat describes tension between the police and prosecuters in the case
Un-served probable cause for Charlie Adelson by KarlEtters on Scribd
I think that the headline referring to Markel as a defense attorney for Wolmark, is stretching things a bit. Basically, Wolmark’s attorney was Ben Brafman. Wolmark merely consulted with Markel briefly, before the latter was murdered.
ReplyDeletehttp://forward.com/news/203807/police-probe-dan-markel-link-to-get-extortion-rabb/
In the days before his murder, Florida law professor Dan Markel was hired as a legal consultant in an explosive New Jersey divorce extortion case involving several Orthodox rabbis.
Markel, who was gunned down outside his Tallahassee, Florida home on July 18, had been in touch with Rabbi Martin Wolmark, one of ten men arrested last October for conspiring to kidnap and torture Orthodox Jewish husbands who refuse to grant their wives gets, or religious divorces.
The Forward has learned that police initially investigated whether there was any link between Markel’s plans to consult in the ‘get’ extortion case and his still-unsolved murder.
Detectives called Wolmark’s attorney Ben Brafman, a prominent criminal defense lawyer whose clients have included Sean “P. Diddy” Combs and Dominique Strauss-Kahn, to ask about Markel in the days after the murder, Brafman told the Forward.
But they appear to have quickly rejected any connection. That could have been because Markel’s tie to the case was so tangential as well as the fact that the husbands targeted in the ‘get’ case — who might have been thought to hold a grudge against Markel — were apparently not even aware of his involvement.
All the more proof, if the feds can get a hold of the husbands, they can get a hold of the ex wives, and prosecute them.
ReplyDeleteThe question is, do they have of a smoking gun to convict the woman and her brother?
ReplyDeletewe can speculate if the State Attorney is being paid off by the family not to charge them. On the other hand DA would have a difficult time convicting them.
From the article:
Meggs said the probable cause affidavits do little to prove the Adelsons or Magbanua were conspirators in Markel’s shooting.
Bringing what he called “speculation” on the part of police investigators before a jury would make it difficult to secure a conviction or even proceed with a trial. For that reason, Meggs said, his office would not approve warrants for Charlie Adelson and Magbanua.
“My opinion after reading those documents is there is no probable cause here to make an arrest,” Meggs said. “We kind of believe they were involved according to the police. But what we believe and what we think doesn’t count. What evidence do we have?
“When you read this stuff, you say these people had him killed. I don’t read it like that,” he continued. “How do we prove this? How do we prove what this officer believes, or thinks or suspects? What witnesses do we have for that purpose?”
If Luis River was not a known Latin King leader for the Northern Florida area I would say the "evidence" would be much more substantiated. But, knowing that is part of his job description ...hit man ...and knowing Dan was a law professor, a difficult teacher, single and dating etc etc that opens the door to possibly a few other motives. Or, had Sigfredo and Katherine not been his "close" friends. It certainly looks like there was a flurry of phone calls the night the two suspects pulled into Tallahassee the day before the crime ...but, that could be their normal routine not knowing all phone calls made. And, from what we can see ...no one reached out to Wendi Adelson that night. Not that they have shown anyways. BUT, Charlie did call Donna at 1:02am ...AND ...only talked for ONE minute - among those flurry of phone calls. Or, she didn't pick up and the voice mail did. That will show as a one minute call. Also, neither of the two suspects' girlfriends; or ex, reported on SEEING the green metallic Toyota Prius parked in their location/residence directly before (Katherine) and after (Rivera's girlfriend) the murder. They are covering up evidence in a murder. Does that border on accessory after the fact. At least for Rivera's girlfriend? She's the least involved ...whey wasn't she approached by police, FBI or undercover? Given the location and timing of the murder combined with the videos, witness statement and phone call Dan was taking there is absolutely no way anyone else could have been involved. Impossible.Unless someone was standing right there shooting when the suspects pulled into and out of the driveway. (The suspects were 10-20 seconds behind Dan. Dan had to pull up, open his garage door and wait for it to finish opening before pulling in ...before being shot...approximately 0-5 seconds later. Did the two suspects call police and report being a witness to a shooting on Trescott? No.) Their only possible defense is the elderly 911 caller was the shooter ...and even that won't work b/c of timing. But, it's the best they have to go with. Nothing has been reported on about animosity with this neighbor.
ReplyDeleteI'm not talking about this Florida case, but if the feds were checking on the husbands, why aren't they prosecuting the (ex)wives in the epstein and other cases?
ReplyDeleteSsmoking gun -- attorney gurfein's testimony, under immunity (attorney client privilege not applicable if its regarding a crime.)
ReplyDelete