A law professor shot in his own garage. A family dynasty with unlimited money. And a conspiracy that took eleven years to fully unravel.

On July 18, 2014, Florida State University law professor Dan Markel dropped his two young sons at preschool, went to the gym, and returned home to find death waiting in his driveway [citation:3]. Two men from Miami, Sigfredo Garcia and Luis Rivera, had followed him. Garcia walked up to the driver's side window and fired twice into Markel's head at point-blank range [citation:4].

The motive was not robbery or revenge. It was a bitter custody battle. Markel's ex-wife Wendi Adelson wanted to move their children from Tallahassee to South Florida. A judge said no. Wendi's family, the wealthy Adelsons of Fort Lauderdale, allegedly decided to remove the obstacle permanently [citation:1].

The conspiracy stretched from a Miami dental practice to a Latin Kings gang leader. Charlie Adelson, Wendi's brother, allegedly paid $100,000 through his girlfriend Katherine Magbanua to Garcia and Rivera [citation:3]. His mother Donna was convicted in 2025 as the orchestrator [citation:6]. Wendi has never been charged.

Turn down the lights, put on your headphones, and press play because the Adelsons thought they were untouchable. The jury disagreed.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/red-tree-crime--6847553/support.