Florida woman arrested in connection with 2014 murder of Florida State law professor Dan Markel
Florida woman arrested in connection with 2014 murder of Florida State law professor Dan Markel : Katherine Magbanua, the suspected connection between the family of Dan Markel’s ex-wife and the two men accused of shooting him in a 2014 murder-for-hire plot, has been arrested.
The 31-year-old mother was booked into Broward County Jail on first degree murder charges Saturday for her alleged role in the slaying of the prominent Florida State University law professor, the Tallahassee Democrat reported.
In May, police arrested Sigfredo Garcia and Luis Rivera, two south Florida men, both with criminal histories, for Markel’s murder. Magbanua is the mother of Garcia’s two children and she also allegedly had a romantic relationship with Charlie Adelson, the brother of Markel’s ex-wife Wendi Adelson, ABC news reported.
According to police, the first person Garcia called following Markel’s murder was Magbanua.
Authorities also told reporters they believe Magbanua connected Garcia and Rivera with Adelson amidst her contentious divorce from the 41-year-old criminal justice scholar.
Markel in 2014 was shot twice in the head while sitting in his car in his garage, and police have long suspected the motive for the murder was the bitter custody arguments between the professor and his ex-wife.
Both the suspected hit men are facing the death penalty if convicted and have pleaded not guilty to the murder. Magbanua, who appeared in Fort Lauderdale court Sunday morning, invoked her right to remain silent.
“Katherine is a single mom who has no prior convictions,” her attorney Tara Kawass said. “There was no reason to arrest her like this. Our sole priority right now is getting her on bond so she can take care of her two kids.”
According to ABC, local authorities also sought out murder charges against Magbanua and Charlie Adelson back in May, but were unable to proceed due to lack of evidence.
While the new warrant for Magbanua’s arrest has not been made public, the affidavit prepared in May suggests she allegedly deposited over $50,000 in cash into her bank account in the months following the murder and received regular checks from the family.
The Adelson family told ABC earlier this year that Magbanua was employed at the family’s clinic, though officers say she was only present at the dental facility once over the course of their investigations.
Source : http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/woman-arrested-connection-2014-murder-dan-markel-article-1.2814841
