For nearly a decade, the sensational killing of a prominent Florida law professor in 2014 centered on a single, sordid question: Did his ex-wife’s family, motivated by an ugly custody dispute, hire hit men to murder him?
On Monday, a jury concluded that it did, and convicted Charles Adelson, the former brother-in-law of the slain professor, Dan Markel, of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation of murder.
Mr. Adelson closed his eyes, mouthed “No” and put his head down when the verdict was read at the Leon County Courthouse in Tallahassee, Fla.
Mr. Markel, 41, a well-known legal scholar at Florida State University, was shot on July 18, 2014, in his home in an upscale Tallahassee neighborhood.
The police found him wounded, and he died 14 hours later at a hospital.
Persons:
Charles Adelson, Dan Markel, Adelson, Mr, Markel
Organizations:
Florida State University
Locations:
Florida, Leon, Tallahassee, Fla