Dan Markel was a 41-year-old law professor at Florida State University who was shot while sitting in his car outside his Tallahassee home on July 18, 2014. He died less than 24 hours later in hospital. The killing shocked the community and began a long, complex investigation.

Investigators described the murder as a planned hit tied to a bitter custody dispute following Markel’s 2013 divorce from Wendi Adelson. Authorities said the plot involved multiple people; those named in public filings include Wendi’s brother, Charlie Adelson, a South Florida periodontist, and others alleged to have conspired to hire the gunmen. Reports detail undercover operations and surveillance as part of the inquiry.

Many legal proceedings followed and the family endured a lengthy effort to seek answers.