Katherine Magbanua was sentenced to life in jail for her function within the regulation professor's homicide.
Broward County Sheriff's Workplace
A South Florida girl has been sentenced to life in jail plus extra time for her function in a murder-for-hire plot that resulted within the taking pictures loss of life of a neighborhood regulation professor.
Katherine Magbanua was sentenced Friday morning to life behind bars with out the potential of probation or parole, in addition to two consecutive 30-year jail phrases. Magbanua, 37, was convicted in Might of first-degree homicide, conspiracy to commit homicide and solicitation to commit homicide.
Prosecutors mentioned she acted as a go-between for her ex-boyfriend, dentist Charlie Adelson, and the lads whom he allegedly employed to kill Florida State College regulation professor Daniel “Danny” Markel eight years in the past.
Magbanua’s lawyer, Tara Kawass, had requested for the lightest doable sentence, in accordance with the Tallahassee Democrat.
Kawass learn an announcement on her shopper’s behalf, wherein she informed the court docket: “She does take into consideration Dan Markel each single day, She does take into consideration his youngsters each single day. … Not a day goes by that she’s doesn’t categorical how her coronary heart is damaged for the Markel household. One factor that I can say that Ms. Magbanua hopes and prays for is that justice is ongoing and has not been reached on this case, and she or he needs each one that had a hand on this and is aware of one thing about this to be delivered to justice.”
Markel, a distinguished lawyer, was on the heels of a contentious divorce with Adelson’s sister, Wendi, when he was gunned down in his automobile on July 18, 2014. The pair had disagreed and sparred in court docket paperwork over sure points, specifically, Wendi’s relocation from Tallahassee to be nearer to her household in south Florida.
Tallahassee Police Division investigators mentioned Markel dropped his youngsters off at daycare round 8:50 a.m. roughly 5 miles from his house after which made his technique to Premier Well being and Health Heart, the place he arrived round 9:12 a.m., in accordance with a possible trigger affidavit shared on-line in 2016.
Police discovered that a Toyota Prius had adopted Markel not solely into the parking zone of the health facility, however was additionally “trailing Markel’s automobile” earlier than and after his time within the gymnasium.
“Investigators imagine the suspects within the Prius adopted the sufferer all through the morning and again to this residence, the place the sufferer was shot within the head as he sat in his automobile,” the affidavit states. “Markel’s neighbor heard what he believed to be a gunshot and appeared out the window, the place he noticed a small silver or light-colored car, resembling a Prius, backing out of the sufferer’s driveway.”
Markel was rushed to a neighborhood hospital, however couldn't be saved.
Magbanua had lived with one of many accused gunmen, Sigfredo Garcia, with whom she had two youngsters. She had beforehand had a relationship with Charlie Adelson, and had as soon as labored for Adelson’s household’s dental workplace.
Garcia and his alleged confederate, Luis Rivera, had been charged in June 2016. Magbanua was arrested months later in October 2016. Garcia was convicted in 2019 of first-degree homicide, and has appealed his conviction. Rivera pleaded responsible to second-degree homicide.
Charlie Adelson, age 45, was arrested in April 2022 after he was indicted by a grand jury. He was charged with first-degree homicide, conspiracy to commit homicide and solicitation to commit homicide. He pleaded not responsible.
In an announcement supplied to Fox Information Digital, attorneys representing Markel’s dad and mom mentioned Magbanua’s sentencing “marks one other essential step towards accountability and justice.”
“Dan Markel was brutally murdered greater than eight years in the past,” attorneys Orin Snyder and Matt Benjamin wrote in an announcement on behalf of Ruth and Phil Markel. “We're grateful for the efforts of regulation enforcement and the State Lawyer’s Workplace in advancing the prison case in opposition to Charles Adelson and in persevering with to pursue all these liable for Dan’s homicide.”
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