'Not finished yet': More arrests likely in Markel case
The day after a Miami Beach man was arrested in connection with the slaying of Florida State University law professor Dan Markel, police continue to investigate his killing as a murder for hire, sources close to the investigation say.
Other sources say more arrests are expected.
Tallahassee Police remain tight-lipped about details of the arrest of 34-year-old Sigfredo Garcia, who has been charged with first-degree murder in Markel’s nearly two-year-old killing.
Markel, 41, was found with a point-blank gunshot wound to the head on July 18, 2014. He was sitting in the driver's seat of his car in the garage of his Trescott Drive home in Betton Hills. He died at the hospital that night. Police quickly said he was "the intended victim" of the crime.
TPD officials during a Thursday press conference at department headquarters declined to elaborate on a possible motive in the killing of the renowned legal scholar or whether other suspects are being considered. A probable cause affidavit that would provide details on Garcia's arrest was sealed at the request of police Thursday morning by Second Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Jonathan Sjostrom.
Garcia, who has an extensive criminal history in South Florida, was arrested by the Hallandale Beach Police Department at 9:11 p.m. Wednesday in his black, 2001 Lexus at a gas station just outside of North Miami Beach.
During a subsequent search, police found a clear red plastic baggie containing two-tenths of a gram of suspected cocaine in his wallet, an HBPD report says.
Arrest warrants for Garcia were approved by the State Attorney’s Office in Tallahassee Wednesday morning. By early Thursday, he had been booked into the Broward County Jail where he remains without bond on the murder charge.
He will be transported to Leon County.
During Thursday’s press conference, TPD Spokesman David Northway repeatedly declined to divulge details about Garcia or the ongoing investigation.
"This case is ongoing and continuing," Northway said. "So if we were to release all of the details of the case, that would jeopardize our case that we are continuing to work."
George Dekle, a former Third Circuit assistant prosecutor and University of Florida Law School legal skills professor, said the arrest affidavit was likely sealed — and police reticent to reveal information — because others connected to the crime may be tipped off if facts of the case were to be released.
“If there are other people out there,” Dekle said, “the investigation may be compromised.”
Northway said police have maintained contact with Markel’s family throughout the investigation, but could not elaborate to what extent.
Markel's former wife, Wendi Adelson, who now lives in the Miami area, also was on the FSU law school faculty. She officially resigned her post in January 2015 and has not commented publicly on the case. She did not return requests for comment Thursday.
The two divorced in 2013 and were fighting in court over the terms of their child custody agreement for their two young sons when he was killed. Family court documents show Markel argued with his ex-wife, who sought to relocate to South Florida with the children.
Garcia appeared for a Broward County bond hearing Thursday morning in a blue jail jumpsuit. He declined the assistance of a public defender, telling Judge Mary Rudd Robinson he retained an attorney on Wednesday.
When Robinson asked if he knew a warrant had been issued for his arrest on murder charges Garcia said, “No, ma'am.”
He added: "I didn't know I needed a lawyer until yesterday."
The judge allowed Garcia access to his cell phone to contact his attorney, whose name he said he could not remember.
A suspect in Markel’s killing long eluded police. Investigators repeatedly appealed to the public, hoping leads would surface. Immediately, they established a tip line dedicated to the investigation. Hundreds of leads came in, each being ferreted out by an investigator. Almost a year to the day after his killing, police released a photo of a Toyota Prius they believed was driven by a suspect.
But solid leads were few and the case grew cold.
Ultimately, the FBI helped bring Garcia in Wednesday night. An FBI spokeswoman said agents with its Miami office assisted HBPD officers with the arrest. She added the agency was integral in the case since the beginning in providing investigative resources.
Both a $100,000 independently funded reward and a $25,000 CrimeStoppers reward were being offered for information that led to an arrest. But Northway could not say whether they had been claimed.
During the 10-minute news conference Thursday, TPD Chief Michael DeLeo expounded on the impact of Markel’s death.
“The murder of Professor Markel struck a deep chord within this community that resonated around the country,” DeLeo said. “I hope that as this investigation continues to progress, it reassures the community of TPD’s unwavering commitment to their safety."
Before leaving, without fielding reporters' questions, DeLeo alluded to the work ahead.
“We are not finished yet.”
Contact Karl Etters at ketters@tallahassee.com