No one questions the academic prowess of Florida State University Law Professor Dan Markel. He was, in a word, brilliant. Dan was a requested speaker in the law conference circuit and he could certainly teach law as his status at FSU suggests. He also loved to litigate, even if it was over coffee on a topic he might even agree with you about. He would take the other side for fun.
In other words, Dan Markel was my kind of guy. I wish our circles had intersected.
Sadly, the word "was" is appropriate. Eight years ago, on July 18th, 2014 Dan was shot in his garage here in Tallahassee. It was a hit. So far, prosecutors have laid out a case of murder-for-hire. There has been one guilty plea, two convictions, and a third trial coming of Markel's former brother-in-law.
The evidence known to the public, therefore me, convinces me of involvement of others in the family of his former in-laws. But we'll need to wait and see if other arrests are forthcoming. My approach to sifting through the crime is that of someone who once served six months on a Grand Jury involved with only capital murder cases.
There is plenty of evidence pointing to who was involved in Dan's assassination. Plenty.
Dan would die one day later leaving behind his two young sons (who have been all but completely cut off from their father's memory and his family, such was, and is, the vitriol of his former spouse and her family) and a host of friends.
I decided, through a strong push from God upon my heart and spirit, that July 19th this year would not be a day to think of Dan's passing as much as it should be a day to remember him and for some of us to get to know him a bit better. I turned to Dan Markel's family and friends.
My hope is one day, his sons will gain access to this and get to know their dad just a little bit better.
Maybe you will, too.
Too often we forget about victims and I certainly am guilty of it. But not today.