Dateline NBC: Who was Dan Markel?

Dateline NBC is set to dive into the 2014 murder case of Dan Markel, a highly regarded professor, in their January 20, 2024, episode titled Family Matters.

Dan was shot to death in a murder-for-hire plot laid down by his brother-in-law, Charlie Adelson, and his mother-in-law, Donna Adelson. Dan worked as a successful lawyer in multiple top law firms in Washington, D.C., where he met his wife, Wendi Adelson, in 2006.

After their sons Lincoln and Benjamin were born, the couple went their separate ways in 2013, which made for a messy divorce and a difficult custody battle. The Dateline NBC episode showcases the years-long investigation into Dan Markel's murder. The synopsis reads:

"Dennis Murphy reports on the latest twists in the murder-for-hire plot that left a Florida law professor dead, ripped apart two families, and ignited a decade-long search for justice."

Dateline NBC season 32 episode 24 airs on NBC on January 20, 2024, at 9 pm EST and is available for streaming on Peacock.

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Who was Dan Markel? Details explored

Daniel Eric Markel was born on October 9, 1972, in Montreal, Canada, to parents Phil Markel and Ruth Markel. Markel was raised in a strict Jewish upbringing with his sister, Shelly Markel.

Dan Markel was a student of politics and philosophy at Harvard University, where he graduated magna cum laude. He pursued his graduate studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and earned a master's degree in Political Theory from Emmanuel College, Cambridge. Dan received his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2001. He was also a Scholar-in-Residence at New York University's law school.

Dan Markel additionally gained experience in his field as a law clerk to Senior United States Circuit Judge Michael Daly Hawkins of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He also served as an associate, working with white-collar criminal defense at Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd, Evans & Figel in Washington, D.C.

In 2005, Dan Markel joined the Florida State University College of Law as the D'Alemberte Professor of Law. In addition to his teaching role, Dan also worked as a consultant for the defense team in a lawsuit in New Jersey regarding rabbis accused of extortion by the FBI.

Dan Markel co-authored Privilege or Punish: Criminal Justice and the Challenge of Family Ties (2009) with Ethan Leib and Jennifer M. Collins. He wrote essays and opinion pieces for The New York Times, Slate, and The Atlantic. He was the co-founder of the blog, PrawfsBlawg, and his review articles have been published in the Vanderbilt Law Review, Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review, and University of Pennsylvania Law Review.

Markel met Wendi Adelson from South Florida on Jdate during his time in Washington, D.C. The two got married in February 2006, following which Wendi also started working as a law professor at the FSU.

They welcomed their sons Benjamin Markel and Lincoln Markel in 2009 and 2010 but shortly after, the couple separated in 2012, which led to a bitter divorce procedure in 2013.

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What happened to Dan Markel?

According to ABC News, on July 18, 2014, around 11 am, Dan Markel was found fatally shot in the head inside his car parked outside his Tallahassee home. It was done by two hitmen hired by his brother-in-law, Charlie Adelson.

41-year-old Dan was parking his car when his neighbors heard a loud bang and informed the Tallahassee Police Department immediately, following which he was shot in his garage.

According to The Associated Press report dated August 1, 2014, the emergency medical response team arrived late and Dan was declared dead the next day. A memorial service for Dan was held at Congregation Shomrei Torah, Tallahassee, following which he was buried at the Pardes Shalom Cemetery in Maple, Ontario.