GUILTY FL - Dan Markel, 41, FSU law professor, Tallahassee, 18 July 2014 - #1 *Arrests*

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My guess LE knows who did it but they have to put a case together and find the evidence for a VERY good case. That is what is taking so long, that is my hope at least.
 
colette, I hope you're right. Granted, and to be honest, I don't think you are. But I hope you are 100 percent correct. The reason I don't think police know who did it is because this is a very high profile case. Dan was nationally known. Politically connected. A law prof at a very well-known school. This has to be a "front burner" case for Tallahassee police. Plus, it happened in a nice area of the city. I mean, it's not like Dan was a heroin addict who died in a crack house, you know what I mean? Heck, the former mayor of the city lived across the street! So, there is high motivation to get it solved, and quickly.

But nothing. And I think that means bad news.
 
Hi everyone, I too had been thinking that this case is awfully quiet...I hope it's for the good too. I haven't read every post here, but what do people think about this being, at least partially, a hate crime. This crime occurred about two weeks after Israel launched its offensive against Hamas amid a good bit of protest. That may have been about the right amount of time for someone's simmering pot to boil over (?).
 
snowleopard said:
Hi everyone, I too had been thinking that this case is awfully quiet...I hope it's for the good too. I haven't read every post here, but what do people think about this being, at least partially, a hate crime. This crime occurred about two weeks after Israel launched its offensive against Hamas amid a good bit of protest. That may have been about the right amount of time for someone's simmering pot to boil over (?).
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Could be but my guess is something personal.
 
Does anyone know if DM had a dog ?
Are parking spaces difficult to find in the areas Daniel frequented?
 
Wow, this thread died fast . . . even though this case still continues to be one of the most compelling unsolved murders in the USA this year? Hmmmm . . .

I've been thinking about something. I've been trying to decipher Dan's words: There's somebody in my driveway. As I posted like a month ago, the statement leads me to believe he didn't know who the person was. Of course, we have to consider the person might've had a hoodie on with sunglasses to conceal their identity. So, I suppose it could've been somebody Dan knew and he couldn't tell. But that chance is remote.

What I'm wondering, though, is why would the killer be in the middle of the driveway just as Dan pulls up. That's a heck of a coincidence. So, what I'm trying to pick one of two theories: 1. There was somebody else following Dan who called the killer to tell him/her that Dan was headed down his street. So then, the killer gets out of his car to prepare for the execution. Thus, he is standing in the driveway waiting when Dan pulls up. Because I refuse to believe he was standing there in the middle of the driveway waiting for Dan . . . you know what I mean. OR . . .

#2. The killer was either on his way to Dan's front door or on the way back from his front door--after determining Dan wasn't home--and just happened to be in the driveway when Dan came home. Once again because I refuse to believe the killer stood in the driveway all morning.

To me, it has to be either one of these choices. Of course, the first involves a conspiracy of at least two who really wanted Dan dead, with an effort to follow him to complete their mission--thus, something planned over a period of time. Whereas, number two feels like somebody who Dan ticked off recently--like a heat of the moment thing--because if the killer was walking to or from Dan's house he/she obviously didn't know Dan's schedule at all that morning.

So, after thinking about it, I'm leaning much more toward #2. Why? Because I don't think in a conspiracy situation--where the killing is planned and thought out, maybe even a dry run--the killer would plan to be standing in the middle of the driveway as Dan pulled in. That seems like the worst of all choices--what if a neighbor is outside? What if Dan sees the killer, gets suspicious, and drives past his house? What if Dan sees the person holding the gun and rams the killer with his car? You know what I mean . . . there are a lot of variables there. And some people putting this together would hash out those possibilities. The best choice would be to stand around the corner of the house, get the call from the person following Dan, and then as Dan pulls into the garage dart into the garage before he can close the door. But . . . that didn't happen.

One more thing, it should be noted, at least to our knowledge, that no one in the neighborhood noticed anyone hanging out around Dan's house while he was out that morning. This leads me to also believe the killer pulled up to Dan's house just before he got home and was either walking to or from Dan's house.

I wonder what you all think. Is my logic sound?
 
fasteddy8170 said:
Wow, this thread died fast . . . even though this case still continues to be one of the most compelling unsolved murders in the USA this year? Hmmmm . . .

I've been thinking about something. I've been trying to decipher Dan's words: There's somebody in my driveway. As I posted like a month ago, the statement leads me to believe he didn't know who the person was. Of course, we have to consider the person might've had a hoodie on with sunglasses to conceal their identity. So, I suppose it could've been somebody Dan knew and he couldn't tell. But that chance is remote.

What I'm wondering, though, is why would the killer be in the middle of the driveway just as Dan pulls up. That's a heck of a coincidence. So, what I'm trying to pick one of two theories: 1. There was somebody else following Dan who called the killer to tell him/her that Dan was headed down his street. So then, the killer gets out of his car to prepare for the execution. Thus, he is standing in the driveway waiting when Dan pulls up. Because I refuse to believe he was standing there in the middle of the driveway waiting for Dan . . . you know what I mean. OR . . .

#2. The killer was either on his way to Dan's front door or on the way back from his front door--after determining Dan wasn't home--and just happened to be in the driveway when Dan came home. Once again because I refuse to believe the killer stood in the driveway all morning.

To me, it has to be either one of these choices. Of course, the first involves a conspiracy of at least two who really wanted Dan dead, with an effort to follow him to complete their mission--thus, something planned over a period of time. Whereas, number two feels like somebody who Dan ticked off recently--like a heat of the moment thing--because if the killer was walking to or from Dan's house he/she obviously didn't know Dan's schedule at all that morning.

So, after thinking about it, I'm leaning much more toward #2. Why? Because I don't think in a conspiracy situation--where the killing is planned and thought out, maybe even a dry run--the killer would plan to be standing in the middle of the driveway as Dan pulled in. That seems like the worst of all choices--what if a neighbor is outside? What if Dan sees the killer, gets suspicious, and drives past his house? What if Dan sees the person holding the gun and rams the killer with his car? You know what I mean . . . there are a lot of variables there. And some people putting this together would hash out those possibilities. The best choice would be to stand around the corner of the house, get the call from the person following Dan, and then as Dan pulls into the garage dart into the garage before he can close the door. But . . . that didn't happen.

One more thing, it should be noted, at least to our knowledge, that no one in the neighborhood noticed anyone hanging out around Dan's house while he was out that morning. This leads me to also believe the killer pulled up to Dan's house just before he got home and was either walking to or from Dan's house.

I wonder what you all think. Is my logic sound?
Click to expand...
Your scenarios are totally possible.

"There's somebody in my driveway"

I would also say this if I pulled up to my house and only saw a car sitting there. So maybe the person was sitting in the car and got out after Dan pulled in??

I sure wish we had some new info. I hope they are still working hard on this case. I guess seeing a licence plate # on those street/starbucks cameras is not possible??
 
"There's somebody in my driveway."

From the photo I saw of the house, it looked like a fairly long driveway from the house to the street. If someone parked at the street and started walking up the driveway, I might not be able to identify them visually at first. But if it was someone I knew even as a mere acquaintance, the car would probably be enough of a clue for me to figure out who it was. So I agree that Merkel probably didn't know the shooter.
 
sleuthinginca said:
Your scenarios are totally possible.

"There's somebody in my driveway"

I would also say this if I pulled up to my house and only saw a car sitting there. So maybe the person was sitting in the car and got out after Dan pulled in??

I sure wish we had some new info. I hope they are still working hard on this case. I guess seeing a licence plate # on those street/starbucks cameras is not possible??
Click to expand...

Good point.....all along I had taken "There's somebody in my driveway" to mean that the shooter was standing in the driveway which is hard to believe! I totally agree that it certainly could have been a car that Dan first noticed and was referring to when he pulled in. And I can see myself saying those exact same words to describe the same situation now, but hadn't thought of it before!
 
fasteddy8170 said:
Wow, this thread died fast . . . even though this case still continues to be one of the most compelling unsolved murders in the USA this year? Hmmmm . . .

I've been thinking about something. I've been trying to decipher Dan's words: There's somebody in my driveway. As I posted like a month ago, the statement leads me to believe he didn't know who the person was. Of course, we have to consider the person might've had a hoodie on with sunglasses to conceal their identity. So, I suppose it could've been somebody Dan knew and he couldn't tell. But that chance is remote.

What I'm wondering, though, is why would the killer be in the middle of the driveway just as Dan pulls up. That's a heck of a coincidence. So, what I'm trying to pick one of two theories: 1. There was somebody else following Dan who called the killer to tell him/her that Dan was headed down his street. So then, the killer gets out of his car to prepare for the execution. Thus, he is standing in the driveway waiting when Dan pulls up. Because I refuse to believe he was standing there in the middle of the driveway waiting for Dan . . . you know what I mean. OR . . .

#2. The killer was either on his way to Dan's front door or on the way back from his front door--after determining Dan wasn't home--and just happened to be in the driveway when Dan came home. Once again because I refuse to believe the killer stood in the driveway all morning.

To me, it has to be either one of these choices. Of course, the first involves a conspiracy of at least two who really wanted Dan dead, with an effort to follow him to complete their mission--thus, something planned over a period of time. Whereas, number two feels like somebody who Dan ticked off recently--like a heat of the moment thing--because if the killer was walking to or from Dan's house he/she obviously didn't know Dan's schedule at all that morning.

So, after thinking about it, I'm leaning much more toward #2. Why? Because I don't think in a conspiracy situation--where the killing is planned and thought out, maybe even a dry run--the killer would plan to be standing in the middle of the driveway as Dan pulled in. That seems like the worst of all choices--what if a neighbor is outside? What if Dan sees the killer, gets suspicious, and drives past his house? What if Dan sees the person holding the gun and rams the killer with his car? You know what I mean . . . there are a lot of variables there. And some people putting this together would hash out those possibilities. The best choice would be to stand around the corner of the house, get the call from the person following Dan, and then as Dan pulls into the garage dart into the garage before he can close the door. But . . . that didn't happen.

One more thing, it should be noted, at least to our knowledge, that no one in the neighborhood noticed anyone hanging out around Dan's house while he was out that morning. This leads me to also believe the killer pulled up to Dan's house just before he got home and was either walking to or from Dan's house.

I wonder what you all think. Is my logic sound?
Click to expand...

great post!
 
I guess I should've noted in the previous post why I personally reject the idea a car (the Prius, I guess) was in Dan's driveway.

1. Dan's house has a two-car garage. But the driveway is for the most part a single lane. If there were a car in the driveway, Dan would've had to have driven into his own grass to get around the car to park in his own garage--uh, I don't see that happening. Maybe the killer's vehicle was nosed up so close to the garage that Dan could get by? I suppose that's possible but doesn't exactly enable a quick getaway. Because of these ideas, I believe when Dan said, "Somebody's in my driveway," I believe he meant a person, not a vehicle. Where the Prius was? Not sure.

2. Also, Dan was a lawyer. They tend to be very precise with their words--it goes along with the profession. One wrong word and their client could go to jail, you know what I mean? So, when he says, "Somebody", I think that means a person. If a car were in the driveway, he would've said, "There's a car in my driveway." Furthermore, I've lived in a few apartment complexes in my life where there was assigned parking. More than once I came home to find a car in my spot--and that's how my mind framed it: "A car is in my spot." Not, "A person is in my spot." I might've said, "Somebody parked in my spot." But even that infers a vehicle, not a person, is in my spot. Maybe Dan would've said, "Somebody parked in my driveway," if he saw a car in his driveway, but he wouldn't have said, "Somebody's in my driveway."

3. As has been stated by others on here and myself, the neighbors said nothing about seeing a car in Dan's driveway that morning while he was gone. So, there's that as well.

I know that seems like parsing words but I think the police have to believe a key part of the crime is: Why was there a person in Dan's driveway when he came home? Did the person know Dan's schedule? Was it a coincidence?
 
While I'm at it, there's something I try to do in cases like Dan's, maybe the rest of you do it as well. And sometimes it helps me frame the disappearance/unsolved murder in a different manner.

I try to take away any coincidences in the case and then try to figure out how the abductor/killer wanted the crime to take place. In other words, I try to take away anything the criminal couldn't have predicted. It helps me get in their mind.

In Dan's case, we know what that is: Him being on the phone as he pulled into his house. Without that, we never hear his words, "Somebody's in my driveway." Without that, all we have is him dead in the garage and a Prius seen zooming away from the scene--two points the killer had to know would happen anyway.

Without those words, what would we think? Maybe burglary gone bad. Maybe an experienced killer who hid out in the bushes waiting for Dan to come home. Maybe Dan was carjacked and forced to drive back to his house with a gun to his head. Maybe an argument with a neighbor. Maybe a woman Dan was seeing was at his house inside, they have a quarrel, she shoots him, and speeds off.

You have to admit: Knowing Dan's words that morning take most of those possibilities away. In fact, if we didn't know his words, we'd all be thinking about a scenario much more "skilled" than the one that actually happened--person standing in the driveway blatantly "seemingly" waiting for Dan to come home. Let's all admit: None of us would've guessed that.

One more thing that makes this case compelling. And really, it leaves open the possibility that Dan wasn't targeted at all. It very well could be there were burglars casing the neighborhood, one went and knocked on Dan's door and nobody was home, Dan pulls in, sees the guy's face, and the person gets scared and shoots Dan. Very possible, even all these days after Dan was murdered.
 
First, I think that this is an old-school type of execution killing. Think Godfather mafia-style stuff.
However, it was a very brazen, risky type of killing....it being broad daylight in a quiet neighborhood. So that makes it highly unusual.
And last, the victim **could have** very elaborately described his killer while on the phone. The victim could have had surveillane video (system) around his home. Why was the killer not concerned with this? Was the killer that well cloaked?
Additionally, shooting someone up close in the face with one bullet symbolizes a hit-man that was paid for an emotional issue. Someone paid him for a wrong-doing of an emotional or psychological nature. Imo.

The only other thing it could be is a well-disguised jilted lover. A scorned intimate partner.

Could this be a male... or female?

moo
 
colette said:
Big Bend Crime Stoppers (BBCS) announced today that they are now offering a $25,000 reward for tips that lead to an arrest in the Dan Markel case.

http://www.wtxl.com/news/crime-stop...cle_51c94eb4-3a08-11e4-9e3e-001a4bcf6878.html
Click to expand...



bbm.

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2014/09/14/reward-increase-for-info-on-death-of-fsu-law-professor/
"Police spokesman David Northway said there are no updates in the case and no arrests have been made.

This is the third time the reward, which started at $1,000, has been increased. Tips can be called in to (850) 574-8477."
 
I gotta believe the increase in the reward amount isn't a good sign. As I think I stated much earlier in this thread, the longer this case goes unsolved the more likely this murder was random and not done by someone in Dan's circle.
 
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