Crime, Law Schools

The Dan Markel Case: The Markels Break Their Silence

If you've been following this case, tune in to Dateline NBC on Friday night.

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Ruth and Phil Markel (Dateline NBC)

Since the July 2014 murder of Professor Dan Markel, we’ve heard from a number of people. We’ve heard from his ex-wife, Wendi Adelson. We’ve heard from her family, which some law enforcement officials suspect of involvement in the brutal killing. We’ve heard from Luis Rivera, one of the two accused hit men — who has pleaded guilty to murdering Markel, and who has accused others of participating in the plot.

We have heard little from two of the people most affected by this tragedy: Dan Markel’s parents, Phil and Ruth Markel. In January of this year, they issued a brief statement through their lawyer, Orin Snyder of Gibson Dunn. But we haven’t heard from them in any interviews — entirely understandable, given the heartbreak they have been through (and continue to endure; as noted in their statement, they have not been allowed to see their grandsons, despite their repeated pleas, for more than two years).

That’s about to change. On Friday, April 13, at 9 p.m. (EDT), Dateline NBC will air an episode about the case:

When a young, beloved Florida law professor is shot, his family, friends and police are baffled. A complicated investigation that draws national attention leads police to a surprising theory of the crime. In an emotional interview, the victim’s family speaks out for the first time. Dennis Murphy reports Friday, April 13 at 9/8c on NBC.

The producers were very thorough and interviewed many people for the episode (including Orin Snyder, prosecutor Georgia Cappleman, and me). But the most important interviewees were the Markels, who bravely relive that terrible day on camera — and express their hope, shared by so many, that their son’s killers will finally be brought to justice.

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DBL square headshotDavid Lat is editor at large and founding editor of Above the Law, as well as the author of Supreme Ambitions: A Novel. He previously worked as a federal prosecutor in Newark, New Jersey; a litigation associate at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz; and a law clerk to Judge Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. You can connect with David on Twitter (@DavidLat), LinkedIn, and Facebook, and you can reach him by email at dlat@abovethelaw.com.

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