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#Few Answers in Case of Murdered Law Professor - Law Blog

Tallahassee

Dan Markel FSU College of Law

Seven months have passed since Florida State law professor Dan Markel was gunned down at his home in Tallahassee. Police there have yet to name a suspect or said why the legal scholar and father of two young children was targeted for murder, but say they haven t given up trying to untangle the mystery.

It s frustrating to those who knew the 41-year-old father of two. His friends and neighbors worry that the trail has gone cold. But police say they are still working the case.

Markel s former colleague, Mark Spottswood, is one of those who is frustrated. He is torn between wondering who did this to his friend and why and respecting the process investigators must complete before reaching conclusions. He fears that the more Markel s death becomes a memory the less likely his questions will ever be answered.

Not having answers is frustrating, Spottswood said. Ultimately, what we have is a lot of anger.

Investigators still believe Markel was the intended target of whoever killed him, said TPD spokesman Officer David Northway.

Mr. Northway, who wasn t immediately available for comment, told the Tallahassee Democrat that the death hasn t been labeled a cold case.

I think one of the misnomers in our society in this day and age is that television crime shows has shown us that things get done very, very quickly, especially in very exciting cases, he said.

Days after the July 18 shooting. police said the 41-year-old criminal law professor appeared to be a victim of a targeted hit. They also asked the public for any information about a “vehicle of interest,” a silver Toyota Prius-type car that a neighbor reported seeing near the scene. But since then, updates from authorities have been sparse.

A local crime-watch group has offered $25,000 for tips leading to an arrest in the Markel case.

Mr. Northway told the Tallahassee Democrat that an investigator is still assigned to the case and is aided by two assistant investigators.

Reggie Garcia, a local attorney from Mr. Markel s neighborhood, told the paper that residents in the area regularly come up to him wondering if there are any breaks in the case.

A week does not go by where someone doesn t ask me, Mr. Garcia said. It breaks your heart. I drive by there every day.

Update. In an email to Law Blog, Mr. Northway said the Tallahassee police department continues to actively investigate the case, so that we can bring closure to the Markel family and everyone this horrible incident has touched.