- After law professor Daniel Markel was shot in his garage in 2014, police traced a rental car to two hitmen — Luis Rivera and Sigfredo Garcia.
- Investigators uncovered links to the Adelson family through Katherine Magbanua, who was connected to both Garcia and Daniel’s former brother-in-law, Charlie Adelson.
- Over years of trials, secretly recorded audio, financial records and witness testimony revealed a murder-for-hire plot motivated by a bitter custody dispute.
- Garcia, Magbanua, Charlie Adelson and finally family matriarch Donna Adelson were all convicted and sentenced to life in prison, while Daniel’s ex-wife Wendi has never been charged.
It was a typical morning for Daniel Markel, 41, on July 18, 2014.
He’d dropped his two young sons at daycare and hit the gym.
After his workout, the law professor had driven home. Pulling into his garage, Daniel was still in his car when he was shot twice in the head, dying
14 hours later.
Police quizzed Daniel’s ex-wife Wendi Adelson. They’d divorced in 2013 and were locked in a custody battle.
Wendi was visibly upset in the police interview. ‘Oh my God,’ she sobbed. ‘How could this happen?’
Detectives released surveillance footage of a Toyota Prius matching the description of a car a neighbour had spotted leaving after the shooting.
Cops matched the car’s toll tag to records from a rental company.
The car had been rented to gang leader Luis Rivera.
Also on the rental contract was a second name, Sigfredo Garcia, Luis’ childhood friend.
Mobile and GPS data proved the pair were near Daniel’s home when he was killed.
In May 2016, the two men were charged with first-degree murder, both pleading not guilty.
But why would these two strangers want Daniel dead? Could it be a case of mistaken identity?
Then police unravelled a shocking twist. The alleged murderers had a link to Daniel’s former brother-in-law Charlie, a dentist.
Charlie’s ex-girlfriend, Katherine Magbanua, had also had a relationship with Garcia and was the mother of his two children.
Had Wendi’s brother hired hitmen to kill Daniel?
Her family desperately wanted Wendi and the kids to relocate closer to them, about a six-hour drive away.
Daniel had fought the move successfully.
Despite questioning, the Adelsons denied any involvement.
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Further digging revealed that Charlie’s ex Katherine was on the payroll at the dental practice the Adelson family owned, despite not working there.
Phone records showed Katherine had engaged in multiple calls with Garcia and Charlie on the day of Daniel being shot.
In October 2016 Katherine Magbanua was also arrested and charged with first-degree murder. But there wasn’t enough evidence to snare Charlie…
That same month, Luis Rivera, 33, who was by then in jail on an unrelated charge, pleaded no contest to a charge of second-degree murder in exchange for testifying against Magbanua and Garcia.
Rivera revealed how Garcia told him he’d been hired to kill Daniel for just over $150,000. If he helped by driving, Rivera’s cut would be around $50,000.
The reason behind the slaying? ‘Because the lady wants… full custody of her kids,’ Garcia said, without revealing her identity.
Rivera helped his mate case Daniel’s home. When Daniel got home from the gym, Garcia shot the dad-of-two twice, with Rivera the getaway driver.
Rivera was sentenced to an extra seven years’ jail.
Rivera revealed how Garcia told him he’d been hired to kill Daniel for just over $150,000.
Three years on, in October 2019, Garcia and Magbanua went on trial.
A jury found Sigfredo Garcia, 37, guilty and he was sentenced to life behind bars.
The jury struggled to reach a decision on Magbanua’s role and it was declared a mistrial.
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Then, before Magbanua’s retrial was due to begin, in May 2022, explosive new evidence came to light.
Two years after Daniel’s murder, a conversation in a noisy mall between Charlie Adelson and Katherine Magbanua had been secretly recorded by an undercover FBI agent.
But it’d taken until April 2022 for the incriminating audio to finally be enhanced enough to hear.
‘They didn’t mention my name, which makes me think these people only know part of the story,’ Charlie Adelson was heard saying in a clip.
Charlie Adelson was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation of murder, which he denied.
Soon after, Magbanua’s retrial started and she was found guilty of murder, conspiracy and solicitation and, in July, sentenced to life in jail without parole.
In October 2023 – nine years after Daniel’s murder – his ex brother-in-law Charlie Adelson’s trial began. Police believed he’d orchestrated and paid for the murder, relying on Magbanua to source the hitman and his driver.
A conversation in a noisy mall between Charlie Adelson and Katherine Magbanua had been secretly recorded by an undercover FBI agent
Charlie denied this, claiming the murder had been carried out to blackmail his family.
But Magbanua confessed to her part, describing how Charlie had asked her at a party, ‘Do you know anybody that could harm someone?’
He’d later given her information about Daniel, which she’d passed on to Garcia.
In November 2023, Charlie Adelson, 47, was found guilty of all charges and sentenced to life in prison.
But there was more…
Days later, the family matriarch Donna Adelson – Charlie and Wendi’s mum – was also arrested and charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy and solicitation.
Donna Adelson and her husband Harvey were about to board a flight to Vietnam when the arrest happened.
Cops believed Donna was in fact the mastermind behind the killing.
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She denied the charges.
In August 2025, at trial, prosecutors alleged that Donna Adelson ‘hated’ Daniel and wanted her grandkids closer to her.
Other evidence included 44 cheques signed by Donna that were paid to Katherine Magbanua.
Donna’s lawyer said her client was an over-involved grandparent, but was a ‘meddler, not a murderer.’
This September, Donna Adelson, 75, was found guilty of all charges.
A month later the murderous mum-in-law was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Judge Steven Everett said Donna Adelson had an ‘utter lack of remorse’.
Her daughter Wendi Adelson has always denied any involvement, and there are no charges against her, or her dad Harvey.
Daniel’s mum Ruth, in her victim impact statement, said, ‘I am most proud of the devoted father Danny was. Dan was present, loving and supportive, always putting his children’s wellbeing first.’
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