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Rivera’s trial in Markel murder set

Rivera's trial in Markel murder setLuis Rivera, one of two men accused in the killing of Dan Markel, will go to trial on Oct. 24.

In a court hearing Thursday, Rivera’s attorney Chuck Collins motioned for a speedy trial. Rivera will be split from his co-defendant Sigfredo Garcia, who will stand trial Nov. 14.

Investigators say the two men were enlisted to kill Markel, a 41-year-old Florida State University law professor, at his home in July 2014.

The State Attorney’s case centers on various pieces of evidence, including cell phone records that track the men driving from Miami to Tallahassee in a rented Toyota Prius.

Prosecutors also have surveillance videos showing the men tailing Markel the day he was killed. The state also identified two witnesses who spotted the men in Tallahassee — a man who sold Garcia cocaine and rented the men a hotel room and another person who saw them near a trail bordering Markel’s home the day before he was shot.

Attorney Chuck Collins speaks to the press about his client Luis Rivera, one of two men accused in the killing of Dan Markel, at the Leon County Courthouse after a pre-trial hearing on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016.  (Photo: Joe Rondone/Democrat)

Investigators with the Tallahassee Police Department and State Attorney’s Office point to Markel’s acrimonious divorce with his ex-wife Wendi Adelson and her family’s desire to move their young children to South Florida as potential motives for the murder. Her brother Charlie Adelson and mother Donna Adelson have been implicated in the murder-for-hire plot. The Adelson family has denied any involvement in Markel’s slaying through their attorneys.

Police say more arrests are expected. Evidence linking the family has not been publicly disclosed.


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