New Details In The Dan Markel Case: The Probable Cause Affidavit For Charlie Adelson

On July 23, Florida State law professor Dan Markel Case was shot in the head outside his home in Tallahassee. He died two days later in hospital, never having regained consciousness. A statement by State Attorney Willie Meggs on Tuesday revealed that the main suspect in his death is law school classmate and business partner Charlie Adelson, who has not been charged but who remains under investigation while Markel’s wife Wendi continues to insist he had nothing to do with it and should be released from police custody.

Introduction

When a gunman shot and killed Florida State law professor Dan Markel Case on the morning of July 18, 2014, many of his peers thought he had been murdered for some professional reason. At least that’s what law enforcement said when they announced their belief that it was a botched robbery.

However, law enforcement’s position changed at the end of October when they arrested a local businessman and FSU donor, Charles W. Adelson, on charges of first-degree murder with a firearm. Investigators say in their affidavit for probable cause that they have enough evidence to convict Adelson.

In this blog post, I am going to share the probable cause affidavit so you can read it for yourself and find out if there is enough evidence against Adelson in this case.

When confronted by police about his actions, Adelson admitted to shooting at Markel with the intent to kill. However, he claimed that a botched robbery was not his intent. Rather, he said he believed that a hitman from West Palm Beach had shot him, but had missed him.

Consequently, he felt compelled to shoot back. He stated that if someone were to come after him in that way, he would have no choice but to act in self-defense. Investigation into these claims yielded no results and law enforcement determined that there was no evidence of any such shooter or any connection between Adelson and anyone else.

What is probable cause?

Probable cause is a fairly low threshold for the police to meet to detain or arrest someone. Police officers have a reasonable suspicion that the person is guilty of an offense, based on their experience and training.

Law enforcement must show that there was an adequate basis for the warrant, which generally means providing some evidence of what caused them to believe that the person committed the crime. Once they establish probable cause, law enforcement officials are then allowed to search specific items. This can include looking through personal items or inspecting personal data stored on electronic devices such as computers and phones.

Probable cause exists when an officer believes that a person has committed a crime and there is enough evidence to support their claim in the Case.

Police officers have probable cause to arrest in Case or detain someone if they believe they have violated state law or federal law, such as committing a felony. If the police act on that belief and make an arrest, they must present their reasons in court. Police officers can use probable cause to perform certain actions and searches, but these vary based on whether or not a warrant is needed.

As long as the police show that there’s probable cause for them to perform these searches, courts will allow them to do so without requiring warrants. Law enforcement officials can conduct warrantless searches if

Is there enough probable cause to arrest someone in this case?

Charlie Adelson had close contact with nearly all the people involved in the case, has made seemingly incriminating comments about Dan’s death, and is a senior partner at the firm where both men worked. Given all of this evidence, it seems more than likely that he was involved in this tragedy somehow.

His direct involvement cannot be determined yet though because there are no records of his cell phone use or his location on July 23rd. With any luck, these may provide more clarity on how he fits into the case- if not, he could be charged as an accessory to murder or accessory after the fact- which would mean up to thirty years in prison.

What does this mean for the prosecution of Mr. Adelson?

Prosecutor Jesse Williams has submitted a probable cause affidavit in the case against Adelson which contains new details. The police believe that the murder of Dan Markel Case on July 18, 2014, was planned and not a spontaneous act of passion, as some commentators have hypothesized.

All of the details about how someone could enter Markel’s office building without triggering any alarms make it clear that this was not just an impulse homicide.

Mr. Markel also made all his phone calls from his office, making it unlikely that he spoke to his killer before the shooting. It is still unclear whether or not Adelson acted alone, but there is mounting evidence that he is at least connected to the planning of the crime through conspiracy charges and second-degree murder charges.

Keep browsing Law Scribd for more updates.