Close X
Monday, November 11, 2024
ADVT 
International

Woman Charged In Canadian Law Professor's Killing; Has Ties To His Ex

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 03 Oct, 2016 12:06 PM
    TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Police have made a third arrest in the 2014 killing of a Canadian law professor in Florida, a woman with ties both to the family of the victim's ex-wife and one of the alleged shooters.
     
    The Tallahassee police said Sunday that Katherine Magbanua, 31, was arrested near Fort Lauderdale on Saturday and charged her with murder in the July 2014 slaying of Daniel Markel, who was gunned down in his garage. She was being held in custody Sunday without bond pending her transfer to Tallahassee.
     
    Markel was born in Toronto and was well known in national and international legal circles. His parents and sister all live in Canada.
     
    In documents released by police Sunday and previously obtained by the Tallahassee Democrat, detectives alleged that Magbanua had a romantic relationship with the brother of Wendi Adelson, Markel's ex-wife. They also alleged she lived with Sigfredo Garcia, one of the alleged gunmen, and had two children with him.
     
    Investigators say in the weeks leading up to the killing and immediately thereafter, there were hundreds of calls between Charles Adelson, Wendi Adelson's brother, and Magbanua and between Magbanua and Garcia, often moments apart.
     
    It could not be determined Sunday if Magbanua has an attorney. David O. Markus, the Adelson family attorney, pointed out that Tallahassee State Attorney Willie Meggs recently rejected a police request to authorize the arrest of Charles Adelson, saying there was insufficient evidence.
     
    "It's sad that the police have arrested Katie when just last week the prosecution said there was no basis to proceed. They are trying to pressure a single mom who has no priors by threatening to make her little kids orphans. That's not how our criminal justice system is supposed to work. It smacks of utter desperation," Markus said in an email Sunday to the Associated Press. He declined to answer specific questions about the case.
     
    Charles Adelson is a dentist who runs a practice with his parents. Wendi Adelson is a lawyer working for a federal judge.
     
    She and Markel divorced in 2013, but before it was finalized the two fought over Wendi Adelson's push to move her two small children from Tallahassee to South Florida to be closer to her family, court records show.
     
    At the time of Markel's death, the two were battling over money, with Adelson contending that Markel did not pay her as much as he was supposed to under their divorce agreement, according to the records. Markel also complained that his mother-in-law, Donna Adelson, was disparaging him and wanted the court to prohibit her from having unsupervised visits with his children, who were living with him.
     
    The documents allege that shortly after the killing, Garcia bought two cars and a motorcycle and his alleged partner, Luis Rivera, bought a motorcycle.
     
    The two were arrested last June after police say they connected a rented Toyota Prius to the pair. Detectives say toll booth and other evidence shows the Prius was driven to Tallahassee from South Florida and back right before and after the killing and that video from a Tallahassee ATM shows the pair sitting in such a Prius.
     
    They say video shows a Prius tailing Markel home from the gym just before he was shot and a neighbour saw one driving away immediately after the shooting.
     
    The documents also say that the Adelsons' dental practice paid Magbanua numerous $407.58 checks between September 2014 and last January, though she allegedly never worked there. They also say that in the months leading up to the killing, she deposited $15,000 cash and then after the killing deposited more than $56,000.
     
    They say she also obtained a 2001 Lexus from the family and in a monitored phone call last April, police say she asked Daniel Adelson for his Ferrari or his boat and mentioned she wanted an Escalade.

    MORE International ARTICLES

    UK Considers Further Visa Crackdowns

    UK Considers Further Visa Crackdowns
    The UK government is considering further crackdowns on visas for non-EU nationals, which will include Indians, to curb its soaring immigration figures.

    UK Considers Further Visa Crackdowns

    This NRI Stabbed Wife As She Was Overweight, But Was Let Off Due To His 'Hindu Culture'

    This NRI Stabbed Wife As She Was Overweight, But Was Let Off Due To His 'Hindu Culture'
      Family’s Hindu culture deemed “very significant” by judge sentencing man for stabbing his wife

    This NRI Stabbed Wife As She Was Overweight, But Was Let Off Due To His 'Hindu Culture'

    Justin Trudeau Says Canada Seeking To Join Controversial Chinese Infrastructure Bank

    Justin Trudeau Says Canada Seeking To Join Controversial Chinese Infrastructure Bank
    BEIJING — Justin Trudeau has announced plans to apply for a controversial new international infrastructure bank led by China — an initiative Ottawa insists will provide a boost to global and Canadian growth.

    Justin Trudeau Says Canada Seeking To Join Controversial Chinese Infrastructure Bank

    Calgary Hotel Evacuated After Worker Overcome Mixing Chlorine For Pool

    Calgary Hotel Evacuated After Worker Overcome Mixing Chlorine For Pool
    The evacuation on Tuesday afternoon affected about 50 guests and 16 staff at a Coast Plaza Hotel.

    Calgary Hotel Evacuated After Worker Overcome Mixing Chlorine For Pool

    Dominican Police Arrest 15-Year-Old Girl In Slaying Of Elderly Canadian

    Dominican Police Arrest 15-Year-Old Girl In Slaying Of Elderly Canadian
      Nelson Rosario says the girl is in custody and will be prosecuted as a juvenile.

    Dominican Police Arrest 15-Year-Old Girl In Slaying Of Elderly Canadian

    Justin Trudeau Suggests To China: Improve Your Image By Tightening Ties With Canada

    Justin Trudeau Suggests To China: Improve Your Image By Tightening Ties With Canada
    The prime minister tried to sell China on the idea that strengthening its connection to Canada would ease international concerns about the stunning rise of the economic superpower.

    Justin Trudeau Suggests To China: Improve Your Image By Tightening Ties With Canada