About This Episode
What is this episode about?
The episode "A Family Divided | The Murder for Hire of Dan Markel" from True Crime Society covers the killing of 41-year-old law professor Dan Markel, who was shot in the garage of his Tallahassee, Florida, home on July 18, 2014, and died the following day. Dan had recently gone through a bitter divorce from his wife, Wendi Adelson, and the two were locked in a contentious custody battle over their young sons. What first looked like a targeted shooting unraveled into an alleged murder-for-hire conspiracy involving a hitman, a former girlfriend, a successful dentist, and a mother prosecutors accused of helping orchestrate her former son-in-law's death.
Prosecutors argued Dan was killed because he opposed his children's relocation to South Florida, closer to his ex-wife's family. Over the following decade, investigators traced phone records, financial transactions, secret recordings, and testimony that eventually produced five convictions, while leaving open the question of whether everyone connected to the conspiracy was ever held accountable.
The episode also includes a Sam Wood Update early in the runtime, before turning to the Markel case. Those looking to follow along can check the Approx Timestamps marking where each segment begins.
Hosts and release
Stephanie Summer and Olivia McKenzie host True Crime Society, a weekly true crime podcast running since 2020 with over 270 episodes as of 2025, available on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Audible, and YouTube. This episode runs 60 minutes.
