Karl Etters

Democrat staff writer

SUNDAY UPDATE:

Police: Magbanua was 'conduit' in Markel slaying

ORIGINAL STORY:

Katherine Magbanua, the suspected link between the family of Dan Markel's ex-wife and the two men accused of shooting him, was arrested on murder charges in Broward County.

Magbanua, 31, was booked into the Broward County Jail on Saturday.

Police say Magbanua connected Sigfredo Garcia, the father of her two children, and Luis Rivera with the family of Markel’s ex-wife Wendi Adelson.

Investigators say Rivera and Garcia were hired to kill Markel in connection with his acrimonious divorce from Adelson. They were charged with first-degree murder in May.

Police say Magbanua may be the link to Wendi Adelson’s brother Charlie Adelson and her mother Donna Adelson, who have denied any connection to the killing of the Florida State University law professor despite being implicated by investigators.

Markel was gunned down just before 11 a.m. in broad daylight at his Betton Hills home July 18, 2014.

Police say Rivera and Garcia, who will stand trial Oct. 24 and Nov. 14 respectively, traveled to Tallahassee from Miami in a rented Toyota Prius. Multiple security cameras showed them tailing the 41-year-old throughout the day he was killed.

A similar Prius was seen leaving Markel's home after sounds of gunfire were heard by a neighbor.

The first person Garcia called when his phone was picked up on cellular towers in the Lake City area after the shooting was Magbanua.

The call to Magbanua was one of 2,700 investigators found Garcia made to her between May 1, 2014, and July 19, 2014 - the day after Markel’s killing.

Prosecutors have called Magbanua a suspect, or at least a witness, in the killing for months. Last month they sought records of a breast enhancement procedure she had they say was partially paid for by Charlie Adelson. At one point, the two were involved in a romantic relationship, court records say. Call records show she is one of the periodontist's top contacts.

Documents detail potential links to Markel's in-laws

Following the slaying, Rivera and Garcia purchased several cars and motorcycles around the same time Magbanua began receiving paychecks from the family's dentistry practice, court records say. The checks were handwritten and signed by Donna Adelson.

State Attorney Willie Meggs last month said there was not enough probable cause to arrest anyone in the Adelson family in connection with Markel's shooting. The investigation continues.

Police found between Markel’s killing in July 2014 and Nov. 2015, Magbanua deposited more than $56,000 in cash into her bank account. The deposits, the probable cause notes, were made mostly through ATMs in increments of $300 to $2,000.

“Investigators believe that Magbanua is supported financially by Charlie Adelson," court records say, "and has received numerous benefits from the Adelsons since Markel’s murder.”

Contact Karl Etters at ketters@tallahassee.com or @KarlEtters on Twitter.

A COLLECTION OF COVERAGE OF THE CASE

Dan Markel