Authorities are scrambling to the unravel the mystery around the killing of a prominent law professor at Florida State University.
Dan Markel, 41, was fatally shot Friday in his home, located in the Betton Hills section of Tallahassee, Florida, a neighborhood marked by Spanish moss and ranch-style homes, and now suspicion that a killer lurks nearby.
There were no signs of forced entry, police told ABC News – leading investigators to conclude Markel knew his killer and may have literally opened his door to his own death.
“We do believe that this was not a random act where he just surprised somebody,” Officer David Northway said. “We believe that Mr. Markel, unfortunately, was the intended victim.”
Police responded to Markel’s house after neighbors reported hearing a loud bang. Markel was pronounced dead at a local hospital. The Tallahassee Democrat reported that he was killed by a single gunshot wound to the back.
The Harvard grad had been published in the New York Times and served as a legal scholar, with a focus on criminal law. Markel was a father of two boys and had recently completed a protracted divorce that included multiple motions by the two sides for sanctions against each another.
Source: ABC News | MATT GUTMAN via GOOD MORNING AMERICA
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