VIDEO: Neighbors remember Dan Markel 10 years after his murder

• Thursday, July 18, 2024, marks 10 years since FSU Law Professor, Dan Markel, was shot in the driveway of his Betton Hills home.
• A decade later, friends have launched the Dan Markel Memorial Prize in criminal law theory to honor the future students and scholars.
• Watch the video above to hear from those who knew Markel as they reflect on the last 10 years.

BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:

Neighbors remember Florida State Law Professor Dan Markel 10 years after he was murdered in his Betton Hills home. I'm Kendall Brandt in the Midtown Neighborhood.
It's a crime that shook our neighborhoods and the lives of Markel's friends and family in 2014. Ten years later, I'm sitting down with a close friend who wants to make sure Markel's memory is not forgotten.

WATCH ARCHIVE VIDEO FROM THE NEWS CONFERENCE ANNOUNCING AN ARREST IN THE CASE:

WATCH: Full News Conference from Tallahassee Police About Arrest in Dan Markel Murder Case

Jeremy Cohen says he misses his friend Dan Markel.

Kendall: "It's been 10 years. Does it feel it's been that long?"

Jeremy Cohen/Friend of Dan Markel "I can remember him like it was yesterday, but it does feel like a long time since that happened."

WTXL

He is talking about July 18th, 2014 when two hit men shot the FSU Law Professor in the garage of his home on Trescott Drive.

Cohen: "I definitely couldn't believe it. I had a lot of questions, I called his phone and left a voicemail. I saw him in the hospital sadly right before he passed."

Cohen and his wife Tracey met Dan through mutual friends and lived down the street.

Cohen: "Our friendship grew as we grew as parents, our kids went to the same preschool together." Cohen says Dan knew a lot of people throughout Tallahassee.

Cohen: "He was a gatherer of people. He liked to have Shabat dinner at his house and gathered people from all corners of the community." That's how colleague and friend Jason Solomon also remembers Dan.

Solomon: "Dan was really someone who was big on connection people both professionally and personally, so he really brought together people who were starting their careers as law professors." Solomon is a part of the group Justice for Dan, pushing for accountability for his death and helping his family get access to their two grandchildren.

WATCH VIDEO OF THE MEMORIAL MARKING FIVE YEARS SINCE MARKEL'S MURDER:

Memorial service held for Dan Markel

Solomon says they are doing something to honor him 10 years later. "We launched the Dan Markel Memorial Prize in Criminal Law theory to honor the future students and scholars who are thinking hard about the purposes of the criminal justice system."

A world of criminal justice that now is working for Markel after his murder. Four people have been convicted for their role in his death...including his ex-brother-in-law Charlie Adelson.

It's a case criminal defense attorney Tim Jansen says we may not be where we are without the help of a next-door neighbor. "That neighbor identified a car like a Prius. That helped the FBI locate vehicles in the neighborhood through cameras that matched that description."

Donna Adelson, Markel's ex-mother-in-law, is in jail right now awaiting trial. Prosecutors say she conspired with her son Charlie to kill Markel.

WATCH BODY CAMERA VIDEO SHOWING DONNA ADELSON'S ARREST:

Police release Donna Adelson arrest video; she's accused in murder of former son-in-law, Dan Markel

Cohen says he is glad to see the state attorney's office working to get justice for Markel.

"We went for a long time without answers and not knowing who was behind it, so here we are, 10 years later, five people are behind bars. Justice moves slowly but I'm thankful it's moved to where we are today."

Donna Adelson, Markel's ex-mother in law charged with murder, is making her next court appearance on Monday. She pleaded not guilty in December of 2023.