What to Know
- A circuit judge agreed to postpone the trials of Sigfredo Garica and Katherine Magbanua because one of Magbanua's attorneys is ill.
- Authorities say Garcia gunned down Florida State University law professor Daniel Markel in his garage four years ago.
Two defendants charged in the murder-for-hire slaying of a Florida university professor will not go on trial anytime soon.
A circuit judge on Tuesday agreed to postpone the trials of Sigfredo Garica and Katherine Magbanua because one of Magbanua's attorneys has been battling a "life-threatening medical condition."
The trial had been scheduled to start next month but will likely be delayed until at least March.
Authorities say Garcia gunned down Florida State University law professor Daniel Markel in his garage four years ago. Magbanua is accused of helping to orchestrate the murder-for-hire plot that led to the killing of the Toronto native who was internationally known.
Both Garcia and Magbanua have pleaded not guilty.
Police say the killing was sparked by a bitter divorce and family squabbles.
Local
Magbanua at one time had a romantic relationship with Charles Adelson, the brother of Markel's ex Wendi Adelson and whose family runs a successful dental practice in Broward County. Wendi Adelson 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. 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.
