Magbanua being brought back to Tallahassee for questioning in Markel murder case

TALLAHASSEE, Fla (WCTV) - A judge has ordered Katherine Magbanua to be transported to Tallahassee to answer questions in a closed-door session with prosecutors called a proffer.

The court order filed Wednesday and signed by Circuit Judge Robert Wheeler says Magbanua will be brought to the State Attorney’s Office “for a Proffer on or before November 28- November30, 2022.”

Magbanua is serving a life sentence for the 2014 murder for hire of FSU Law professor Dan Markel. She was convicted in May and Florida Department of Corrections records show she is currently incarcerated at the Lowell Annex in Ocala.

Prosecutor Georgia Cappleman had no comment on the order or the reason for the proffer.

It comes just days before co-defendant Charlie Adelson is expected to make his next appearance in court. That’s scheduled for December 2.

Adelson was arrested in April and charged in Markel’s 2014 murder. He’s being held without bond at the Leon County Jail awaiting trial.

WCTV legal analyst Joe Bodiford says Magbanua may be sharing information about Charlie Adelson or the Adelson family that has not been revealed before in hopes of negotiating a reduced sentence.

“Usually, you make a proffer before you are convicted, not after,” Bodiford said. “Unless she’s got some sort of bombshell that hasn’t been brought to light so far, it may be too little too late for both sides.”

Charlie Adelson has entered a not guilty plea to murder and conspiracy charges in the case. The rest of the Adelson family has repeatedly denied any involvement in Markel’s murder.

Magbanua has already appealed her conviction and sentence. That appeal is pending in the First District Court of Appeals, court records show.

Sigfredo Garcia, Magbanua’s boyfriend and suspected triggerman, is also serving a life sentence for Markel’s murder.

Co-defendant and suspected getaway driver Luis Rivera opted for a plea deal and 19-year prison sentence in exchange for his testimony against the others.