Jury finds man guilty in murder of Florida law professor
Photo of FSU professor Dan Markel
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A jury has found a Florida man guilty of first-degree murder but has deadlocked on a second defendant in the slaying of a Florida State University law professor.
Prosecutors are welcoming the murder conviction handed down Friday against Sigfredo Garcia. But it remains unclear if prosecutors will retry their case against Katherine Magbanua, who prosecutors say helped carry out the slaying of professor Dan Markel five years ago.
Sentencing hearings for Garcia are set to begin Monday at the Leon County Courthouse. He could face the death penalty.
Prosecutors asserted that Garcia was hired to kill Markel, but the jury declined to convict him on a solicitation charge.
Magbanua broke down in tears as the jury handed down its verdict for Garcia, the father of her two children.
Copyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
News4JAX wraps up its 2025 Toy Drive ▶ 1:01
News4JAX wraps up its 2025 Toy Drive
St. Johns County man charged with DUI after golf cart crash that fatally injured his wife ▶ 0:19
St. Johns County man charged with DUI after golf cart crash that fatally injured his wife
New fire station coming to Clay County for the first time in over 25 years ▶ 0:43
New fire station coming to Clay County for the first time in over 25 years
Richard's Swing Makeover Pt. 14: Time to file -- metal, not taxes ▶ 0:59
Richard's Swing Makeover Pt. 14: Time to file -- metal, not taxes
Local man shares warning after catching rare bacteria while fishing in St. Johns County ▶ 0:55
Local man shares warning after catching rare bacteria while fishing in St. Johns County
Donate toys to our annual Channel 4 Toy Drive! ▶ 0:24
Donate toys to our annual Channel 4 Toy Drive!
Voices of the 904 Ep. 7 - The one-man army cooking with a passion to feed the city that raised him ▶ 0:21
Voices of the 904 Ep. 7 - The one-man army cooking with a passion to feed the city that raised him
Culinary Nunnsense: Richard shares his stew recipe -- perfect for the lower temps in our forecast ▶ 2:28
Culinary Nunnsense: Richard shares his stew recipe -- perfect for the lower temps in our forecast
Nassau County community mourns passing of ‘cherished community advocate’ ▶ 0:40
Nassau County community mourns passing of ‘cherished community advocate’
Color the Weather: Zayne’s Forecast ☀️📚 ▶ 1:33
Color the Weather: Zayne’s Forecast ☀️📚
St. Johns County sheriff explains what led to deadly deputy-involved shooting ▶ 1:15
St. Johns County sheriff explains what led to deadly deputy-involved shooting
Byron Chandler Interiors in St. Johns County shares tips on home decor! ▶ 0:58
Byron Chandler Interiors in St. Johns County shares tips on home decor!
Final full moon of 2025 expected to be supermoon ▶ 0:53
Final full moon of 2025 expected to be supermoon
76-year-old mother killed in Lake City crash adopted two young girls who also died ▶ 1:32
76-year-old mother killed in Lake City crash adopted two young girls who also died
3 bills propose rules to prevent child drownings in Florida. There have already been 112 this year ▶ 0:38
3 bills propose rules to prevent child drownings in Florida. There have already been 112 this year
Annual Channel 4 Toy Drive tradition returns on Thursday, Dec. 4 ▶ 0:47
Annual Channel 4 Toy Drive tradition returns on Thursday, Dec. 4
Typical Florida household needs 17 years to save for a 10% home down payment, study finds ▶ 0:48
Typical Florida household needs 17 years to save for a 10% home down payment, study finds
Patchy dense fog ahead of storms ▶ 0:33
Patchy dense fog ahead of storms
St. Johns County commissioners push for developers to pay for land conservation ▶ 0:37
St. Johns County commissioners push for developers to pay for land conservation
Mother of 18-year-old killed in Burger King shooting shares her grief, along with a message ▶ 0:54
Mother of 18-year-old killed in Burger King shooting shares her grief, along with a message
Tracking rain, storms across Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia ▶ 0:34
Tracking rain, storms across Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia
We're talking playoffs! What are things looking like for the Jags? ▶ 0:54
We're talking playoffs! What are things looking like for the Jags?
Hurricane season 2025 comes to a close on Sunday ▶ 1:05
Hurricane season 2025 comes to a close on Sunday
Fireworks at Jacksonville's Holiday River Fest ▶ 0:27
Fireworks at Jacksonville's Holiday River Fest
DoorDash driver drops food and puts it back in box ▶ 0:13
DoorDash driver drops food and puts it back in box
Previous photo Next photo