[Grace:] And breaking tonight. An arrest goes down in the murder of an FSU law professor, and the alleged murder mastermind is a seemingly unconnected woman. But why?
[Unidentified Male:] The FSU law professor Dan Markel was gunned down in his own home. Shooting him in the side of the head through the window of his car. The driver`s side window is all bashed in and he`s got blood all over his head.
[Grace:] Straight out to Roger Schulman, news director at the AM 860 The Answer, WGUL. Roger, thank you for being with us. Okay, so a Florida law professor gunned down in the driveway, there at the home. Who is the woman that`s been arrested? She has nothing to do with this guy.
[Roger Schulman, News Director Am 860 The Answer, Wgul:] Well, Katherine Magbanua had a relationship with the brother-in-law, the former brother-in- law of the dead professor.
[Grace:] Wait, wait, let me let that sink in. So this woman, very pretty lady.
[Schulman:] Yes, very pretty.
[Grace:] . seemingly unconnected to the FSU law professor, Dan Markel, father of two, had nothing to do with him, but is connected to the law professor`s wife`s brother?
[Schulman:] Brother, and she had two children with one of the alleged killers.
[Grace:] One of the trigger people? Okay, this is a flowchart, guys. Here`s the dead guy in the middle, FSU law professor, he`s the father of two little children. Now, the wife, Wendi Adelson, is not a suspect. Has not been arrested, declares her innocence. Her brother, not a suspect. He declares his innocence. Somehow, this woman, Katie Magbanua, has been arrested for murder. The trigger people, we believe, are Tato Rivera and Tuto Garcia. Now, what is the connection? Matt Zarrell, how do I know the mastermind, the female mastermind is connected to the dead guy`s brother-in-law?
[Matt Zarrell, Nancy Grace Producer:] Well, you have to look at evidence from before the murder and after the murder. Because before the murder, we`ve got.
[Grace:] Put up that flowchart, please. Sorry, Matt, go ahead.
[Zarrell:] Okay, so, before the murder, we got cellphone calls showing Magbanua had multiple conversations with Charlie Adelson and at the same time was talking to Sigfredo Garcia.
[Grace:] Wait, wait, wait, Matt, hold on, hold on. So there`s the dead guy, the father of two. There`s his estranged wife, not a suspect. Now we know, according to police, the murder mastermind, Katie Magbanua, has all these phone calls to the brother-in-law, not a suspect. What about money, Matt Zarrell, did she make any money suddenly showing up in her checking account?
[Zarrell:] Yes, so now we look at evidence after the murder. So after the murder, she received several things including $56,000, over $56,000 in cash deposits. Police believe that the brother-in-law, Charlie Adelson, paid for half of her breast augmentation surgery.
[Grace:] Wait, wait, wait, Matt Zarrell, how does that happen? You pay for what, one breast?
[Zarrell:] Apparently, the police have subpoenaed the medical records from Magbanua`s breast surgery, as they believe that the brother-in-law did pay for half of that procedure.
[Grace:] Okay, Matt Zarrell, actually that was not really a serious question. What about the car, isn`t whoa, whoa, whoa, keep that up for me, please, Justin. Unleash the lawyers, Mindy Smith and Alex Sanchez. Please look at your screen. Garcia`s purchases. A Chevy Monte Carlo, a Nissan Maxima, a Honda motorcycle, a Suzuki motorcycle, breast implants and $56,000. please put the lawyers up. Now, again, the brother-in-law of the dead guy, this is the dead guy`s wife`s estranged wife`s brother, is not a suspect. So why the breast implants, Sanchez? Why is he paying for her breast implants?
[Sanchez:] Let me understand this.
[Grace:] Okay.
[Sanchez:] The brother-in-law is not a suspect.
[Grace:] No.
[Sanchez:] . according to you and the police.
[Grace:] That`s right.
[Sanchez:] .. and yet the police are trying to use evidence that the brother- in-law paid for breast surgery and somehow gave her money.
[Grace:] Exactly.
[Sanchez:] So either he`s a suspect in a conspiracy or he is not a suspect in a conspiracy.
[Grace:] That`s your answer?
[Sanchez:] Yeah, that is my answer.
[Grace:] Okay, you know what? And I hear you, Mindy Smith, second verse same as the first. Daniel Bober, let me see if I can get straight answer from you. Dr. Daniel Bober, forensic psychiatrist, what about it, Bober?
[Bober:] It seems I mean, it seems like he seems like a suspect to me. I mean, based on the information that you provided. I mean, it seems like there is some level of involvement if the police were looking into it. I mean, it seems like a mixed message.
[Grace:] It is a mixed message but the police are firm that the wife, estranged wife and the brother, her brother, are not a suspect. To Dr. William Morrone, forensic pathologist, renown medical examiner. Dr. Morrone, let`s bring it home. Describe to me what this law professor went through, dying on the ground in front of his home in his driveway.
[Morrone:] Here`s what it breaks down to. This was described as an execution- style killing, which is synonymous for a Chicago-style killing from the `30s. That has three elements. Number one, it has to be close range. Number two, the victim has to be totally conscious and they know it`s coming. And number three, they are fruitlessly unable to resist. There`s nowhere for them to go, and they see it happening. Those are the three classic signs of an execution-style or Chicago-style killing.
[Grace:] An FSU law professor gunned down in the driveway in front of his own home. You know, Dr. Morrone, you were just talking about the gangland kind of murder that went down on him. Tonight, what`s breaking now is a female murder mastermind has been named that seemingly is totally unconnected to the murder victim, has nothing to do with him. Dr. Morrone, you know how many times I guess after the murder of my fiance it`s normal, but I think now that I have the twins, if someone tried to kill me, who would take care of the twins? I just wonder if that was his dying thought, that he would never see his children grow up or try to help them grow up. I mean, he had time to bleed out, right?
[Morrone:] Yeah, your whole life has got to run in front of you, and if you`re a person of substance and character, you worry about caring and protecting for the people that you`re aware from, what are you going to do?
[Grace:] Matt Zarrell, what more do we know?
[Zarrell:] Hours after the murder, the wife told police that her brother joked about hiring a hit man to kill Markel, but right now he`s not arrested or a suspect.
[Grace:] Not a suspect? Let`s remember American hero army chief warrant officer Keith Mariotti, just 39, Plattsburg, New York. Loved flying helicopters, dreamed to fly since a little boy. Parents Nancy and Dilio, widow Denise. Keith Mariotti, American hero. And happy birthday, third birthday to superstar twins, Ella and Joseph, children to our superstar producer, Phil and his wife Christina. They love singing, dancing, and dog jazz. Now Phil and I went on a mission trip to Biloxi after Katrina. Little did I know this will produce a beautiful twins one day. Thanks for being with us so much. Nancy Grace signing off. I`ll see you tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp eastern. Until then, good night, friend. END