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Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Ruth Markel Publishes Book On Her Son Dan's Murder, Sees Her Grandchildren For The First Time In Six Years

Ruth Markel, The Unveiling: A Mother's Reflection on Murder, Grief, and Trial Life (Sept. 20, 2022):

Markel Book (2022)Ruth Markel is the mother of the late Dan Markel, a noted law professor who was murdered in Tallahassee, Florida in 2014.

In The Unveiling, she describes her experiences since the day of Dan’s death from several distinct perspectives:

  • As a devastated mother with the unique human perspective of becoming a homicide survivor and victim.
  • As a woman whose attempts to achieve normalcy and live a healthy life are continually interrupted by painful reminders, a rollercoaster of hearings, frequently changing trial dates, verdicts, and appeals.
  • As an engaged citizen using what she has learned to help other victims of homicide and violent crimes recover from trauma and begin an optimistic outlook on life.
  • As an insider who shows how our collective network of family, friends, and experts—including a murder coach—have helped her family remain involved, motivated, and hopeful.
  • As a grandmother who had not been allowed to see her grandchildren in many years, she used advocacy to inspire the Florida State Legislature to pass a grandparent visitation bill.
  • And as an experienced author of nine books using the written word to effectively address the shift from grief to promise.

Toronto Sun, Mom's Quest to Solve University Professor's Murder:

No one saw the end coming for Florida State University law professor Daniel Markel.

The Toronto-raised father of two was a well-respected academic and pillar of the university community. He did not fit the template for a murder victim.

But on July 18, 2014, on the driveway of the 41-year-old’s Tallahassee home, two gunmen targeted Markel for death.

He passed away in hospital early the next day.

His mother, Ruth Markel, was at a 97th birthday party for a favourite uncle at a synagogue in Montreal at the time.

“They couldn’t get hold of us until later and then they [a Tallahassee rabbi] told us that Danny had been shot and was in the hospital. If he lived, he would be a vegetable for the rest of his life,” she told The Toronto Sun in an exclusive interview.

“It was terrible having to tell his 97-year-old uncle.”

But the uncle said one word that Ruth didn’t absorb at the time. Its importance would become clear later.

He said in Hebrew: “Mechutan.” It means, the in-laws.

Toronto Sun, How Targeted Murder of Dan Markel Went Down:

Recently, Ruth and her former husband Phil, visited their grandchildren for the first time in six, long years.

“It couldn’t have gone better, we asked if they could give us a hug and they ran right to us and hugged and kissed us,” Ruth said. “There was no awkwardness or discomfort at all. They remembered us.

She added: “This was real, true grief.”

Earlier, she was asked by a reporter what she would say to the Adelson family. It is stark.

“I wouldn’t send them a message, but I believe this is a time for reflection,” Ruth said. “I would ask them, ‘Was it worth it?’”

Complete TaxProf Blog coverage:

https://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2022/09/strongruth-markel-publishes-book-on-her-son-dans-murder-sees-her-grandchildren-for-the-first-time-in-six-years.html

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