The State Attorney’s office has reached a plea deal with one of the suspects in the murder of a Florida State University law professor. Luis Rivera was supposed to go before a judge Tuesday morning but the hearing was delayed as the deal was finalized.
When the hearing resumed Tuesday afternoon Luis Rivera entered a guilty plea, in exchange for a 19 year prison sentence. He has also agreed to testify as part of the deal. Rivera is one of three suspects arrested so far in the 2014 murder of Florida State University Dan Markel. Rivera's partner, Sigfredo Garcia and Garcia's former girlfriend Katherine Magbanua are also facing murder charges.
According to the probable cause affadavit, Magbanua was dating Markel’s brother-in-law Charles Adelson at the time of Markel's death. Markel had sought to limit interactions between his children and his ex-wife, Wendi Adelson’s, family. Investigators have described the event as a murder-for-hire. So far no members of the Adelson family have been arrested or charged.
WCTV reports prosecutor Georgia Cappleman says Rivera provided the gun and drove the Prius seen leaving the scene of the crime while Garcia pulled the trigger.
