One of two men accused of gunning down Florida State University law professor Dan Markel in 2014 is scheduled to go to trial for murder in January.
A judge set the trial date for Jan. 22 at a hearing Tuesday. Sigfredo Garcia, 35, who prosecutors believe pulled the trigger, was originally scheduled to face a jury in November 2016 but that trial was postponed as investigators worked to bolster their case and prove a suspected link with Markel’s former in-laws. Garcia’s alleged accomplice in the murder, Luis Rivera, pleaded guilty in October and received a seven-year sentence. That’s in addition to a 12-year sentence he is currently serving for an unrelated crime.
