Police: Florida State law professor Dan Markel was shot in head

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Police say a Florida State University professor found at his Tallahassee home after an attack last week was shot in the head before dying at the hospital.

Police Spokesman David Northway says there are no suspects, and the department continues to ask for tips from the public.

Officers found College of Law professor Dan Markel, 41, on the morning of July 18 and believe he was the intended target.

Northway said the department has received many calls to the tip line but would not provide other details of the case. He declined comment when asked if there was evidence of more than one gunshot and if there were signs of forced entry.

Markel, a native of Toronto, Canada and a Harvard University graduate, was a "very well respected faculty member" at Florida State University, the school's interim president, Garnett Stokes said, according to CBS affiliate WCTV.

"He was a tough professor, which is a good thing," FSU law student Tony Fusco said, according to the station. "He made you understand the material very, very well."

Markel was reportedly a leading expert in a theory called retributive justice, a system of criminal justice based on the punishment of the offenders rather than on rehabilitation.

He was also the founder of a popular legal blog called PrawfsBlawg. A message posted on the site on Saturday said, "We are stunned and bereaved by his loss, and our thoughts go out to his two little boys, who were precious to him, and to his family. Many, many people loved him and are grieving today."

Markel was in the middle of a divorce from his wife, Wendi Adelson, at the time of his death. A lawyer for Adelson reportedly said she is devastated by the death of Dan, and is very afraid at this time.

CrimeStoppers has increased the reward for information leading to an arrest in the case from $1,000 to $3,000. Anyone with any information is asked to call the Tallahassee Police Department at (850)-891-4462.

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