Keith Leland, a Creative Preschool employee, testified that on the morning Dan Markel dropped off his children — July 18, 2014, the day Markel was killed — he observed a color-shifting grayish-green or silver car he believed to be a Prius parked directly in front of the school facing Tharp Street. Cross-examination by both defense attorneys drew out the limits of what Leland could see: the rear window was tinted, no occupant ever exited, and he could not see inside the vehicle.

Day 5 →

Proceedings

Direct Keith Leland - Direct Line 1

Cross 1 Keith Leland - Cross Line 59

Cross 2 Keith Leland - Cross Line 76

Jury Questions Keith Leland - Juror Questions Line 97

Direct Direct Keith Leland Georgia Cappleman

1 1:57:04

JUDGE HANKINSON: Call your next witness.

2 1:57:04

MS. CAPPLEMAN: Keith Leland.

3 1:57:55

MS. CAPPLEMAN: What is your name, sir?

4 1:57:56

KEITH LELAND: My name is Keith Leland.

5 1:57:57

MS. CAPPLEMAN: Will you spell Leland, please?

6 1:57:59

KEITH LELAND: L-E-L-A-N-D.

7 1:58:01

MS. CAPPLEMAN: And Mr. Leland, how are you employed?

8 1:58:03

KEITH LELAND: I am employed at the Creative Preschool.

9 1:58:05

MS. CAPPLEMAN: Here in Tallahassee?

10 1:58:06

KEITH LELAND: Correct.

11 1:58:07

MS. CAPPLEMAN: And is that where you were employed back in July of 2014?

12 1:58:10

KEITH LELAND: Correct.

13 1:58:11

MS. CAPPLEMAN: Is the preschool located out off Tharp Street?

14 1:58:14

KEITH LELAND: 2746 West Tharp Street.

15 1:58:16

MS. CAPPLEMAN: It's actually got a Tharp Street address?

16 1:58:18

KEITH LELAND: Correct.

17 1:58:18

MS. CAPPLEMAN: All right. And Mr. Leland, did you know Dan Markel?

18 1:58:21

KEITH LELAND: Yes.

19 1:58:22

MS. CAPPLEMAN: How did you know Mr. Markel?

20 1:58:22

KEITH LELAND: Just through interactions with the family in general, because the two children went to our school.

21 1:58:30

MS. CAPPLEMAN: All right. And did Mr. Markel frequently come into the preschool to interact with the children, his children, during the day? And would he do this exclusively on days that he was dropping the children off, or could it have been on days that the mother dropped them off?

22 1:58:45

KEITH LELAND: To my knowledge, on days especially when he dropped them off. And I'm not saying that it couldn't be on other days otherwise.

23 1:58:51

MS. CAPPLEMAN: All right. And are you familiar with the day that Mr. Markel was killed?

24 1:58:55

KEITH LELAND: Correct.

25 1:58:55

MS. CAPPLEMAN: That was on a Friday?

26 1:58:56

KEITH LELAND: Correct.

27 1:58:57

MS. CAPPLEMAN: Did Mr. Markel come into the daycare at all on that Friday?

28 1:59:03

KEITH LELAND: He didn't come directly in the front door. He went through our side door, because we were finishing up breakfast and everybody was outside on what we call the playground. So he entered the building through the side gate and took his children out.

29 1:59:03

MS. CAPPLEMAN: Is that the day of the homicide, or is that the day— Okay. And do you know about what time Mr. Markel arrived that day?

30 1:59:28

KEITH LELAND: As I said, we were finishing up breakfast, so it had to be anywhere from 9:45 to 10:00.

31 1:59:34

MS. CAPPLEMAN: All right. And did you happen to notice his vehicle as it approached, his vehicle?

32 1:59:38

KEITH LELAND: No, ma'am.

33 1:59:39

MS. CAPPLEMAN: Did you notice any other vehicles hanging around, around the time that Mr. Markel was present at the daycare that day?

34 1:59:45

KEITH LELAND: Yes, ma'am.

35 1:59:45

MS. CAPPLEMAN: And tell us about that.

36 1:59:45

KEITH LELAND: Um, us being a school, we take extra measures of security. So whenever any of our staff hear a door open, we just automatically— me myself, since I work out in the office, come out of the office and just look, see who's coming through the door. That happened at some time that morning, and I looked out and I didn't see anybody come in, but I did hear the door open. So that's what made me go out and look. And when I went to the door, I saw like a little car facing towards Tharp Street.

37 2:00:16

MS. CAPPLEMAN: And where was the car?

38 2:00:18

KEITH LELAND: It was parked directly in front of our main building, which we call the big school.

39 2:00:23

MS. CAPPLEMAN: And do you know the make and model of that car?

40 2:00:25

KEITH LELAND: I don't know the model. It was a— it was a Prius, I know that. Well, I wasn't sure, because it kind of flips color when the light hit it. It was like a grayish-green, silver color.

41 2:00:38

MS. CAPPLEMAN: All right. And did the Prius hang out there the whole time that Mr. Markel was in the daycare?

42 2:00:43

KEITH LELAND: I can't say the whole time, but I do know when I went back out there at one point, when the door opened again, it was gone.

43 2:00:43

MS. CAPPLEMAN: Okay. I'm going to show you what I've marked as State's—

44 2:01:03

KEITH LELAND: Yes.

45 2:01:04

MS. CAPPLEMAN: Are they fair and accurate photographs of the Creative Preschool facing Tharp Street?

46 2:01:08

KEITH LELAND: Correct.

47 2:01:09

MS. CAPPLEMAN: State's Exhibit. Are they both fair and accurate photographs of how the preschool appeared the day that you saw the Prius?

48 2:01:16

KEITH LELAND: Yes.

49 2:01:20

JUDGE HANKINSON: Any objection?

50 2:01:24

JUDGE HANKINSON: They'll be admitted.

51 2:01:37

KEITH LELAND: You're looking, if you're coming up the front step of the building, at the front door coming through the front gate.

52 2:01:49

KEITH LELAND: That front door right there, but I didn't completely open the door. I just looked through the window, because at the time it was nothing on the window.

53 2:01:58

KEITH LELAND: Yeah, we post our notes, parents' notes and things up there.

54 2:02:03

KEITH LELAND: Yes, ma'am.

55 2:02:18

KEITH LELAND: I can't be 100% sure, but it was either in this parking spot or this one right here.

56 2:02:22

KEITH LELAND: You're looking right now in front of, like I said, facing Tharp Street. And if you look around this side, but you don't have it.

57 2:02:35

KEITH LELAND: It's more parking spaces, and parents can — you can park there and go through our side gate, or if they park here, front gate, they can go through the gate that they wish.

58 2:02:35

MS. CAPPLEMAN: No further questions.

Cross 1 Cross 1 Keith Leland Saam Zangeneh

59 2:02:36

JUDGE HANKINSON: Cross.

60 2:03:06

MR. ZANGENEH: Good afternoon, Mr. Leland.

61 2:03:07

KEITH LELAND: Good afternoon.

62 2:03:12

MR. ZANGENEH: I'm going to show you the re-show of State's Exhibit 51.

63 2:03:18

MR. ZANGENEH: Now, you indicated that there's an area where parents can drop off their children — I believe you said to the right of where this fence is?

64 2:03:25

KEITH LELAND: Well, when I say drop off, I just mean park. It's other parking spaces, but there is another entrance to the school there.

65 2:03:31

MR. ZANGENEH: Okay. So would it be fair to say that there's parking back here for parents, and then directly to the right of where this fence is?

66 2:03:40

KEITH LELAND: Correct. Of course, there's parking across at our other building, because we have two buildings, which we call the other building the infant house. There's parking over there as well.

67 2:03:55

MR. ZANGENEH: —see the occupants of the Prius that day?

68 2:03:58

KEITH LELAND: No, I could not see inside the car, because the back window was tinted, and like I had mentioned earlier, it was facing towards Tharp Street.

69 2:04:04

MR. ZANGENEH: Did any of the occupants get out of the vehicle?

70 2:04:07

KEITH LELAND: Nobody ever got out of the vehicle.

71 2:04:08

MR. ZANGENEH: We're talking— we're talking about July 14th in this instance, correct?

72 2:04:13

KEITH LELAND: Friday — if that was that Friday, correct.

73 2:04:15

MR. ZANGENEH: Do you remember Mr. Markel dropping off his children on June 5th?

74 2:04:22

KEITH LELAND: June 5th? I can't honestly remember.

75 2:04:22

MR. ZANGENEH: No further questions.

Cross 2 Cross 2 Keith Leland Christopher DeCoste

76 2:04:23

JUDGE HANKINSON: Magbanua.

77 2:04:32

MR. DECOSTE: Good afternoon.

78 2:04:33

MR. DECOSTE: We're going to kill two birds with one stone here. Since you're here, we're going to ask you a question so we don't have to call you back later.

79 2:04:37

KEITH LELAND: Not a problem.

80 2:04:38

MR. DECOSTE: You talked about the dropping off of the students.

81 2:04:42

KEITH LELAND: Correct.

82 2:04:43

MR. DECOSTE: Later on in the day, they're picked up, right?

83 2:04:45

KEITH LELAND: Right. Well, are you talking about the day in question, or just the general practice of Creative Preschool?

84 2:04:51

MR. DECOSTE: Yes, correct. So in any given school day, which would be during the weekday, the children are dropped off in the morning, and there's a log kept of that, right?

85 2:05:00

KEITH LELAND: Correct.

86 2:05:01

MR. DECOSTE: Both the date, the time, and who it is that dropped the child off?

87 2:05:07

KEITH LELAND: Correct, whether it's one of the parents or if it's another family member or a friend.

88 2:05:12

MR. DECOSTE: Correct. And there's also records of when they leave that day, when they get picked up, right?

89 2:05:16

KEITH LELAND: Correct — when parents do what they're supposed to do, is sign them in and out. We occasionally don't get people to do it all the time, but as a practice, it's done.

90 2:05:25

MR. DECOSTE: And it's something that, given the fact that you're taking care of some of these children, you guys strive to always have — by law?

91 2:05:31

KEITH LELAND: Yes, sir. Always have those records. Always have those, up to a year.

92 2:05:35

MR. DECOSTE: All right. In 2014, that was being done?

93 2:05:37

KEITH LELAND: Of course.

94 2:05:39

MR. DECOSTE: Your Honor, one brief moment.

95 2:05:53

MR. DECOSTE: Nothing further. Thank you, Mr. Leland.

96 2:05:55

KEITH LELAND: Not a problem.

Jury Questions Jury Questions Keith Leland James C. Hankinson

97 2:05:56

JUDGE HANKINSON: Redirect.

98 2:05:56

MS. CAPPLEMAN: No, Your Honor.

99 2:05:57

JUDGE HANKINSON: Any juror have a question of this witness? We'll go to sidebar.

100 2:08:26

JUDGE HANKINSON: There are a couple of follow-ups from the jury, Mr. Leland says...the vehicle, the Prius you saw, wasn't actually on the preschool property, or was it on the street?

101 2:08:26

KEITH LELAND: No, it was on the property, in one of those two parking spots, like I said, but I couldn't be specific on which one.

102 2:08:47

JUDGE HANKINSON: Where did— can you indicate where your property ends? Where would the street be?

103 2:08:52

KEITH LELAND: The street would end right here. That's the end of our driveway, and right here is a drainage ditch going all the way across — the City of Tallahassee drainage ditch.

104 2:09:00

JUDGE HANKINSON: And are you aware of any parents having a similar vehicle to the one you saw?

105 2:09:09

KEITH LELAND: There was only one parent at the time that we were aware of that had a Prius, but it was a totally different color than the one I saw.

106 2:09:18

JUDGE HANKINSON: Did— did the preschool make any report of this event to authorities?

107 2:09:18

KEITH LELAND: Uh, no, ma'am. We— I mean, sir, I'm sorry. We got a call — I took the initial call from the police, and that was about it. And they asked us a few questions, and then nothing until recently.

108 2:09:36

JUDGE HANKINSON: So you pretty quickly received a call from the police, correct? And you reported what you saw, right?

109 2:09:36

KEITH LELAND: Well, they were more or less giving us a little heads-up of what was happening, and they wanted to know if at the time the kids had made it there yet.

110 2:09:36

JUDGE HANKINSON: Any follow-up, Ms. Cappleman?

111 2:10:09

MS. CAPPLEMAN: You're having seen this green Prius, that information wasn't given until much later from the initial time that law enforcement contacted you, isn't that correct? Regarding the car.

112 2:10:21

KEITH LELAND: Yes. Correct.

113 2:10:23

MS. CAPPLEMAN: Okay. So initially law enforcement contacted you around the time of the homicide to discuss procedures at the preschool regarding the children. Is that correct?

114 2:10:32

KEITH LELAND: Well, yeah, there was a call, and I can't remember who it was. They just asked, were the children there yet.

115 2:10:41

KEITH LELAND: Was the children there yet? I had to leave the office because I didn't know myself, and I went out on the deck to where the children were, and I asked Ms. Sandra Pleas, and at the time she told me that the children were there at the time.

116 2:10:54

MS. CAPPLEMAN: Okay. So initially the concern was, where are the children and are they okay?

117 2:10:57

KEITH LELAND: Correct. Correct.

118 2:10:58

MS. CAPPLEMAN: All right. And then at some point law enforcement reached out to you regarding the pick-up and drop-off schedule of the children?

119 2:11:04

KEITH LELAND: Correct. That's what I referred to, I guess.

120 2:11:06

MS. CAPPLEMAN: Okay. But it wasn't until much later, like 2016, that I came out and talked to you about having seen that green Prius.

121 2:11:06

KEITH LELAND: Yes, ma'am.

122 2:11:06

MS. CAPPLEMAN: All right. No further questions.

123 2:11:06

JUDGE HANKINSON: Garcia? Magbanua?

124 2:11:21

JUDGE HANKINSON: All right, you can step down. Do we need to keep this witness any further?

125 2:11:25

JUDGE HANKINSON: Anybody need him?

126 2:11:27

JUDGE HANKINSON: All right, you're free to go. Thanks for being here.

127 2:11:30

JUDGE HANKINSON: Why don't we take 10 minutes and let y'all step out?

128 2:11:34

JUDGE HANKINSON: Either side need anything?

129 2:11:38

JUDGE HANKINSON: All right, we'll take 10 minutes.

Insights

Direct Keith Leland

Preschool employee Keith Leland places a grayish-green Prius outside Dan Markel's children's daycare the morning of the murder, corroborating the State's surveillance theory.

Case Significance

Leland's account places a color-shifting Prius — consistent with the murder vehicle recovered during the investigation — outside Markel's children's daycare at the time Markel was present on the morning he was killed, supporting the prosecution's theory that Garcia and Rivera conducted pre-attack surveillance.

Prius color description matches the recovered murder vehicle identified by earlier witnesses
Timing and location corroborate surveillance of Markel's routine before the shooting

Highlights

Testimony

Leland describes Markel's arrival at the preschool through the side gate around 9:45–10:00 a.m. on the morning of his murder, while children were outside finishing breakfast.

Testimony

Leland recounts the school's security protocol prompting him to look outside, where he spotted a small color-shifting Prius parked in front of the main building facing Tharp Street — and confirmed it was gone when he checked again later.

“Um, us being a school, we take extra measures of security. So whenever any of our staff hear a door open, we just automatically— me myself, since I work out in the office, come out of the office and just look, see who's coming through the door. That happened at some time that morning, and I looked out and I didn't see anybody come in, but I did hear the door open. So that's what made me go out and look. And when I went to the door, I saw like a little car facing towards Tharp Street.”

— Keith LelandExplains the security routine that prompted Leland to look outside, establishing that the Prius observation was an attentive, deliberate act rather than a casual glance.

“I don't know the model. It was a— it was a Prius, I know that. Well, I wasn't sure, because it kind of flips color when the light hit it. It was like a grayish-green, silver color.”

— Keith LelandLeland's color description — a light-shifting grayish-green or silver — aligns with testimony from earlier witnesses about the Prius recovered in connection with the murder, grounding the surveillance inference in an independent civilian observation.Evidence

The court admits State's photographs of the Creative Preschool exterior after Leland authenticates them as fair and accurate depictions of how the school appeared on the day of the murder.

People Mentioned

Dan Markel

Locations Mentioned

Creative Preschool

Evidence Mentioned

Photographs of Creative Preschool exterior facing Tharp Street

Deep Analysis

Attorney Strategy

Cappleman establishes Prius at crime-day location

Cappleman used a brief, focused direct to elicit the Prius sighting and color description without overreaching, letting Leland's own security-routine explanation provide context for why the observation was deliberate and reliable.

Case Theory Connections

Independent corroboration of Prius surveillance

Leland's civilian observation of a grayish-green, color-shifting Prius at the preschool during Markel's final morning visit provides independent corroboration for the State's account of pre-murder surveillance, linking the recovered murder vehicle to the victim's location on July 18, 2014.

Credibility Observations

Appropriately qualified observations

Leland consistently hedged uncertain recollections — he could not confirm the Prius's exact parking spot, could not say it stayed the whole time, and qualified Markel's drop-off pattern as typical rather than invariable — lending his testimony a restrained, credible character.

Evidentiary Or Procedural Notes

Preschool photographs admitted

Two photographs of the Creative Preschool exterior were authenticated by Leland and admitted by the court without objection noted on the record, providing the jury a visual reference for the parking area where Leland saw the Prius.

Testimony Themes

Victim's routine at the preschool

Leland established that Markel's children attended Creative Preschool and that Markel commonly came in on days he dropped them off, placing Markel predictably at that location on the morning of July 18, 2014.

Prius sighting during Markel's visit

Leland's security-prompted look outside resulted in his observing a small, color-shifting Prius parked in front of the school while Markel was on the grounds — and the car was gone when he checked again.

Witness Role And Importance

Witness Role And Importance

Keith Leland is a Creative Preschool employee whose testimony serves two functions for the State: he establishes Markel's presence at the school on Tharp Street on the morning of the murder, and independently identifies a color-shifting Prius parked outside the building during that visit. Because the Prius is the vehicle tied to Garcia and Rivera, Leland's civilian sighting supports the prosecution's theory that the killers tracked Markel's morning routine before following him home.

Cross 1 Keith Leland

Garcia's counsel briefly cross-examined preschool employee Leland, establishing that he could not see inside the Prius due to tinted windows and that no occupant was seen exiting the vehicle.

Case Significance

The cross modestly narrows Leland's testimony by establishing he could not identify occupants and saw no one exit the vehicle, but does not challenge the core observation that a Prius matching the suspect vehicle was present outside the school that morning.

Leland conceded he could not see inside the vehicle due to tinted rear window and car orientation
No occupant was observed exiting the Prius
Leland could not recall the June 5th drop-off date

Highlights

Testimony

Leland admits he could not see inside the Prius: the rear window was tinted and the car faced away from him toward Tharp Street, preventing any occupant identification.

“No, I could not see inside the car, because the back window was tinted, and like I had mentioned earlier, it was facing towards Tharp Street.”

— Keith LelandLeland concedes a core limitation of his observation: the Prius's tinted rear window and its orientation away from him prevented any identification of occupants, narrowing the evidentiary weight of his sighting.Testimony

Leland confirms no occupant ever exited the Prius during his observation, establishing the full limit of what he witnessed.

“Nobody ever got out of the vehicle.”

— Keith LelandNobles said no one got out of the Prius while it was parked; he did not identify the occupants or describe other activity inside it.

People Mentioned

Dan Markel

Evidence Mentioned

State's Exhibit 51

Deep Analysis

Attorney Strategy

Narrowing the sighting without contesting it

Zangeneh did not dispute that the Prius was present but focused on what Leland could not see or confirm — occupants, identity, or purpose — minimizing the identification value of the observation.

Case Theory Connections

Surveillance corroboration limited at the margins

The direct examination placed a Prius at the preschool that morning, but the cross established that Leland could not confirm who was inside or whether any occupant observed Markel, leaving the surveillance inference dependent on other evidence.

Notable Admissions

Could not see inside the vehicle

Leland admitted he could not see inside the Prius due to a tinted rear window and the car's orientation facing Tharp Street.

Testimony Themes

Observation limits

Zangeneh elicited that Leland could not see inside the Prius due to tinted rear windows and the car's orientation, and that no occupant ever exited the vehicle during his observation.

Witness Role And Importance

Witness Role And Importance

Keith Leland, a Creative Preschool employee, testified on direct that he observed a grayish-green Prius parked outside the school the morning of the murder, corroborating the State's surveillance theory. The cross-examination was brief and non-confrontational, aimed at narrowing rather than contradicting his account.

Cross 2 Keith Leland

Magbanua co-counsel DeCoste briefly cross-examined preschool employee Leland, establishing that Creative Preschool kept daily sign-in and sign-out logs recording the date, time, and identity of each child's drop-off and pickup — and that this practice was in effect in 2014.

Case Significance

A brief cross aimed at establishing the existence of preschool sign-in and sign-out records from the day of the murder; no admissions or contested facts emerged.

Testimony concerned only administrative record-keeping, not the events of July 18, 2014 directly
No exhibits were introduced and no factual disputes arose

Highlights

Testimony

DeCoste establishes that Creative Preschool kept legally required sign-in and sign-out logs capturing the date, time, and identity of each adult who dropped off or picked up a child, and that these records were maintained in 2014.

Deep Analysis

Attorney Strategy

Establishing existence of contemporaneous records

DeCoste used this brief cross to confirm that sign-in and sign-out logs capturing date, time, and adult identity existed in 2014 — potentially laying a foundation to argue the records could establish or refute who picked up Markel's children after the shooting.

Testimony Themes

Preschool record-keeping practices

Leland confirmed the school kept daily logs of both drop-offs and pickups, capturing date, time, and the identity of the adult — required by law and retained for up to a year.

Witness Role And Importance

Witness Role And Importance

Keith Leland was a Creative Preschool employee whose primary relevance to the prosecution was placing a grayish-green Prius outside the school on the morning of July 18, 2014. DeCoste's cross did not revisit the Prius observation; instead it focused solely on the school's administrative records, establishing that pickup logs existed for that day — a foundation potentially intended to support a later defense argument about the timeline or who collected Markel's children after the shooting.

Jury Questions Keith Leland

Jurors confirmed the Prius Leland saw was on preschool property rather than the street; Cappleman's follow-up established that Leland did not share the vehicle detail with investigators until approximately 2016.

Case Significance

The jury questions resolved two factual ambiguities in Leland's testimony without introducing new contested issues or altering the substance of his account.

Leland confirms the Prius was on preschool property, not the street, strengthening the preschool-surveillance inference
Nobles distinguished the initial child-welfare contact from the later Prius-focused interview
Nobles said he first discussed the Prius when police returned in 2016 to ask about it

Highlights

Testimony

In response to a juror question, Leland confirms the Prius was parked on the preschool's own property — in one of the two on-site spaces — not on the street beyond the drainage ditch, and notes no school parent owned a similarly colored Prius.

“No, it was on the property, in one of those two parking spots, like I said, but I couldn't be specific on which one.”

— Keith LelandResolves the juror's ambiguity about whether the Prius was on school grounds or on the public street, placing the vehicle squarely within the preschool's parking area during Markel's drop-off.

“There was only one parent at the time that we were aware of that had a Prius, but it was a totally different color than the one I saw.”

— Keith LelandNobles distinguished the initial child-welfare contact from the later Prius-focused interview.Testimony

Nobles said he first mentioned the Prius during the later 2016 interview focused on the vehicle.

“But it wasn't until much later, like 2016, that I came out and talked to you about having seen that green Prius.”

— Georgia CapplemanNobles said the Prius first came up when police returned in 2016 to ask about it.

People Mentioned

Sandra Pleas

Deep Analysis

Attorney Strategy

Cappleman pre-empts reporting-gap credibility attack

Rather than leaving the 2016 disclosure gap for the defense to exploit, Cappleman elicited and contextualized it herself during follow-up, framing it as a product of the initial contact's different focus and securing Leland's confirmation before the witness was released.

Case Theory Connections

Surveillance vehicle placed on school property

Leland's confirmation that the Prius occupied a preschool parking spot — not a street position — supports the State's narrative that the shooters were monitoring Markel's routine and location at the daycare prior to the shooting.

Testimony Themes

Prius confirmed within preschool grounds

Juror clarification establishes the Prius occupied one of the preschool's designated parking spots rather than the street, placing the vehicle inside the school's perimeter during Markel's drop-off and reinforcing the preschool-surveillance inference.

Two-year gap before vehicle detail was collected

Leland's specific recollection of the green Prius was not shared with investigators until around 2016; the initial 2014 police contact focused on child welfare and did not surface the suspicious vehicle.

Witness Role And Importance

Witness Role And Importance

Keith Leland, a preschool employee who observed an unfamiliar grayish-green Prius parked at the children's daycare on the morning of the murder, provided clarifying answers to two juror questions that resolved ambiguities in his earlier testimony without altering its substance.

Summary

Keith Leland, an employee at Creative Preschool on West Tharp Street where Dan Markel's children were enrolled, testified on direct examination by Georgia Cappleman that Markel arrived around 9:45 to 10:00 a.m. on July 18, 2014. Alerted by the sound of a door, Leland looked outside and noticed a small car parked in front of the building whose color appeared grayish-green or silver depending on the light — a car he believed to be a Prius. He could not confirm how long it remained, but noted it was gone when he looked again. The court admitted photographs of the preschool exterior that Leland confirmed fairly depicted the school as it appeared that day. Saam Zangeneh crossed on behalf of Garcia, using State's Exhibit 51 to confirm the surrounding parking layout before focusing on what Leland could not observe: the Prius faced Tharp Street, its rear window was tinted, and no one ever stepped out of it. Leland also acknowledged he could not honestly recall whether Markel had dropped the children off on June 5th. Christopher DeCoste, co-counsel for Magbanua, followed with a short cross limited to the preschool's record-keeping. Leland confirmed that the school maintained daily sign-in logs capturing the date, time, and name of the adult for each drop-off and pickup, that signing in was required by law, and that records were preserved for up to a year — practices in place in 2014. Redirect and juror questions addressed the timeline of when Leland first described the Prius to investigators, distinguishing his initial contact from a follow-up interview in 2016 when police returned specifically to ask about the car.

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Keith Leland — Direct/Cross