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Dan Markel— Case Archive
personpersonBill BrannonBill BrannonTallahassee police officer who guarded the Trescott Drive perimeter on the day of Dan Markel's shooting and testified as a prosecution witness in four trials.← All People
Law enforcement· Tallahassee Police Department

Bill Brannon

Courtroom still of Bill Brannon.

Tallahassee police officer who guarded the Trescott Drive perimeter on the day of Dan Markel's shooting and testified as a prosecution witness in four trials.

AppearedGarcia–MagbanuaMagbanua RetrialCharlie AdelsonDonna Adelson
304 lines·16 proceedings·2 mentions·4 trials

About

His recurring testimony documents a police officer’s limited, contemporaneous observation at the Trescott Drive perimeter, including the boundaries of what he could and could not identify.

Bill Brannon is a Tallahassee Police officer who responded to the July 18, 2014 Trescott Drive shooting scene, assisted with the perimeter or roadblock, and described a Honda Odyssey-type vehicle approaching the restricted area, turning around, and leaving. He placed his observations within the early scene response and described traffic control, crime-scene tape, patrol vehicles, and his position near the roadblock. He consistently stated that he could not identify the driver or occupants, obtain a tag number, or determine why the vehicle turned away; in later testimony, he also acknowledged limits in his recollection, timing, documentation, and vehicle details. His testimony was examined most fully in the Garcia–Magbanua 2019 Joint Trial and Charlie Adelson 2023, where questioning addressed the precision and scope of those observations. He also testified in magbanua-retrial-2022 and donna-adelson-2025 about the same limited perimeter encounter.

Trial Record (16)

GMGarcia–MagbanuaSep 26, 2019 – Oct 11, 2019Called by prosecution

On Day 3, Tallahassee Police Officer Bill Brannon described the Trescott Drive scene and a van that approached the taped perimeter, turned around, and left. His testimony remained limited to a nonconclusive observation rather than an identification of a driver or vehicle.

Day 1

Day 3

DirectBill Brannon - DirectBill BrannonGeorgia Cappleman2highlights42lines spoken

Summary

Officer Brannon described the crime scene and a Honda Odyssey van that approached the perimeter, turned around, and left.

Highlights (2)

testimony highlightBrannon described arriving at the garage scene, where he observed the victim being removed from a car, blood, shattered glass, and part of a pair of glasses; he later said he found no indication of forced entry or robbery inside the residence.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
Quote“I saw bandaging around his head, blood on the victim, a little bit on the ground, a little bit on the car, some shattered glass, and I also noticed a half a pair of glasses laying on the ground just outside of the driver's door.”— Bill BrannonBrannon gave a firsthand description of the condition of the garage scene when he arrived.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
CrossBill Brannon - CrossBill BrannonSaam Zangeneh2highlights58lines spoken

Summary

Brannon described limited vehicle documentation at the perimeter and said he reported, but did not stop, a vehicle matching a description he had received.

Highlights (2)

Quote“I wasn't aware of a reason to affect a traffic stop at that point. And I'm stuck on the perimeter. I can't leave at that point.”— Bill BrannonBrannon explained why he did not stop the vehicle despite reporting its apparent match to the description he had received.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
CrossBill Brannon - CrossBill BrannonChristopher DeCoste2highlights45lines spoken

Summary

Brannon acknowledged limits in identifying the van and its occupant; the judge later instructed jurors not to discredit witnesses for speaking with attorneys.

Highlights (2)

testimony highlightBrannon acknowledged that he could not identify the driver, confirm the van was the exact vehicle later discussed, or know why it turned away from the perimeter.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
Quote“No. I'm telling you, like I told you just a second ago, sir, I said I believed it was a woman, but I still can't say that. It could have been a man with longer hair. I don't know. I believed it was a woman, but I still can't say that conclusively.”— Bill BrannonBrannon qualified his identification of the vehicle's occupant after defense counsel highlighted that the report did not identify a woman.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
Jury QuestionsBill Brannon - Juror QuestionsBill BrannonJames C. Hankinson2highlights3lines spoken

Summary

Brannon said he learned Ms. Adelson's vehicle color before seeing the van, but could not recall exactly when.

Highlights (2)

jury eventAfter both sides raised no objection, the court asked a juror's question about whether Brannon knew the color of Ms. Adelson's vehicle on the day of the incident.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
Quote“I can't remember exactly. It was somewhere in the point between interviewing Mr. Geiger and the point that I had ended up on the perimeter. I can't remember exactly when I had been notified of that, though.”— Bill BrannonBrannon qualified the timing of when he learned the vehicle description while placing it before his observation of the van.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
KMMagbanua RetrialMay 18, 2022 – May 27, 2022Called by prosecution

On Day 2, Bill Brannon testified about securing the Trescott Drive perimeter and seeing a Honda Odyssey turn around at the roadblock. He could not identify the driver or occupants, and cross-examination was waived.

Day 2

DirectBill Brannon - DirectBill BrannonGeorgia Cappleman5highlights39lines spoken

Summary

Officer Brannon described securing the Trescott Drive perimeter and seeing a Honda Odyssey turn around and leave; he could not conclusively identify its driver.

Highlights (5)

Quote“I responded to Trescott Drive. It was -- I think it originally went out as a medical issue. And I arrived on scene and we discovered it was a shooting incident.”— Bill BrannonDescribes the officer's initial response and discovery of the shooting scene.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
testimony highlightBrannon described a Honda Odyssey that approached the perimeter, immediately made a three-point turn, and left; he could not identify the driver or occupants conclusively.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
Quote“I thought it was possibly a woman because I thought I remembered seeing longer hair, but I couldn't say conclusively.”— Bill BrannonPreserves the limits of Brannon's observation of the Honda Odyssey's driver.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
Show all 5 highlights
CACharlie AdelsonOct 26, 2023 – Nov 6, 2023Called by prosecution

On Day 2, Tallahassee Police Officer Bill Brannon described the initial scene response and a Honda Odyssey-type vehicle approaching the roadblock. Cross-examination tested the precision of his distance and timing recollections, followed by redirect on the roadblock's visible features.

Day 2

DADonna AdelsonAug 22, 2025 – Sep 4, 2025Called by prosecution

On Day 2, Officer Bill Brannon described maintaining a crime-scene perimeter and seeing a maroon or dark red Honda Odyssey approach the roadblock, turn around, and leave. He could not identify the driver; cross-examination was waived.

Day 2

DirectBill Brannon - DirectBill BrannonSarah Kathryn Dugan3highlights43lines spoken

Summary

Officer Bill Brannon described the Trescott Drive roadblock and a maroon or dark red Honda Odyssey that turned around; he could not identify the driver.

Highlights (3)

Quote“It wasn't fast or anything but it was just a little more deliberate in pulling up, turning around and leaving.”— Bill BrannonBrannon described why the vehicle's approach and departure stood out to him compared with other vehicles at the roadblock.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶