Craig Isom
Retired Tallahassee Police Department lead detective on the Dan Markel homicide, and the prosecution's primary investigative witness across the Markel-related trials.
About
Isom is a central figure whose testimony connects the physical investigation to the alleged motive across the Markel prosecutions, and his examinations provide a detailed narrative account of how investigators moved from an unsolved shooting to charges against four people. In the 2019 Garcia–Magbanua trial and the 2022 Magbanua retrial, defense counsel repeatedly pressed him on the unrecorded Rivera cooperation session and related documentation gaps. In the 2025 Donna Adelson trial, cross instead focused on Donna Adelson's lack of an identifiable financial benefit and Isom's lack of family-law expertise.
Trial Record (47)
GM Garcia–Magbanua Sep 26, 2019 – Oct 11, 2019
Trial Summary
Testified as the Tallahassee Police Department's lead investigator on the Markel homicide, carrying the State's investigative narrative across a full day-two examination and two later recalls, including cross-examination by both defense teams on vehicle identification, financial evidence, and the unrecorded Rivera cooperation meeting.
Testimony (10)
Mentioned (10)
KM Magbanua Retrial May 18, 2022 – May 27, 2022
Trial Summary
Retired Tallahassee Police lead detective on the Markel homicide investigation, testifying for the State on the first trial day and again on Day 7 after the defense recalled him.
Testimony (6)
Mentioned (11)
CA Charlie Adelson Oct 26, 2023 – Nov 6, 2023
Trial Summary
Retired TPD detective Craig Isom was discussed as an investigator who questioned Wendi Adelson and conducted Jeffrey Lacasse's videotaped interview; Isom did not testify at this trial.
Mentioned (4)
DA Donna Adelson Aug 22, 2025 – Sep 4, 2025
Trial Summary
Retired Tallahassee Police Department lead detective on the Markel homicide, testifying for the state on the trial's first day through direct, continued direct, cross, redirect, and recross about the early investigation, the divorce and custody dispute, vehicle and phone tracing, and the Adelson Institute checks paid to Katherine Magbanua.