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Dan Markel— Case Archive
personpersonCraig IsomCraig IsomRetired Tallahassee Police Department lead detective on the Dan Markel homicide, and the prosecution's primary investigative witness across the Markel-related trials.← All People
Law enforcement· Tallahassee Police Department

Craig Isom

Courtroom still of 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.

AppearedGarcia–MagbanuaMagbanua RetrialDonna Adelson
MentionedCharlie Adelson
2,085 lines·42 proceedings·13 mentions·4 trials

About

Isom's testimony provides a recurring investigative account of how surveillance, records, interviews, and related evidence were developed and examined across the proceedings.

Craig Isom is a retired Tallahassee police detective and lead investigator whose testimony addressed key parts of the investigation into Dan Markel's killing. He described investigative work involving surveillance, the tracing of a Toyota Prius through toll and rental records, phone and financial records, and material concerning Katherine Magbanua's claimed employment and payments from the Adelson Institute. He also addressed Luis Rivera's statements, including an unrecorded September 30, 2016 interview, and was questioned about the scope and limits of the investigation. In donna-adelson-2025, he additionally testified about custody-related communications and the initial contact with Wendi Adelson. He was recalled for further questioning in both Garcia–Magbanua 2019 Joint Trial and magbanua-retrial-2022; in charlie-adelson-2023, he was identified during Jeffrey Lacasse's testimony as the investigator who conducted Lacasse's videotaped interview.

Trial Record (42)

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

Lead investigator Craig Isom linked surveillance, toll, rental, phone, and financial records during Day 2 testimony, then faced cross-examination about investigative gaps and an unrecorded Rivera interview. He was recalled on Day 8 for limited follow-up testimony.

Day 2

DirectCraig Isom - DirectCraig IsomGeorgia Cappleman1highlight291lines spoken

Summary

Lead investigator Craig Isom traced surveillance, toll, rental, Facebook, and phone records as the State connected a Prius rental to Luis Rivera and the defendants' alleged network.

Highlights (1)

evidence eventIsom described city-bus footage that, in his account, showed the Prius behind Markel on Thomasville Road and later turning onto Betton Road before heading north.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
CrossCraig Isom - CrossCraig IsomSaam Zangeneh2highlights172lines spoken

Summary

Isom acknowledged surveillance and vehicle-identification limits, discussed rental and phone-record gaps, and identified one short Garcia-Harvey Adelson call.

Highlights (2)

Quote“Unfortunately, we tried all types of remedies for that, but, no, it was not able to be enhanced.”— Craig IsomIsom said investigators could not enhance the bus footage to identify the vehicle more precisely.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
RedirectCraig Isom - RedirectCraig IsomGeorgia Cappleman2highlights47lines spoken

Summary

Isom addressed financial and Prius-identification records, explained why Rivera's first cooperation interview was not recorded, and answered juror questions about the investigation.

Highlights (2)

jury eventIn response to juror questions, Isom said the recovered Prius had been altered but its tag and vehicle identification number matched SunPass records; he also described what he believed the Premier video showed about a black side mirror.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
Quote“But the tag and the vehicle identification number matched what was provided through the SunPass records of the Florida Department of Transportation.”— Craig IsomIsom identified the records he said linked the altered recovered car to the Prius tracked in the investigation.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
RecrossCraig Isom - RecrossCraig IsomChristopher DeCoste2highlights34lines spoken

Summary

Isom acknowledged that his report did not explain why Rivera's September 30 cooperation interview was unrecorded.

Highlights (2)

Quote“They wanted to get his testimony to try to verify as much as possible to see if he was going to cooperate and be a witness for the prosecution.”— Craig IsomIsom described the stated purpose of the unrecorded September 30 interview.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶

Day 3

Day 4

Day 7

Day 8

sidebarAttorney Call After Arrest

Summary

The parties disputed whether testimony about an attorney's call after Magbanua's arrest was admissible to show how arrest information was conveyed.

DirectCraig Isom - Direct (Recall)Craig IsomChristopher DeCoste2highlights57lines spoken

Summary

DeCoste recalled Isom to test what Luis Rivera did—and did not—say in the unrecorded September 30 meeting.

Highlights (2)

testimony highlightIsom confirmed that, to his understanding, his report was the only record of the September 30, 2016 meeting with Luis Rivera; there was no recording and he knew of no other reports.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
KMMagbanua RetrialMay 18, 2022 – May 27, 2022Called by prosecution and defense

Retired lead investigator Craig Isom testified about the investigation's surveillance and records evidence, then was cross-examined and later recalled by the defense about Rivera's statements and investigative gaps.

Day 1

DirectCraig Isom - DirectCraig IsomGeorgia Cappleman2highlights269lines spoken

Summary

Lead investigator Craig Isom traced the suspect Prius through surveillance, SunPass, rental, phone, and payment records, while the court admitted related exhibits and resolved several evidentiary objections.

Highlights (2)

testimony highlightIsom described surveillance showing the suspect Prius at Premier Fitness while Dan Markel was inside, then following the route toward Betton Hills; he placed the murder between the Prius's 10:51 turn and its 10:55 appearance on Bus 707 video.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
Quote“It's just that she was given these paychecks on an incremental -- approximately every two weeks, there was a paycheck or a check written from the Adelson Institute to Katherine Magbanua.”— Craig IsomIsom summarized the records he said were produced in response to the employment subpoena.Open in transcript →
CrossCraig Isom - CrossCraig IsomChristopher DeCoste2highlights352lines spoken

Summary

Defense challenged the reliability of Luis Rivera's cooperation and the investigation's treatment of Adelson Institute payments, while Isom described an unrecorded proffer and maintained he found no documented work supporting the payments.

Highlights (2)

testimony highlightIsom agreed that, if Rivera had access to investigative reports or discovery, he could use the documented 12:30 phone call as a basis for an account; Isom distinguished the recorded call data from the substance of any conversation.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
Quote“If you want to look at it from that hindsight, yes.”— Craig IsomIsom agreed with defense counsel's hindsight characterization that investigative materials could have unintentionally supplied Rivera with a script.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
RedirectCraig Isom - RedirectCraig IsomGeorgia Cappleman2highlights74lines spoken

Summary

Isom defended the investigation's reliance on Luis Rivera and disputed the claimed employment explanation for Adelson Institute payments; the court excluded reference to Magbanua's prior-trial testimony.

Highlights (2)

rulingJudge Wheeler barred questioning Isom about Magbanua's prior-trial testimony, explaining that the jury did not need to know she had testified in the earlier trial.Open in transcript →

Day 2

Day 7

CrossCraig Isom - CrossCraig IsomGeorgia Cappleman2highlights26lines spoken

Summary

Isom read report language about Rivera's account and acknowledged that Rivera's memory of a speeding ticket differed from the documented citation.

Highlights (2)

Quote“Garcia initially told Rivera about a high-dollar robbery he wanted to do with Rivera in Tallahassee. Once the departure date arrived, June 2014, Garcia told Rivera it was actually a murder he was hired to do and wanted Rivera to commit the homicide.”— Craig IsomIsom read the report language the prosecution used to address the sequence in Rivera's account.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
CACharlie AdelsonOct 26, 2023 – Nov 6, 2023

Identified as the investigator who conducted Jeffrey Lacasse's videotaped interview.

Day 2

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

On Day 1, retired Tallahassee police detective Craig Isom testified about the investigation's custody-related emails, surveillance, rental and toll-record research, and Adelson Institute checks. Cross-examination questioned investigative scope and the displayed senders on selected emails.

Day 1

DirectCraig Isom - Direct (Continued)Craig IsomGeorgia Cappleman6highlights212lines spoken

Summary

Isom described surveillance and toll records used to identify a rented Prius, then testified about Adelson Institute checks to Katherine Magbanua and gaps in the employment records.

Highlights (6)

evidence eventThe court admitted and the State published gym surveillance that Isom said showed a Prius remaining while Markel was inside and following his vehicle when he left.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
Quote“I don't recall the exact amount of time, but it's quite some time that he's -- the whole time he's in the gym and even after he comes out, gets back in his car and leaves, that's when the car leaves at the same time.”— Craig IsomIsom described the surveillance sequence that the State used to connect the Prius's movements to Markel's gym visit.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
Quote“And once I gave them that and the -- and the time, within a couple of minutes of when they would have gone through, they showed an activation with a transponder from the windshield at that toll plaza in Naples, in Collier County, and there was only one Prius.”— Craig IsomIsom explained how toll information narrowed the vehicle identification.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
Show all 6 highlights
testimony highlightIsom testified that records showed checks from the Adelson Institute to Katherine Magbanua, but that investigators received no job description, payroll records, or evidence establishing services she performed; he said Donna Adelson signed every listed check.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
Quote“But no wW-2, no responsibility form, nothing that showed what she actually did as being employed at that institute.”— Craig IsomIsom described the limits of the employment records investigators obtained concerning Katherine Magbanua.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
CrossCraig Isom - CrossCraig IsomJoshua D. Zelman3highlights68lines spoken

Summary

The defense questioned Isom about unrequested investigative records, his limited review of Magbanua's employment records, and emails displayed as sent by Harvey Adelson.

Highlights (3)

Quote“I have no idea. I was only seeking and only had cause to seek for Magbanua.”— Craig IsomIsom acknowledged that his review of employment records was limited to Magbanua rather than other Adelson Institute employees.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
Quote“it was shocking to me that within that short a time frame -- the only way that this person would have knowledge would be from Magbanua's attorney.”— Craig IsomIsom explained why he found the timing of a call from a person identifying himself as Charlie Adelson's attorney unusual.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶

Day 2