Sherry Bennett
Tallahassee Police Department investigator who testified about wiretap-recording custody and a recorded witness interview, and whose investigative work was discussed across the Dan Markel prosecutions.
About
Bennett is a useful thread for anyone tracing how evidence in the Markel prosecutions was gathered and tested. She was the custodial link for the wiretap disk, obtained the Apple-records warrant, and conducted recorded interviews of Jessica Rodriguez and June Umchinda that were later examined, challenged, or used for impeachment in open court. Because she testified for the State in one trial and the defense in another, and because arguments about her conduct in proffer sessions surfaced in a third, her appearances document the same investigative record being read three different ways.
Trial Record (17)
GM Garcia–Magbanua Sep 26, 2019 – Oct 11, 2019
Trial Summary
Testified for the State on Day 7 as the Tallahassee Police Department investigator who served as designated custodian of the wiretap recordings, authenticating State's Exhibit 138; neither defense team cross-examined her, and her name otherwise surfaced through other witnesses' testimony about search warrants and the July 2018 recorded interview of June Umchinda.
Testimony (1)
Mentioned (6)
KM Magbanua Retrial May 18, 2022 – May 27, 2022
Trial Summary
Called by the defense as a single-purpose impeachment witness, Bennett — a TPD officer who handled administrative duties on the Markel investigation — testified about a recorded September 30, 2016, phone interview she conducted with Jessica Rodriguez, Rivera's then-girlfriend, to surface discrepancies between Rodriguez's recorded statements and her trial testimony.
Testimony (2)
Mentioned (7)
CA Charlie Adelson Oct 26, 2023 – Nov 6, 2023
Trial Summary
TPD Investigator Sherry Bennett was identified as present at proffer sessions involving Katherine Magbanua, where defense counsel alleged she guided Magbanua's answers after FBI Special Agent Sanford left the room.