Defendant
Sigfredo Garcia
The man convicted as the gunman in the 2014 killing of Dan Markel, tried as a defendant in 2019 and discussed as a central figure in the three later Markel-case trials.
Defendant Garcia–Magbanua
9 lines · 174 mentions · 4 trials
About
Garcia is the point where the physical act of the killing and the alleged chain of payment and instruction meet, which is why the same body of proof about him — tower data, rental agreements, spending patterns, and the July 1, 2014 call to Harvey Adelson — recurs in every Markel-case trial. Following him across the four proceedings shows how a single set of facts was charged, tested, and then re-argued for and against three different defendants, and how a conviction in one courtroom became contested background in the next.
Trial Record (174)
GM Garcia–Magbanua Sep 26, 2019 – Oct 11, 2019
Trial Summary
Tried jointly with Katherine Magbanua as the alleged shooter in the July 18, 2014 killing of Dan Markel, and named across the State's cell-site, rental-car, financial, and cooperating-witness evidence before resting without testifying and being convicted on two of three counts.
Mentioned (54)
Jury Instruction
Preliminary Jury Instructions
Day 1 Opening Opening Statement - Georgia Cappleman
Day 1 Opening Opening Statement - Tara Kawass Co-defendant; discussed in context of his decade-long on-off relationship with Magbanua, his jealous stalking of her and Charlie, and his direct phone contact with Charlie Adelson
Day 1 Redirect Craig Isom - Redirect Identified as having made one direct call to Charlie Adelson, used to show prosecution theory is not solely dependent on Magbanua as the exclusive communication nexus.
Day 2 Direct Thomas Balboni - Direct
Day 3 Cross Thomas Balboni - Cross
Day 3 Jury Questions Thomas Balboni - Juror Questions
Day 3 Cross Len Harvey - Cross
Day 3 Direct Jeffrey Lacasse - Direct
Day 3 Cross Christopher Corbitt - Cross Central subject of the cross: Zangeneh challenged whether cell records could place García specifically near Premier Gym and whether García personally held the phone during either event.
Day 3 Cross Christopher Corbitt - Cross Father of Magbanua's children; Garcia–Magbanua frequency slide subject; possible direct connections to Adelsons outside phone records discussed
Day 3 Direct Luis Rivera - Direct
Day 3 Cross Luis Rivera - Cross
Day 3 Cross Luis Rivera - Cross
Day 4 Procedural Rivera Impeachment, Cocaine Evidence, and Severance Rulings
Day 4 Redirect Luis Rivera - Redirect
Day 4 Direct Shoddrick Nobles - Direct
Day 4 Direct Waldo Mesa Nunez - Direct Named renter on both June 2014 rental agreements; identity verified by Mesa Nunez against his driver's license
Day 4 Direct Daren Schwartz - Direct
Day 4 Cross Yindra Velazquez Mascaro - Cross
Day 5 Redirect Yindra Velazquez Mascaro - Redirect
Day 5 Jury Questions Yindra Velazquez Mascaro - Juror Questions
Day 5 Procedural Garcia Traffic Citation Discovery Inquiry
Day 5 Procedural Traffic Citation and Cell-Site Demonstrative Rulings Traffic citation issued June 2, 2014 in Miami; named on silver Nissan rental (tag CKV-I85); his citation is the subject of Exhibit 122 and the vehicle-exchange theory
Day 5 Cross Christopher Corbitt - Cross
Day 5 Procedural iCloud Evidence, Sequestration, and Wiretap Rulings
Day 5 Cross Christopher Corbitt - Cross (Continued)
Day 6 Redirect Christopher Corbitt - Redirect Discussed as subject of traffic citation (Exhibit 122) placing him in the Comfort-rented Nissan on June 2 and as subject of June trip phone-record analysis.
Day 6 Redirect Christopher Corbitt - Redirect (Recall, Part 2)
Day 6 Recross Christopher Corbitt - Recross Defendant discussed as the person Magbanua feared would contact Charlie Adelson; did not have an iPhone or iCloud account; eventually called Harvey Adelson on July 1
Day 6 Cross Mary Hull - Cross
Day 6 Cross Mary Hull - Cross
Day 6 Redirect Mary Hull - Redirect
Day 6 Cross Oscar Jimenez Jr. - Cross
Day 6 Cross Christopher Corbitt - Cross
Day 7 Redirect Christopher Corbitt - Redirect Named as someone whose calls from Magbanua would have been captured by the Magbanua wiretap
Day 7 Direct Patrick Sanford - Direct
Day 7 Direct Patrick Sanford - Direct (Part 2)
Day 7 Direct Patrick Sanford - Direct (Part 3)
Day 7 Procedural Garcia FBI Interview Proffer
Day 7 Direct Patrick Sanford - Direct (Part 4)
Day 7 Cross Patrick Sanford - Cross
Day 8 Jury Questions Patrick Sanford - Juror Questions
Day 8 Direct Mary Hull - Direct (Recall)
Day 8 Cross Mary Hull - Cross
Day 8 Procedural Garcia Waives Testimony and Rests
Day 8 Direct Katherine Magbanua - Direct
Day 9 Direct Christopher Corbitt - Direct (Recall)
Day 9 Cross Christopher Corbitt - Cross
Day 9 Cross Christopher Corbitt - Cross Discussed regarding additional and burner phones not examined by investigators and whether he may have stored Sully's number in unanalyzed devices prior to obtaining it through Magbanua in May 2016.
Day 9 Redirect Christopher Corbitt - Redirect Magbanua sent Garcia Sully Dawson's phone number; the records confirm Garcia did not independently possess it before Magbanua's text
Day 9 Verdict Sigfredo Garcia Verdict and Jury Polling
Day 11 Procedural Garcia Sentencing and Magbanua Deliberations
Day 11 Procedural Garcia Sentencing Jury Logistics
Day 11 KM Magbanua Retrial May 18, 2022 – May 27, 2022
Trial Summary
Named throughout the retrial as the man the State said shot Dan Markel and as the father of Katherine Magbanua's children, Sigfredo Garcia did not testify but was discussed in openings, cell-site and rental-car testimony, wiretap playback, and the jury charge.
Mentioned (62)
Opening
Opening Statement - Sarah Kathryn Dugan
Day 1 Opening Opening Statement - Tara Kawass
Day 1 Direct Craig Isom - Direct
Day 1 Cross Craig Isom - Cross
Day 1 Redirect Craig Isom - Redirect
Day 1 Direct Wendi Adelson - Direct
Day 2 Cross Wendi Adelson - Cross
Day 2 Procedural Pre-Rivera OJP — exhibit disclosure dispute and co-conspirator hearsay motion Named as the declarant whose out-of-court statements Rivera would relay — the subject of the co-conspirator hearsay motion
Day 2 Direct Luis Rivera - Direct
Day 2 Cross Luis Rivera - Cross (Part 1)
Day 2 Procedural End-of-Day — Co-Conspirator Hearsay Dispute and Rivera Cross Logistics Referenced by Cappleman as the conduit through whom Garcia relayed defendant's statements to Rivera — central to the co-conspirator hearsay foundation argument.
Day 2 Procedural Admissibility ruling — co-conspirator statements and murder-for-hire conspiracy timeline
Day 3 Cross Luis Rivera - Cross (Part 2)
Day 3 Redirect Luis Rivera - Redirect
Day 3 Direct Waldo Mesa Nunez - Direct
Day 3 Cross Waldo Mesa Nunez - Cross
Day 3 Redirect Waldo Mesa Nunez - Redirect Renter discussed in the immediately preceding cross; redirect concerns how the two contract times were recorded.
Day 3 Direct Christopher Corbitt - Direct
Day 3 Direct Christopher Corbitt - Direct (Continued)
Day 3 Direct Christopher Corbitt - Direct (Continued) Corbitt understood Garcia's nickname as “Tuto”; Garcia communications occurred around Magbanua's July 17 attempts to the 934 number.
Day 3 Procedural Work Product Dispute Over Defense Attorney's Recorded Calls with Garcia
Day 4 Cross Christopher Corbitt - Cross
Day 4 Cross Christopher Corbitt - Cross (Continued) Named in DeCoste's barred minimization hypothetical about a Garcia-Magbanua call.
Day 4 Redirect Christopher Corbitt - Redirect
Day 4 Procedural State's Exhibit 133 Played — Recorded Statements on Garcia-Adelson Contact; Lunch Recess Discussed in the recording through possible contact with Adelson and questions about what he knew; the clip includes a denial of knowledge that contact occurred.
Day 4 Direct Yindra Velazquez Mascaro - Direct
Day 4 Cross Yindra Velazquez Mascaro - Cross
Day 4 Redirect Yindra Velazquez Mascaro - Redirect
Day 4 Procedural End of Day — Jail Call Admissibility Rulings and Scheduling His calls with defense attorney Kawass excluded as attorney work product
Day 4 Direct Jessica Rodriguez - Direct
Day 5 Cross Jessica Rodriguez - Cross
Day 5 Direct Mary Hull - Direct
Day 5 Cross Mary Hull - Cross
Day 5 Redirect Mary Hull - Redirect
Day 5 Cross Oscar Jimenez Jr. - Cross
Day 5 Direct Patrick Sanford - Direct (Part 1)
Day 5 Procedural Jury Sent Home — End-of-Day Housekeeping
Day 5 Direct Patrick Sanford - Direct (Part 2)
Day 6 Direct Patrick Sanford - Direct (Part 3)
Day 6 Cross Patrick Sanford - Cross
Day 6 Cross Patrick Sanford - Cross (Continued)
Day 6 Redirect Patrick Sanford - Redirect
Day 6 Procedural Defense Motion for Judgment of Acquittal Denied — All Three Counts Proceed to Jury
Day 7 Procedural Defense case opening logistics and ruling on Rodriguez impeachment recording
Day 7 Direct Sherry Bennett - Direct Co-hitman known as 'Tuto'; Rodriguez said Garcia gave her the payment bag and that Garcia and Magbanua came to the house together before Rivera arrived
Day 7 Direct Michael Dillmore - Direct
Day 7 Direct Craig Isom - Direct (Recalled by Defense)
Day 7 Cross Craig Isom - Cross
Day 7 Direct Jason Newlin - Direct
Day 7 Direct Jason Newlin - Direct (Continued)
Day 7 Direct Ryan Fitzpatrick - Direct
Day 7 Cross Ryan Fitzpatrick - Cross
Day 7 Procedural Scheduling set for Magbanua testimony; defense text-message exhibits admitted Referenced in text messages showing his awareness of the Magbanua-Adelson relationship and his access to Charles Adelson; defense uses this to argue independent access not requiring Magbanua as intermediary
Day 7 Direct Katherine Magbanua - Direct
Day 7 Charge Conference Charge Conference Named in solicitation count instruction alongside Rivera; independent act instruction traced to his prior trial request
Day 7 Procedural Second Motion for Judgment of Acquittal — Denied Named as the sole conduit between Rivera and any claim implicating Magbanua; Kawass argued all inculpatory information Rivera had came from Garcia, not from Magbanua directly.
Day 7 Cross Katherine Magbanua - Cross
Day 7 Redirect Katherine Magbanua - Redirect
Day 7 Jury Instruction Jury Instructions (Final)
Day 8 Closing Closing Argument - Georgia Cappleman
Day 8 Closing Closing Argument - Tara Kawass
Day 8 Rebuttal Rebuttal Closing - Georgia Cappleman Magbanua's child's father and convicted hitman; Cappleman argues cash cannot be explained as Garcia payments given Magbanua's January 2015 child support filing against him
Day 8 CA Charlie Adelson Oct 26, 2023 – Nov 6, 2023
Trial Summary
Named throughout the Charlie Adelson trial as the man convicted of shooting Dan Markel, Sigfredo Garcia did not testify but was described in openings, cooperator testimony, cell-site and financial evidence, and both closings as the shooter whom the State placed at the far end of a communication chain running through Katherine Magbanua.
Mentioned (35)
Opening
Opening Statement - Sarah Kathryn Dugan
Day 1 Opening Opening Statement - Dan Rashbaum
Day 1 Direct Patrick Sanford - Direct
Day 1 Cross Wendi Adelson - Cross (Part 2)
Day 2 Cross Jeffrey Lacasse - Cross
Day 2 Direct Luis Rivera - Direct
Day 2 Cross Luis Rivera - Cross
Day 3 Redirect Luis Rivera - Redirect
Day 3 Direct Katherine Magbanua - Direct
Day 3 Cross Katherine Magbanua - Cross
Day 3 Redirect Katherine Magbanua - Redirect
Day 3 Direct Mary Hull - Direct Hitman; no active bank account at time of murder; purchased three vehicles within weeks of the killing
Day 3 Direct Christopher Corbitt - Direct
Day 3 Cross Christopher Corbitt - Cross
Day 4 Cross Christopher Corbitt - Cross (Continued)
Day 4 Redirect Christopher Corbitt - Redirect
Day 4 Cross Oscar Jimenez Jr. - Cross
Day 4 Direct Patrick Sanford - Direct (Recall)
Day 4 Direct Patrick Sanford - Direct (Recall, Continued)
Day 5 Cross Patrick Sanford - Cross (Recall) Discussed in context of burner phone use during the murder, his interview by Sanford, his arrest, and his 2019 conviction.
Day 5 Redirect Patrick Sanford - Redirect (Recall)
Day 5 Direct Charlie Adelson - Direct (Part 1)
Day 6 Direct Charlie Adelson - Direct (Part 2)
Day 6 Procedural Partial Admission of Composite Text Exhibit; Direct Examination Scheduling Rashbaum references CDR showing Magbanua calling Sigfredo in sequence after Charlie called her, as part of his call-pattern contextualization argument
Day 6 Direct Charlie Adelson - Direct (Part 3)
Day 6 Direct Charlie Adelson - Direct (Part 4)
Day 6 Direct Charlie Adelson - Direct (Part 5)
Day 6 Direct Charlie Adelson - Direct (Continued)
Day 7 Cross Charlie Adelson - Cross
Day 7 Redirect Charlie Adelson - Redirect
Day 7 Charge Conference Charge Conference — Jury Instructions Finalized for All Three Counts
Day 7 Jury Instruction Final Jury Instructions — Three Counts of Murder-for-Hire Conspiracy
Day 8 Closing Closing Argument - Georgia Cappleman
Day 8 Closing Closing Argument - Dan Rashbaum
Day 8 Rebuttal Rebuttal Closing - Georgia Cappleman
Day 8 DA Donna Adelson Aug 22, 2025 – Sep 4, 2025
Trial Summary
Named throughout this trial as the man who shot Dan Markel in his driveway on July 18, 2014, Garcia appeared only as a discussed third party — a fixed point in the State's chain from the rented Prius through phone records to Katherine Magbanua and Charlie Adelson.
Mentioned (23)
Opening
Opening Statement - Sarah Kathryn Dugan
Day 1 Opening Opening Statement - Jackie L. Fulford
Day 1 Procedural OJP — Foundation Objection to Exhibit 64-AA (Shared Email Address)
Day 1 Direct Craig Isom - Direct (Continued)
Day 1 Direct Luis Rivera - Direct
Day 1 Cross Luis Rivera - Cross
Day 1 Direct Robert Adelson - Direct
Day 2 Direct Mary Hull - Direct
Day 3 Direct Katherine Magbanua - Direct
Day 3 Cross Katherine Magbanua - Cross
Day 3 Direct Christopher Corbitt - Direct
Day 3 Direct Christopher Corbitt - Direct (Continued)
Day 4 Cross Oscar Jimenez Jr. - Cross
Day 4 Direct Patrick Sanford - Direct (Part 1)
Day 4 Direct Patrick Sanford - Direct (Part 2)
Day 5 Direct Patrick Sanford - Direct (Part 3)
Day 6 Direct Drina Bernhardt - Direct
Day 6 Direct Christopher Corbitt - Direct (Recall)
Day 6 Procedural Defense Motion for Judgment of Acquittal on Counts 1 and 3
Day 7 Charge Conference Charge Conference — Jury Instruction Settlement Before Closing Arguments Defense requested Garcia be named in principals instruction element 3 as one of the actual killers; court declined to name him
Day 8 Closing Closing Argument - Georgia Cappleman
Day 9 Closing Closing Argument - Jackie L. Fulford
Day 9 Rebuttal Rebuttal Closing - Georgia Cappleman
Day 9