At just 41 years of age, Florida State law professor Dan Markel was among the most well-known and accomplished criminal law scholars in the country. He was also a newly divorced dad, his toddlers Ben and Lincoln the center of his universe.

On the morning of July 18, 2014, Dan dropped his boys off at preschool, hit the gym for a workout, and headed home to his quiet, tree-canopied neighborhood. Within seconds of pulling into his garage, two .38-caliber bullets fired from point-blank range were lodged in his brain. His brutal slaying seemed to defy logical explanation, the case stone cold for nearly two years. Finally, dogged pursuit by the Tallahassee Police and FBI led to the apprehension of two men with lengthy rap sheets who had apparently driven ten hours from Miami with one singular purpose: to assassinate the revered professor. But why? Were his ex-wife Wendi Adelson and her South Florida family the masterminds behind this horrific crime?

EXTREME PUNISHMENT recounts the riveting story of a divorce between two law professors that spiraled out of control, wealthy and overprotective in-laws hell-bent on exacting retribution, a most unlikely love triangle, and the relentless quest to bring Dan’s killers—all of them—to justice.