New Development in the Unsolved Murder of FSU Professor One Year Ago

— -- A car may hold a clue in the fatal attack on a well-known college professor exactly one year ago today, according to Tallahassee, Florida, police.

Police released information about a suspect's vehicle in hopes of getting closer to solving the murder of Florida State University professor Dan Markel, who they say was shot in his car in cold blood, in the Betton Hills section of Tallahassee, a neighborhood marked by Spanish moss and ranch-style homes.

Authorities said the silver Toyota Prius that was used by the suspect has one black passenger side mirror and a missing tow bolt. They’re also saying they believe the car's owner may not have known the car was used in the crime.

“I cannot imagine a person wanting to hurt him," Tamara Demko, a friend of Markel, said. "I don’t think any of his friends can."

According to police, Markel, a father of two, was shot by an assassin who was waiting for him when he arrived home. Markel was on the phone when he got to his house and told an unidentified caller that "someone is in my driveway," police said.

The suspect then followed Markel into the garage, shooting him in the head, police said.

Markel, 41, was alive when police arrived, but he was pronounced dead in the hospital hours later.

Two days before his murder, Markel, a Harvard grad who had been published in the New York Times and served as a legal scholar, with a focus on criminal law, posted to his blog about the death penalty. He had received threatening comments in 2012 on the same website.

“Is it possible that some of his scholarship and literature created some enemies?" said Reggie Garcia, another friend of Markel. "I guess that's as possible as any of the other scenarios."

A reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for Markel’s murder has now gone up to $125,000.