Memorials continue for Dan Markel, a Toronto-born law scholar shot dead in his Tallahassee, Fla., home last week.
After services at Markel's synagogue, Markel's colleagues in the legal field posted a message on the blog he founded, Prawfs.com.
Last Friday morning, police arrived at Markel's home in an upscale Tallahassee neighbourhood to find the professor suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to hospital but succumbed to his injuries the next morning.
Professors from around the United States signed the note, which eulogized Markel and addressed his mysterious death.
"We write this together, all of us, as a community. Our friend Dan Markel has been taken from us, suddenly and terribly," began the letter. "We do not have all the details, but our understanding is that Dan was shot and killed. Painful as it is to say that, and as little as we know, the early news reports left enough room for speculation that it seemed necessary to say that much. The terrible, senseless nature of his loss makes it all the harder to bear."
There are 10 signatories to the letter in total.
Markel taught at Florida State University College of Law, located in Tallahassee. He was focused on the area of criminal law and the philosophy of punishment.
He was married in 2006 to Wendi Adelson, and she filed for divorce in 2012. Though the divorce was finalized in 2013, the former couple were still battling in court over finances and child custody until his death.
The couple had two sons, Lincoln and Benjamin.
His parents, Ruth and Phil Markel, still live in Toronto, and his body is expected to be sent back to the city for a funeral.
"We are stunned and bereaved by his loss, and our thoughts go to his two little boys, who were precious to him, and to his family. Many, many people loved him and are grieving today," wrote the group.
The letter concludes with a Jewish blessing on death, "Baruch dayan emet."