Prime Crime: Stepdad Turned Husband Killed with His Own Kitchen Knife

on Prime crime my husband's deceased there's an interacting at my home he stiff and he wounded he might have a heart attack an unconventional relationship ends in tragedy he bought himself a drink really heavy and then he started skewing realize how much rage was going on in there leaving behind a broken family and a wife facing serious questions he would often say everything will be okay as long as I hide the steak knives oh my God he didn't hide the steak knives [Music] hey everybody I'm Jesse Weber and welcome to Prime crime this is where we break down some of the most compelling and memorable True Crime cases marriages at times can be pretty Rocky right from those little tips to the serious arguments that's normal yet the relationship in this story is quite different it goes from a rather unique beginning to a deadly end it's around 9 30 in the morning on January 12 2019 when 9-1-1 dispatchers receive a frantic call from a woman in Winter Park Florida I don't know that's the voice of 45 year old Danielle redlick who says she discovered her husband 65 year old Michael redlick dead on the floor of their home it was just a bizarre case initially when she called 9-1-1 she said that her husband had succumbed to a heart attack but then she had a different story she said that Michael stabbed himself to death she was in fear of her life he was actually choking me and trying to suffocate me first I actually went for the knife and he was screaming we grabbed it and that's when he did it he made a motion face stabbed himself and I ran into the bathroom when I came out I thought it was flying in blood you say hi there correct yes he tried to hurt myself this morning it doesn't look good in order to understand how we got here we have to take a step back to the unusual beginning of Danielle and Michael's relationship I first met Mike I think it was 1996. he'd come to the golf course and say I think I'm in love with this woman Kathleen but she's dying of cancer I think I'm going to marry her I'm going to marry her yeah the benefits that she has are terrible she's going to have better treatment better care and that's why he that's why he that's why he married um Kathleen I'm sure they were in love but he was all about helping her out after Kathleen passed away Mike was basically providing for two of Kathleen's kids Danielle and her younger brother Michael redlick was an executive for various sports teams so he had a prominent job doing well make good money she found him somewhat exciting he was 20 years or senior certainly had more financial resources and it sounds like he was able to take around and do different things with her somewhere down the road the relationship started he married his stepdaughter we warned him against it like what are you thinking in a weird way it's a love story that most people wouldn't approve of but it became a love story a real love story well that's the biggest mistake Mike made in his life fast forward 15 years Michael is dead and Danielle is taken to the hospital to be evaluated police pay her a visit to try and piece together what exactly occurred here we just kind of want to get some type of information as to what happened if you're willing to talk to us that'd be good perfectly willing to see what happens at the hospital Danielle was concerned about her kids and about herself she was worried of what would happen to her and who would tell the kids that Michael was dead I'm really concerned about my kids knowing that their dad's gone well who tells them this my husband's gone right and that you're in the hospital under care no details forming them at all I didn't believe it was what struck me was there were some times that she shed some tears but I thought that she was rather calm and cool and collected to be in that situation where are people being cold and we haven't talked to anyone we wanted to talk to you first if you're willing to talk to us I mean I'm definitely willing I'm just afraid should I have legal representation is that no one's been telling me that's up to you this may seem odd but it's the police that are interviewing you so I understand you say I'm not being held but the doctors are evaluating my not being held by the police department but the hospital correct you know it seems like a normal question but she did ask if I was free to leave am I under arrest right so she must have known that there was some suspicion yet there is much more to Michael and Danielle's relationship accusations and allegations you want me to describe what happened Thursday my husband was very belligerent and distraught well at first the relationship was fine but then over time there are allegations of controlling behaviors and that he had a drinking problem he was following me in around the house I was trying not to engage I locked myself in the bathroom he broke the door open he was scaring me so I decided to leave and he was drinking heavily I'm not a rocket scientist but wait a minute there's eight empty bottles of wine in the garbage Mike didn't like wine so those bottles got empty by somebody other than Mike we had some issues last year he basically cheated on me and it was a big long john thing and I found a slew of emails of him carrying on with another woman that just crushed me Mike was trying to understand and he must have been going to some meetings with Alan on and along the way he met a woman they became friends friends it was somebody that he could talk to about dealing with her no infidelity at all on Mike's part I'm convinced of that from another man to me that really angered him Danielle had social media messages and it was kind of right in the middle of where these communications were social nature or was she looking for employment she alluded to the fact that she was looking to further her career and it sounds like he was somewhat jealous that she also was interested in other men Thursday I ended up leaving the home to avoid any kind of distresses for the kids my daughter the two of them were yelling at each other and I said okay that's it we're leaving with me to a friend's house and my son wanted to see he was belligerent but he wasn't being physically harmful to the kids that's where things began to go somewhat awry in the marriage she complained that as a result he was both physically and emotionally abusive and unfortunately we live in this Society where domestic violence still occurs and we're not so quick to disbelieve a woman who is smaller than her husband at his funeral Danielle delivered the eulogy and told everyone in the congregation that Mike was her best friend and talked about all the things that he had done for her and the kids no way if you listen to that eulogy you could ever think that this guy would lay a hand on her police need to get the full story of how Michael redlick died coming up can detectives figure out what actually happened between the couple I did not murder my husband please I don't understand this is a tragedy [Music] everyone in the congregation at his funeral is looking at her delivering a eulogy and they're all saying the same thing why isn't she Behind Bars it's January 2019 and 45 year old Danielle redlick is being questioned after calling 9-1-1 saying her stepfather turned husband 65 year old Michael redlick died in their Winter Park Florida home after telling dispatchers several versions of what happened investigators talked to Danielle at the hospital where she says Michael was aggressive and intimidating he continued on his day Friday to work and I continued my day I got some style texts from him during the day we attend our son's football game together that evening and it was after the football game we're once again he poured himself a drink and a really heavy and it just started from there he started spewing realized electric rage was going on in there she had previously filed a police report against Michael for domestic abuse and because of that it led krenas to her claim later that she was in fear of her life and then Michael was at it again but Danielle starts to shut down I think that's about what I was comfortable talking about currently with Danielle not giving police much to go on days later they returned to the redlick's home this time with a warrant in hand Daniel I just want to talk to you okay right now you're not under arrest but we just secured you for our safety we do have a search warrant for your house and I also have a search warrant for your DNA while the detective collects the DNA sample Danielle seems shocked to learn what investigators may be thinking two bugle swabs saliva standards from Danielle Justine redlick which is believed to be evidence relevant to proving that a felony crime has been committed death investigation second degree murder are located in the person you're saying the saliva when I tried to when there was resuscitation done that that second degree murder no I'm collecting saliva standards from you because of the resuscitation because of other evidence that we have collected she also said that she tried to save Michael's Life Giving Him CPR and passed out because of her Herculean efforts she tried CPR and couldn't find her phone to call 9-1-1 hmm dancing dancing and just changing the story as much as she could so you're saying that once this DNA is confirmed his mind I'm being charged a second degree murder is that what I'm hearing that's not what I'm saying I'm saying I'm collecting this to be tested on what we collected from the house we need to be able to differentiate your DNA from your husband's CNA that's when Danielle starts getting defiant I don't understand this it's not even freaking happened I don't understand what are you you tell me what they're looking for is that a no we also have a search warrant to collect any other evidence that we think is necessary I'm trying to Target I did not murder my husband please I don't understand from what I understand you live directly across the street from the Red Lake correct little did Danielle know there were others who for a long time noticed issues between her and Michael issues that become critical in understanding the complexity of this case the whole neighborhood knows that they fought verbally at least and physically out in front of the house police speak with the redlick's neighbors and learn even more about the tumultuous relationship we are very aware of the decorating in fighting and that type of thing most of the time with the screening of one another but primarily it was her screaming at him these are two people that were not getting along the relationship started off in a very strange Manner and they probably should have never been together in the first place when you hear them fighting outside did you ever hear the nature of what they were arguing about or just kind of little bits and pieces oh I think a couple times she'd scream get out of here or that type of thing but not to the extent of what where the issue was he knew she represented not only a danger to him but to herself and I I think when you mix alcohol and anger management she had a couple altercations with the law so my guess is he was just trying to keep her in check I didn't see any altercation with hitting but my wife has also on occasion her hitting him I don't know whether he's hit her or whatever the scenario was from that standpoint s has it been verbal or physical but it wasn't on his part so she's initiated it or she's been yelling okay when it's physical what have you seen her slapping him around in the face some of us saw some dangers there if you would have asked me six years ago did I have any friends whose spouse were capable of killing them I'd say only one and that would be Danielle how would you describe Michael he always seemed very laid-back I never saw any kind of aggression or anything and how would you describe Daniel volatile but I don't know what happened behind closed doors then detectives learn there's been run-ins with the red licks in the past including the year earlier when Michael actually called 9-1-1 on Danielle 911 we need a car here there's a woman at the danger herself into others right now my sense on call 9-1-1 was to show her that look I'm not going to abuse you I'm not going to hit you but I've had it you better go in your room please Dance please stop all right I'll call I will call you back I will call you back in five minutes sir what is going on there hello you can see in a domestic situation where someone is looking at their wife acting crazily that they would call police and because they didn't know what her intentions were that they wouldn't ask police to come over right away and said he would call them back but he never did this was not Danielle's first brush with the laws she actually was uh previously charged with getting into an altercation with a couple of deputies she was even accused of biting one of the deputies and she received probation it's still not clear though what truly happened in the redlick's home that January night when Michael died but up next investigators speak with someone else who maybe can provide some answers she was like when dad comes home he's angry with me right now so if you like sense tension I'm just warning you me and Dad are on good terms right now [Music] oh [Music] he started struggling about five years or so but he started getting some medical problems and Ed UCA remember this whole shock it's January 2019 and police set their sights on Danielle redlick a woman on probation as they think she stabbed her husband Michael redlick to death all amid a heated argument in the couple's Winter Park Florida home over the 15-year marriage this relationship has been Rocky for the stepdaughter turned wife who says Michael 20 years her senior physically and verbally abused her police need to determine if there's any truth to what Danielle is saying so they speak with the redlick's son then 11 year old Sawyer to get a better picture of what their family life was like and what may have gone down the night Michael died how did you get to your friend's house yesterday um I had a football game last night and I had a sleepover with him was he supposed to coach this morning at your football and he just didn't show up yeah Mike was a little league coach and the Knight of the occurrence there was a flag football game how was your parents relationship that night I think there was some tension between them I don't know why but he's anger who appeared angry you know if anybody was toxic in a relationship it was Danielle go back and look at all the things before he came back into the house that night what did she do to him as he was getting out of the car she threw eggs at the car she egged her husband this is not a sane woman have they ever gotten into arguments that you actually saw them physically fighting yes they are pushing each other have you ever seen anything more than just pushing between the two of them scratching okay oh it's scratch Hill I guess my mom my dad would push away investigators then learn even more about Michael and Danielle's troubling marriage from their daughter 15 year old Jaden my parents used to be separated they're obviously not divorced but that's like a family we've been through a lot this past year I know they were kind of in a heated argument this week about something Jaden's interview with the police was what I would expect basically that her parents did not get along my dad moved out in April of last year and he moved back in in I've always had like an off and on relationship for like I think the past five or six years it's interesting for someone so young that's getting information from both parties clearly the father communicated to her that he didn't necessarily get along with his mother and the mother was communicating to her that she didn't necessarily get along with her father so she was kind of stuck in the middle last year my dad met this woman and my parents were separated at that time and that was when they were saying okay we're gonna get a divorce and my mom like was really hurt by that if you know the people close to both of them Mike redlick was not the kind of guy that was going to be cheating on his wife no way she had like an app on her phone not a dating app she showed me the outfit was for like work or something she had messages where some the gentleman mentioned that he found her attractive and he liked her photo some random guy was like flirting with her or something but she didn't respond and my dad saw that and I think that's what caused like an argument I have a really close relationship with my mom she told me that she didn't have anything going on with this guy obviously this was a source of tension between her and her husband at some point she even deleted messages off of her phone these messages certainly did not help her you have mentioned they have fights in the past has anything been physical at points yeah when's the last time you saw them there until it feels like a confrontation not for a while sometime last year Jayden blamed her mom for being an instigator that if there was any violence between them it was her mother Danielle who instigated it in the times in the past that they've had this physical confrontation that you've observed who would be the market I've never seen him hurt my mom like physically and it's rare for a daughter to point the finger at her mother for being the violent one but that's what happened here the one time that I saw like a mark on my dad's face was because they were arguing and my mom had a ring on has he ever hit her or left any marks on her I think so I remember just my mom saying my dad pushed her do you think the push was in self-defense because she was coming at him or pushed because he was upset at her maybe both you had a verbal and physical abuse being alleged you had cheating being alleged so you had all this and a combustible mix that led to the tragedy that ensued he said to me on several occasions everything will be okay as long as I hide the steak knives I was driving from Charlotte up to Cleveland got a call from a good friend of mine that let me know what happened they said he was found dead I was in shock but at the same time I wasn't surprised oh my God he didn't hide the steak knives detectives put two and two together and they begin to realize that perhaps Danielle's story that Michael stabbed himself doesn't quite add up maybe Danielle was the aggressor they begin to build a case against her starting with something police noticed at the very start of this whole investigation Michael was stabbed once in the shoulder it was originally a bloody crime scene but when investigators walked into the house they smelled disinfectant bleach it was clear that the husband had bled out there was evidence that she even attempted to clean up by the time they arrived and the fact that the wombs had dried it led the investigators to believe that this had taken place hours prior to her calling 9-1-1 and let's go back to that 911 phone call that Danielle made after the stabbing there was one important detail that caught investigators attention did you just find him no actually it happened last night did you see him last night was he okay or was he was not okay last night we had altercation what is interesting of course is that she waited 11 hours to call the police after what was ultimately discovered to be an altercation between the two her initial story was that he killed himself okay so if your husband kills himself why wouldn't you call 9-1-1 right away why would you tamper with evidence why wouldn't she call EMS and see what she could do to save him about a week after the stabbing Danielle is arrested for violating her probation and that's when police press her even further on Michael's staff [Music] tomorrow for a lot of the other stuff yes but with Danielle redlick not giving into questioning it's the evidence that starts doing the talking detectives focused on the 11 hours where Danielle said that she was hiding in the bathroom because she was in fear of her life meanwhile in those 11 hours she was cleaning up the crime scene plus she was surfing the web on a dating site looking to meet new men while he's bleeding to death that's the kind of stuff that makes headlines and will stick in a juror's mind to show that someone has a cold and depraved heart she did all types of odd behavior but I just want to point out that it's not absolutely dispositive because we all react differently taking of a human life is one of the most traumatic events that one can engage in and it's very difficult to know what normal behavior is so kind of a mixed bag here about a month after Michael redlick's death Danielle is officially arrested and charged with murder and tampering with evidence Danielle was charted with second-degree murder which doesn't require premeditation it could just be that she killed someone with a depraved mind but didn't necessarily plan in advance it's then when Danielle is locked up in jail that she does something which raises even more suspicion right well it was basically they dropped the charge to manslaughter 10 years according to you know my lawyers it was a good offer but then today it seems like they had bad news they're like well no the police not he doesn't want to negotiate so you know and now he wishes he didn't give it to you most of us thought you know this is an airtight case and she's going to be found guilty if anything maybe they let her plead out to a lesser degree that offer was on the table Danielle made the decision to decline the manslaughter deal where she would have served 10 years in prison there's some evidence they keep getting but it's just stuff they took out of his desk when he was writing down stuff about when I had filed for divorce Michael was so angry he was keeping a log of stuff like you know he was just being vindictive like oh today Danielle does this and it's like all this stuff did to me I better not share too much but there's something really bad about him that he did when he was younger they're trying to keep all that out she obviously thought she could convince a jury that she believes she was in fear of her life she could use Michael's past against him big problem meanwhile this son of a is drinking his ass off smacking me around smacking the kids around too go at it with me you know well unfortunately a lot of people aren't stepping forward because they didn't see anything no one sees the abuse you know I was mentally abused like psychologically I'm not kidding you sexually I mean he oh boy he was a mastermind keep in mind that even when one leads self-defense they are not claiming that they did not kill someone they are merely saying I am not criminally liable because I had to kill this person in order to save my life I was flipping on it so I use a towel so they're saying you know that kind of thing could be tampering so that's kind of yeah the max for that is five years alone she was also charged with tampering when someone dies the police have to conduct an investigation so it's a crime to impede that investigation and tamper with the crime scene when you walk into a crime scene you smell bleach generally that's tampering with the evidence and so that's the one that all along we knew she would be convicted of the bigger question is would they get her for murder that's the question would a jury believe Danielle redlick murdered her husband they did a hell of a job banging up some evidence a lot of us here say a neighbor saw me hit him on the outside one time if I go to trial I could definitely or I could win when we return Danielle redlick heads to trial [Music] to put a mother of our kids in jail after her husband died it's fabulous it's really great karma for you guys I mean I know you're doing your job but at the same time I have had no chance for defense or anything in June 2022 prosecutors are set to bring Danielle redlick's second-degree murder in tampering with evidence case before a jury for the death of her stepfather turned husband Michael redlick investigators believe Danielle stabbed him after their 15-year marriage turned to arguments and alleged abuse up until now not much is clear of what actually went on in their Suburban home the day of Michael's death but it was at trial where new details came to light that defendant plunged a knife into the shoulder of Michael redlick which would cause him to bleed to death the home that she is standing in looks like something from a horror movie the prosecution's strongest evidence at trial was the argument that manipulating the crime scene hiding the crime evidences a guilty mind this defendant did everything she could to avoid responsibility for her actions the evidence will show that she engages in a significant but failed attempt to clean up the scene Danielle's Alibi never made any sense she only claims self-defense after she first said that Michael had a heart attack or that Michael stabbed himself which is really bizarre based on all the information that you had from the 9-1-1 call your conversation with Miss redlick did you believe her to be claiming that Mr redlick basically brought about his own death yes did the autopsy results as shared to you by the medical examiner give you reason to believe that that was not true yes Danielle kept changing her story how can you dispute the fact that he had someone who claimed to be a victim of domestic violence who claimed to be acting in self-defense who then didn't claim self-defense when she spoke to law enforcement did you actually locate some evidence yes I did there was towels that were piled up next to the stair there was a mop that had blood on it and a bucket full of like pink liquid by the stairs there was also knives there was a knife in the doorway knives and the kitchen sink I think the prosecution relied more on the physical evidence of her manipulation of the crime scene than anything else prosecutors also tried to show evidence of problems in the marriage an email from months before the stabbing from Danielle to Michael was particularly chilling I know I'm bitter at times I admit but you have a lot of nerve as well although my words may be cutting they are only sounds a Dull Knife compared to the sharp disloyal deceiving phony and never-ending selfish now if you continue to twist in my back of course someone would be messed up traumatized and may act out she used a large knife to stab Michael to death who then slowly bled out for the next 11 hours it looked like someone who wanted Michael dead and was trying to hide her tracks then it comes time for the defense to show jurors that Danielle killed Michael in self-defense everybody thought it would be a layup but the one thing they were worried about was how people would portray Mike if I'm the defense attorney I'm going to paint this story about this guy that married a stepdaughter right we're going to make him look like a predator that was abusive January 11 2019 someone was very very angry this someone started to physically attack their spouse they had rage they were choking their spouse smothering their spouse that someone was Michael redlick and Daniel radlich had no choice but to defend herself because she was afraid she was going to die the other argument for self-defense is that she stabbed Michael in the shoulder it wasn't a Kill Shot you would normally think of as an attempt to murder someone would be in the heart yes Danielle redlick did stab Michael redlick Daniel rudlick knew and recognized that the danger that she was facing that night was different than the other incidents of abuse that had happened throughout their marriage you can see why jurors could buy the story that she acted in self-defense because she had a prior complaint of domestic violence against Michael at one point during the trial Danielle redlick takes the stand herself telling the jury her version of events the night Michael died so I like on January 11th 2019 did you stab your husband I did yes she got to take the stand in her own defense and it was no one there to defend Michael because Michael's dead he was suffocating me I couldn't breathe and he had me pinned down I was scared and um you know it's just in fear for my life I thought he snapped and I could die you have any choice about to use a weapon to get away no she is painting a story that isn't true she's using her manipulation to try to convince the jury that she's the victim I walked through the kitchen and that's when he he comes up behind me and grabs me drip up on my feet and feet and follow the ground point I I grabbed the center Island and I reach up to pull myself up to face him grabs me here and slams me down onto the Center Island counter there were times when we say Mike now you you've never hit her when she starts going off the wall his response was I just put my hands up for self-defense he called me and he was holding my head down on the counter so I'm just pinned up against account like this and he's straddling my body here and has me pinned I've got a free arm here and um the drawer in front of me is the only thing I can do so I use my free arm to push open the drawer ahead of me I think he was just trying to hold her back talk her down off the ledge and she got carried away and she killed him pulled a knife out Please Release my head and I take the knife and I position it and face it toward him he immediately just goes to my chin and he pulls me back and that's not stop him at that point prior to stabbing him with a knife are you able to remove yourself no are you able to get out without using a weapon what are you trying to do to get away from him why if you don't do that what is your belief that will happen that he might smother me to death Danielle was the best witness for the defense she abdicated for herself but prosecutors still needed some questions answered a life without Michael redlick was a life that you were looking forward to living well life was at peace with Michael redlick you wanted a life beyond Michael correct yes at that point yes if a defendant can stand up against cross-examination I think it can really hurt the prosecution's case so you stood in that home with the power to call for help and you let your husband bleed to death on that floor you'd already bled to death I was wondering if I could recover him or something which one is it is he dead or you think it's possible if he could be covered something would have to be done immediately and so yes I thought perhaps I should do that so in these fleeting moments you think Mr redlet can be saved you choose not to save him I wouldn't put it that way no when someone Waits 11 hours to call 9-1-1 she was no longer in fear of her safety when he was lying on the floor bleeding to death and yet she let him die while she was surfing the web looking for dates standing there having mopped up all that blood taking all these towels and soaked them through with Michael's blood you thought that it was possible he had died of a heart attack thought there was a possibility did not believe that your husband had a heart attack well I was hoping too we're hoping not in The Morbid sense that I wanted him dead but if you had a heart attack you wouldn't have been responsible for his death yes to an extent juries I think are rather sophisticated and I think that she really helped herself by getting on the stand because it provided her with an opportunity to tell her story and to talk about the tumultuous relationship and to explain why she took all the actions that she did once the case was finally handed over to the jury it took them just four hours of deliberating to come back with a major decision find the verdict as to count to we the jury find the defendant guilty of tampering with physical evidence I was sad I in in my opinion Justice wasn't served and I couldn't believe she got away with it you have to respect jury decisions these are 12 men and women that give up their time to do their civic duty and I'm not in the habit of questioning a jury's decision it's a very interesting decision uh it's very interesting that all these things can occur and someone can clean up a crime scene after killing another person and be acquitted of murder it's not something that we see often at all Danielle redlick Dodges a conviction of second-degree murder but is sentenced to almost a year in jail for tampering with evidence with credit for time served the jury decided not necessarily she was innocent but the jury decided that they didn't have enough evidence that she was a murderer Beyond any reasonable doubt so in the end she bet on herself and she won Mike made one mistake wasn't being a good father wasn't being a good husband I wasn't being good to Danielle's mother he married his stepdaughter should have never have done it we could go back in time and talk him out of it I wish we had that opportunity with her jail sentence completed Danielle redlick is released from custody on 12 months probation my focus is trying to be there for the kids what would Mike want me to do he'd want me to you know help take care of his kids just thinking back of how much pride he had in both of them he'd be bragging about the kids got in arm or how well Jaden was doing in school you know I'm very proud of his kids and it was just getting to know him before he ever met Danielle he would come to our house and the way he treated my kids oh my kids thought the world of him there's still a little bit more to this story so Danielle's daughter Jaden absolutely ripped into her mother in a letter to the court saying she wants nothing to do with Danielle she wrote quote you may all be fooled by the incredible mask this woman presents to you all but I am not and Jaden even asked for a no contact order for her and her brother Sawyer but it appears that wasn't successful look the truth is the jury they believed Daniel radlik's story yes but what's left in the wake of this whole case is unfortunately a broken family that's all we have for you here on this episode of prime crime everybody thank you so much for joining us and as always stay safe thank you [Music]

Channel: Law&Crime Network

Views: 1,570,436

Keywords: law and crime, law and crime network

Id: O7NSe8ot-5Y

Length: 43min 23sec (2603 seconds)

Published: Sat Sep 23 2023