On Thursday, defense attorneys of Danielle Redlick, a 48-year-old woman accused of murdering her husband, claimed that she had acted in ‘self-defense.’
According to People News, on 11 January 2019, Danielle Redlick allegedly stabbed Michael Redlick to death. Reportedly, after the alleged murder she scrolled through a dating app. Prosecutors claim she waited at least 11 hours after the death of her husband to call for help.
One of the suspect's attorneys, Catherine Conlon, told jurors that her client was forced to stab her husband after he had attacked her over suspicions of cheating.
She said:
“Danielle Redlick did stab Michael Redlick. She had no choice but to defend her life. You’ll hear about a violent attack in the kitchen. Danielle reacted in confusion, despair and trauma.”
According to Wesh, the trial is expected to last until next week. The Redlicks' two school-aged children are also expected to testify.
All there is to know about Michael and Danielle Redlick
According to Fox, Michael Redlick was previously married to Danielle’s mother, Cathy. According to authorities, friends of the couple claimed his marriage to Cathy was not romantic, but charitable. Michael Redlick, being an executive for the University of Florida, had the financial stability to support Cathy’s medical expenditure, as she was dying of cancer at the time.
In 1999, after Cathy’s death, Michael Redlick began a relationship with Danielle. By the time of his death, the couple had been married for 17 years.
On Thursday, prosecutor Sean Wiggins claimed that Danielle had murdered her husband in order to escape the marriage.
He said:
“She was not interested in a life with Mr. Redlick. She was never going to make the relationship work. She was done.”
However, the defense attorneys of Danielle Redlick proposed a different narrative. According to them, Michael had come across his wife exchanging flirtatious messages with another man, reportedly beginning a violent altercation.
Wesh reported that one of the defense attorneys said:
“What we expect the evidence will show is that on the morning of Jan. 10, Michael Redlick had discovered that Danielle Redlick is on a dating app messaging another man and that infuriated Michael Redlick.”
According to the defense, Michael began to choke his wife, forcing her to stab him.
On the day of the murder, however, Danielle provided a different story to the authorities. She claimed that while she did grab a kitchen knife to defend herself in response to Michael’s aggression, she said that her husband took it from her and stabbed himself while she escaped to the bathroom.
Sean Wiggins accused Danielle Redlick of attempting to tamper with evidence after the murder. He described the scene of the crime.
He said:
‘Blood-soaked towels, mops soaked in blood. Five-gallon bucket full of pinkish water. The smell of cleaning fluid.”
The trial will continue into next week. As of now, the Judge and Jury have not made any judgements based on the facts provided.