A woman on trial for allegedly murdering her husband took the stand in her own defense and admitted to stabbing him.
Danielle Redlick, 48, claimed Tuesday that Michael Redlick, 65, was strangling her to the point she could not breathe. She said she was in fear for her life. The defendant also said she suffered physical abuse at her husband’s hands throughout the years and that the alleged strangling was one of the worst incidents.
Daughter Jadyn Redlick, now 18, took the stand for the prosecution on Monday. The young woman testified that her mother was “very toxic, very manipulative” in the relationship. The witness said Danielle Redlick was the primary source of toxicity.
“Me and my dad were very close,” Jadyn says.
Danielle Redlick is wiping her eyes with a tissue. Her daughter describes their relationship as “very toxic, very manipulative.”
She said her mom was the primary source of toxicity in her parents’ relationship.
— Monivette Cordeiro (@monivettec) June 13, 2022
Jadyn, who was 15 and over at a friend’s home at the time of the January 2019 stabbing, testified her mother never told her what happened—only that an autopsy said Michael Redlick died of a heart attack.
Jadyn Redlick says her mother never told her what happened the night her father died.
Before Danielle Redlick was arrested, Jadyn asked her on their front porch.
“I remember her exact words were, ‘The autopsy said he had a heart attack,'” Jadyn says.
— Monivette Cordeiro (@monivettec) June 13, 2022
Danielle Redlick searched on a dating site while Michael lay dead on the floor, prosecutor Sean Wiggins told jurors in opening statements last week. The state said she started the account back on Dec. 5, 2018, looking for a long-term relationship. Danielle Redlick had first tried to divorce her husband in 2018, but they moved back in together. Jadyn testified her father was excited about moving back in with the family, and that the relationship appeared to be getting better.
Authorities have previously said that Danielle Redlick claimed that her husband had actually stabbed himself during the incident and appeared to succumb to a heart attack.
As previously reported, Danielle used to be Michael Redlick’s stepdaughter. She testified Tuesday about her mother dating Michael and having a “spontaneous” marriage after her mother learned about having stage 4 breast cancer.
Prosecutors worked to foreclose against any possible heart attack defense. Under direct examination, medical examiner Dr. Sara Zydowicz said Michael Redlick had heart disease but there was no evidence of a heart attack. During cross examination, the defense emphasized his height of 6’1″ and weight of 243 pounds.
In detailing the alleged history of abuse, Danielle Redlick said her husband would “get physical” when he got angry or drank too much. He would “manhandle” her or slam her against the wall, she said. In one incident, Michael Redlick backhanded her after she encountered an ex-boyfriend at a concert, she claimed.
She and her husband got into an argument about it, Danielle Redlick said.
“I remember I made an offensive comment–which I wouldn’t make today–I said ‘At least he wasn’t Jewish and cheap,'” she said. Michael Redlick backhanded her in the face and mouth, causing her nose and mouth to bleed, she said.
#DanielleRedlick claimed that the husband she is accused of murdering once backhanded her for an “offensive” comment she made about her ex at least not being “Jewish and cheap.” pic.twitter.com/BndVscLpuw
— Law&Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) June 14, 2022
She said she stayed with him through the years because there was still “a lot of good” in the relationship.
[Screenshot via Law&Crime Network]
