ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – The jury adjourned Thursday evening following closing arguments in the murder trial for a woman accused of fatally stabbing her husband in their Winter Park home in January 2019 and are set to return Friday morning.
Danielle Redlick, 48, faces charges of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence in the death of 65-year-old Michael Redlick, who worked as director of external affairs and partnership relations at UCF’s DeVos Sport Business Management Graduate Program.
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Jurors were sent to lunch around 11:30 a.m. before they returned to the courtroom about two hours later to receive instructions and hear prosecutors and the defense deliver their closing arguments.
The judge announced she was switching out a juror who was asleep during forensic and DNA testimony with a second alternate juror, as the first alternate juror was also asleep.
Prosecutors called rebuttal witnesses Thursday morning after the judge, outside the presence of the jury, allowed a request from the defense to reopen its case to question a witness. However, it turned out the state had planned to call the same witness for its rebuttal, so the judge allowed the state to call the witness and the defense would be able to cross-examine.
That witness was a detective who said the medical examiner told her that Michael Redlick died within 5-6 minutes of being stabbed. That contradicts the medical examiner’s previous testimony, which was that it took far longer for him to die.
The witness also testified regarding Redlick’s divorce paperwork, and the jury heard jail calls where Redlick lamented not finalizing the divorce.
Redlick testified Wednesday for the second day in a row about the night her husband was stabbed on Jan. 19, 2019. During cross-examination, the state spent nearly two hours poking holes in Redlick’s story. She admitted she lied when she first reported Michael Redlick’s death.
Prosecutors then questioned her about cleaning up the scene before officers arrived. The jury also heard testimony Wednesday from a physician who said he treated the couple following a domestic incident.
Danielle Redlick claimed she was being choked by her husband, which forced her to stab him, although the state said evidence points to a case of second-degree murder, not self-defense.
Prosecutors said evidence shows she cleaned up afterward, checked messages on a dating app and waited 11 hours to call police. Investigators said the nature of her husband’s wounds don’t match up with her claims.
Michael Redlick was found dead Jan. 12, 2019, in their shared home on Temple Drive. According to a warrant for Redlick’s arrest, investigators said Redlick initially told 911 dispatchers that her husband suffered a heart attack after an argument, later claiming he stabbed himself.