Photo: Orange County Jail; University of Central Florida
A Florida woman who is accused of fatally stabbing her executive husband used to be his stepdaughter, according to multiple reports.
Danielle Redlick, 45, was arrested on charges of second-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence in the death of her husband, Michael Redlick, an executive at the University of Central Florida who once worked for the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies.
According to WESH, a family friend told investigators that Michael had been married to Danielle’s mother Cathy and he allegedly married her because she was dying of cancer and he wanted her to have better medical coverage.
The friend told police that Danielle and Michael had known each other for three years and fell in love after Cathy died in 1999 from her terminal illness,FOX35reports.
Danielle and Michael, 65, were married for 17 years before his January death.
Danielle allegedly told investigators that Michael found a “text from another man to her” and also “cheated on her and it was a big, long, drawn-out thing.”
The mother of two also allegedly told police there was tension between the couple on the night of his death and that Michael was following her around the house.
“I was trying not to engage,” she said, according toWESH. “I locked myself in the bathroom. He broke the door open. He was scaring me, so I decided to leave.”
A friend of the family told investigators that Michael had previously told him about problems in their marriage.
Michael had also allegedly told a friend that Danielle had been aggressive in the past.
“They started kissing, and he said, ‘She just snapped and started hitting me in the face really hard,” Anthony Barone said, according to WESH.
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Initially, Danielle told authorities that Michael died of a heart attack and then allegedly changed her story to say he had stabbed himself after an altercation between them.
Later, the Medical Examiner declared Michael’s death to be a homicide, determining that his stab wounds were not self-inflicted and that he suffered injuries that appeared to be defensive.
source: people.com
