A Florida woman was found not guilty Friday after an Orange County jury rejected the second-degree murder charge against her, but she’ll still face sentencing for a related charge in the case.
According to Mercury News, Danielle Redlick, who was accused of killing her husband, Michael Redlick, was found guilty of evidence tampering. She’s scheduled for sentencing on August 5. She’s been behind bars since her husband’s death but will reportedly be released on a $15,000 bail amount.
The jury deliberated for around four hours before returning the not-guilty verdict for murder or manslaughter. Redlick has maintained since the killing that she acted in self-defense.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, police found Michael, an executive at the University of Central Florida, deceased and bloodied near the entrance of his upscale Winter Park home on January 12, 2019.
Danielle Redlick called 911 and claimed Michael had a heart attack after stabbing himself, which might’ve “triggered” the heart attack. She’s accused of waiting 11 hours before calling 911. She then told the dispatcher that she fell asleep next to her husband’s body after performing CPR.
Police said she spent some of those 11 hours using a dating app and checking messages on her phone.
Responding officers noted that Michael was surrounded by a pool of blood and bloody towels. Police wrote that a trail of blood leading to the master bedroom had circular stains, suggesting that someone tried to clean it up before their arrival.
Officers also alleged that the Winter Park home reeked of bleach.
Danielle Redlick told a dispatcher that she and Michael had an “altercation” and she hid in the bathroom. She said she emerged from the bathroom to find him lying in his own blood.
A police report stated that Danielle told Department of Children and Families officials that she was eating a hamburger when Michael took a bite of it and spit it in her face, leading to a fight. Danielle said she grabbed a knife but Michael got control of it and “began making stabbing motions toward himself,” police wrote.
During opening statements earlier this month, one of Danielle Redlick’s defense attorneys said Michael was furious on the day of his death after catching the defendant on a dating app.
“What we expect the evidence will show is that on the morning of Jan. 10, Michael Redlick has discovered that Danielle Redlick is on a dating app messaging another man and that infuriated Michael Redlick,” the lawyer said.
Danielle was arrested three weeks after the January 12 slaying.
The jury returned a guilty verdict on the tampering charge after evidence showed she messages from her phone, browsed a dating app, and tried to bleach the scene
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[Featured Image: Danielle Redlick/Orange County Jail; Michael Redlick/University of Central Florida]
*Additional reporting by Jacquelyn Gray*
