ORLANDO, Fla. — The wife of a UCF executive found dead last month stabbed him with a kitchen knife and waited 11 hours before calling 911, investigators say in court records.
- Danielle Redlick booked on 2nd-degree murder charge
- Police say she stabbed him with kitchen knife, he bled out
- Medical Examiner ruled death a homicide, warrant application says
- READ IT: Application and affidavit for arrest warrant filed in Ninth Judicial Circuit Court for Danielle Redlick (PDF)
- PREVIOUSLY:
Danielle Justine Redlick, 45, was arrested on a warrant Wednesday morning on charges of second-degree murder with a weapon and tampering with evidence, Winter Park Police said.
Michael Redlick, who was director at the UCF DeVos Sport Business Management Program, was found dead at the couple's Temple Drive home on the morning of Saturday, January 12. The Associated Press said he had previously worked for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Cleveland Browns, and Memphis Grizzlies.
According to an application and affidavit for an arrest warrant filed in Ninth Judicial Circuit Court, Winter Park Police investigators say Danielle Redlick called 911 just before 9:30 a.m. to say that her husband was dead and that there had been a "tragedy at home" and that she "believed her husband was deceased."
Redlick claimed he "might have had a heart attack. I don't know," after a fight the night before, the records say.
She went on to say that Michael Redlick was the aggressor, trying to choke and suffocate her, and that she grabbed a knife to protect herself but he took it from her. She told the dispatcher she sought refuge in a bathroom, and when she came out, she "saw he was lying in blood and then I tried to help him and I couldn't..." detectives say in the affidavit.
Redlick also described her husband as "out of it," so she tried CPR.
When the dispatcher asked her why she didn't call 911 the night before, Redlick said she was on probation and panicked and was afraid. She said she was exhausted from the commotion and fell asleep.
Detectives, for their part, say in the affidavit that there was evidence that someone had tried to clean up the scene — smelling bleach in the home and finding bloody towels — and that Redlick deleted text messages between her and her husband before calling 911.
An autopsy performed Sunday, January 13 determined that Michael Redlick had a stab wound near his left shoulder and no sign of a heart attack. The Medical Examiner said that he would have bled out in 6 minutes or less, and that he died from the stab wound, ruling his death a homicide.
The warrant says a friend who Michael Redlick confided in told investigators that the couple's relationship was "rocky" and that they intermittently lived apart and together. He said Danielle had a drinking problem, was prone to outbursts, and had an "explosive personality." Michael used to tell the friend that "as long as I hide the steak knives, everything will be fine," detectives said the man told them.
Danielle Redlick is expected to make an initial appearance before a judge at 9 a.m. Thursday.
