ORLANDO, Fla. — The wife of a UCF executive who was found slain in their Winter Park home in January will be held in jail without bond.
- Danielle Redlick arrested, charged in death of her husband
- UCF executive Michael Redlick found stabbed at his home
- READ IT: Application and affidavit for arrest warrant filed in Ninth Judicial Circuit Court for Danielle Redlick (PDF)
- PREVIOUSLY:
Danielle Redlick made an initial appearance before a judge Thursday at the Orange County Jail.
An arrest affidavit describes a night of violence January 12 and then an attempt to cover it up by Redlick.
Court records show she tried to divorce her husband, Michael, last year, but a judge denied her petition, saying her husband was not properly served with divorce papers.
According to the affidavit, she told detectives that she and her husband got into an argument after he saw her eating a burger. She claimed her husband bit into the burger and then spit it into her face.
She also said her husband stabbed himself to death, but as investigators began questioning her more, they say her story began to change and quickly unraveled.
She waited more than 11 hours after Michael was stabbed before calling 911, investigators say.
They also say phone records showed she was on a dating site two hours before she notified police about the "tragedy" that happened at her home. The home reportedly smelled like bleach, and the county Medical Examiner's Office determined his stab wounds did not appear to be self-inflicted. The affidavit also says she had alcohol in her system at the time.
The 45-year-old mother of two is charged with second degree murder and tampering with evidence and could face life in prison.
Danielle Redlick was arrested on a warrant Wednesday — about a month after her husband, UCF faculty member Michael Redlick, was found dead. It's unclear why police would only publicly say his death was suspicious until then.
Marriage Woes
According to Winter Park Police, on February 4, 2018, there was call for service regarding a verbal disturbance at the Redlick home. A little over month later a petition for dissolution of marriage was filed in Orange County Circuit Court by Danielle Redlick. That document described the marriage as “irretrievably broken."
Court documents we obtained detail statements from people close to the Redlicks that describe their marriage as “on again/off again." Another family friend described the relationship as “rocky” and “toxic” for their kids to be around.
That same friend also told police that the victim, Michael Redlick, would say his wife, Danielle “is crazy, but as long as I hide steak knives, everything will be fine.”
Colleague Remembers Michael Redlick
Dr. Richard Lapchick and Michael Redlick were colleagues at the University of Central Florida’s DeVos Sport Business Management Program. Lapchick says Redlick, known affectionately as "Red" by students, will be sorely missed and had big heart for helping students.
"Mike was an integral part of the team that worked with the students to make them feel that they are going to fulfill their dreams. He pushed them hard and made them believe in themselves," Lapchick said.
He says his heart goes out the Redlick children.
"To have them be in the situation now, having lost their dad... I think the one thing everybody appreciated about Mike more than anything else was the affection he had for his children," Lapchick said.
Investigative Reporter Curtis McCloud contributed to this report.
