Judge’s error reduces prison term for man convicted in daughter’s slaying
illness might have led William Redman to murder his 12-year-old daughter in a religious sacrifice he believed would save the world, but it was human error by a respected jurist that gave him a chance to shorten his sentence.
As District Judge Elissa Cadish prepared Wednesday to sentence Redman for repeatedly plunging a knife into Gloria Redman's neck in March 2008, the judge realized she had erroneously filled out the verdict form after the February bench trial.
The form read that the 58-year-old was guilty but mentally ill of first-degree murder, leaving off an enhancement for use of a deadly weapon that could have added up to 20 years to the sentence.
Cadish, who admitted her mistake, repeatedly shook her head in frustration as she sentenced him to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 20 years.
Prosecutor Sandy DiGiacomo pointed out that appellate courts have ruled such an error cannot be corrected to add guilt to a defendant. DiGiacomo said prosecutors contend that Redman should be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole because he posed a grave danger to others and needed psychiatric supervision to control his mental illness.
Public defender Andrea Luem, who asked for a sentence including the possibility of parole, said her client was not in good health and would likely die before he ever appeared before a parole board.
Luem added that the parole board would have a hard time approving his release if, in 20 years, he still showed the symptoms that led to Gloria's death.
In a tearful plea, Redman's ex-wife and Gloria's mother, Rosemary Young, asked Cadish to lock up Redman for the rest of his life because she feared he would track her and her family down and harm them.
Redman declined to speak before he was sentenced. He was sullen and disinterested as he stood with his arms and legs shackled, and his belly protruding from undersized navy blue jail scrubs.
Cadish called the case a tragedy and said Redman had shown no ill will toward his daughter.
"It was an awful crime, and it's also very clear it was all related to Mr. Redman's mental illness. He thought he was helping through the prism of his mental illness. That certainly was not the case," the judge said.
When he killed his daughter, Redman believed she would be resurrected three days later. He said the act would save the world, and he told an emergency medical technician at the bloody scene that he had seen God.
Gloria, a sixth-grader at Harney Middle School, had stayed home sick the day she was killed. Her mother was grocery shopping when the slaying occurred.
When Young came home and found the scene, she called 911. She could be heard on a 911 recording screaming, "What did you do to (my) baby?"
Redman later told a state psychiatrist that the event was supposed to be a joyous occasion, and he did not believe what he did was illegal. He said he was to be with Gloria and guide her for three days before his wife resurrected them both.
A month before the slaying, Redman, a Jehovah's Witness who worked for a carnival, showed signs of schizophrenic behavior, referring to aliens speaking to him through the television.
Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@review journal.com or 702-380-1039.
