Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Lawyer: Man convicted of killing his daughter was mentally ill

A defense lawyer told the Nevada Supreme Court on Tuesday that William Redman was mentally ill and should not have been convicted of first-degree murder in the stabbing of his 12-year-old daughter in Las Vegas.

Nancy Lemcke of the Clark County Public Defender's Office argued that Redman met the criteria for legal insanity and that District Judge Elissa Cadish did not follow the law in her verdict of Redman, who believed that he had to sacrifice his daughter, Gloria, to save the world and that she would be resurrected in three days.

But Deputy District Attorney Ryan MacDonald said Redman knew what he did was wrong when he called 911 after he repeatedly stabbed Gloria in the neck in the family's mobile home in March 2008.

MacDonald said Redman used methamphetamine and marijuana before the killing. He quoted Redman as saying, "I smoked a lot of pot." He said Redman told an emergency medical technician, "Let me die" from the self-inflicted wounds on him.

Redman maintains he heard messages from God and he had to kill his daughter to save the world. He reportedly told police that "God made me do it."

Judge Cadish sentenced Redman to 20 years to life in prison saying he was guilty of murder.

MacDonald said a defendant has a fundamental right to an insanity plea but it was on his burden to show he was mentally unbalanced.

Lemcke said Redman did not understand what he did. "He (Redman) met the insanity standard," she said.

At the end of the hearing, Justice Michael Cherry told both lawyers they did a good job. The court took the arguments under submission and will rule later.

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