A Sotheby's realtor was beaten to death with a baseball bat by her 30-year-old stepson at her home in a luxury gated community in New Jersey, authorities said. Irma Daniels, 48, was found dead in her $864,000 three-bedroom home in Cresskill on Wednesday. Investigators have confirmed that she succumbed to fatal injuries caused by blunt force trauma.
Law enforcement authorities claim that the person responsible for the killing is her husband's stepson John Daniels Jr., 30. Daniels reportedly fled the scene after committing the crime. Daniels was arrested on Thursday and appeared in court on Friday, where he broke down, and stuttered while addressing the judge. The judge ordered him to be detained without the possibility of bail.
Killed Mercilessly
Cops found the battered remains of Irma after responding to a 911 call made on Wednesday at 6:46 p.m. The incident occurred on Stonegate Trail in Cresskill, as reported by the Bergen County Prosecutor's office.
John Daniels now faces a slew of criminal charges including first-degree murder, unlawful possession of a weapon, and lying to investigators. According to the Daily Voice, John A. Daniels Sr., 63, who is also an attorney, identified his son as the killer.
A neighbor mentioned that the suspect had been acting suspiciously. "He was doing odd sprinting, from one driveway to the next driveway. Not sprinting for exercise. He wouldn't make eye contact," said the resident, who did not want to be identified.
"One day I saw him wandering around in front of someone else's house, pacing. It was like circling with an angry and upset look on his face. He looked deranged. And I thought, 'Somebody is gonna call the police on this guy.'"
The victim, originally from Moscow, Russia, shared a now gut-wrenching post on her Facebook page on August 15, featuring picturesque footage of her home country. This post now holds a heartbreaking significance.
"Going back to my roots. My beautiful motherland with breathtaking Caucasian Mountains, ancient culture, heartbreaking history, and graceful and noble people. Proud of being Circassian," she wrote.
The victim's Facebook page also said that Irma had been married since 2011 and worked as a Realtor sales associate at Prominent Properties Sotheby's International Realty.
In March, she celebrated receiving a Circle of Excellence award from the company, marking seven years in the real estate field.
"I did it...Looking back to the beginning of this new journey for me I will never forget how hard it was the first two years with no deals, no clients, no guidance or support from the company where I started. I was ready to give up. It was a long way to get where I am now. Everything came to me through perseverance, work ethic, failures, creative mind and most importantly my mindset that I am not a quitter."
Eerie Resemblance
Strangely, Irma Daniels passed away in an upscale townhome, resembling the kind of residences she dealt with in her profession.
Daniels' LinkedIn profile indicates his profession as an investment banker, while his social media accounts are replete with shirtless selfies and extravagant vacations.
As per the police, he was unemployed and unattached when his stepmother was killed. Notably, he appears to have been without employment for more than three years since leaving his father's law firm.
Mark Musella, the Bergen County prosecutor, said that the police were called to the scene within the gated community of Stonegate Trail in Cresskill on Wednesday evening. Upon their arrival at her home, they found Daniels' body and determined that she had died due to apparent blunt force trauma.
Daniels Sr. holds a prominent position as a managing partner at the esteemed law firm Daniels & Daniels, nearly a century-long legacy based in Guttenberg, New Jersey.
