A New Jersey man, 30, who previously worked as a legal assistant in his father’s law firm, is facing charges for allegedly killing his stepmother with a baseball bat in their family townhouse before fleeing the scene. The incident occurred on Wednesday evening in a townhouse on Stonegate Trail in Cresskill, as reported by Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella.
John Arthur Daniels Jr. is the accused, and the victim was identified as 48-year-old Irma Daniels. The police responded to a 911 call around 6:46 p.m. and found Irma deceased from what appeared to be blunt force trauma. The authorities later confirmed that she had been beaten with a bat and was pronounced dead at the scene.
John Daniels Jr. is a graduate of Bergen Catholic High School, class of 2011, the same year his father, John Daniels Sr., married Irma. John Daniels Sr., a 63-year-old prominent lawyer in New Jersey, serves as the managing partner at Daniels & Daniels, a family law firm with nearly a century of history. The firm specializes in civil litigation, corporate law, personal injury law, and estate and trust law.
John Daniels Jr., a Seton Hall undergraduate in Diplomacy and International Relations with an MBA from Boston College, worked as a legal assistant at his father’s firm from 2018 to 2020, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Now, he faces charges of first-degree murder, hindering apprehension by suppression, providing false information, and weapons charges.
Irma Daniels, originally from Moscow, Russia, had been living in the U.S. for over a decade. She worked as a realtor associate, specializing in luxury properties. She was known for her dedication and sensitivity towards her clients, as reflected in a quote from her on her Sotheby’s International Realty page.
In March, Irma celebrated a professional milestone on Facebook, sharing her receipt of the ‘CIRCLE OF EXCELLENCE’ award from the NJ Board of Realtors for her accomplishments in real estate in 2022. She expressed gratitude to her clients, friends, and family for their trust and support.
Sadly, Irma Daniels was found dead in a townhouse similar to the ones she was known for selling.