A Baltimore jury convicted 26-year-old Karin Redfern of manslaughter and use of a deadly weapon in the stabbing death of Demetri Briscoe last summer.
The verdict was finalized on March 2 before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Althea M. Handy, the day after jurors heard closing arguments. One of the defendant’s charges—concealing a deadly weapon—was dismissed.
Though Redfern was initially charged with first-degree murder in Briscoe’s death, evidence that the defendant acted in self-defense led jurors to downgrade the charge to manslaughter.
The case centered on a fatal confrontation outside Redfern’s home on the 3000 block of Westfield Avenue that stemmed from a dissolved polyamorous relationship. An argument between Redfern and her ex-girlfriend led to a physical altercation between the defendant’s fiancé and the 26-year-old victim, who was also the defendant’s ex-boyfriend. Prior to her engagement, Redfern had been involved in a three-way romantic relationship with both exes.
Key evidence included Ring camera footage showing Redfern stabbing Briscoe while he stood still. Although Redfern testified she was protecting her fiancé from Briscoe, prosecutors challenged her self-defense claim, noting the victim did not appear to be attacking anyone when Redfern stabbed him.
“You stabbed him in the video,” the prosecution argued during the trial. “No one was attacking him at the time.”
Expert testimony also linked Redfern to a kitchen knife found in her car, with DNA evidence providing a match of 174 sextillion to one for the suspect’s inclusion. At trial, the defense argued the stabbing was a reactive “heat of passion” response that occurred without premeditation, a necessary element to prove the charge of first-degree murder.
Redfern, who now faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, is set to be sentenced on March 23 before Judge Handy.
