Will Mark Redwine get death penalty? Colorado dad guilty of killing son who saw his lewd pics
DURANGO, COLORADO: Mark Redwine, 59, was found guilty of killing his 13-year-old son, Dylan. Mark killed Dylan in a fit of rage after he found 'compromising' photos of him eating feces from a diaper while wearing a red bra. The incident took place on the night of November 18, 2012. Mark was charged with second-degree murder and his trial began on June 21, 2021, after years of delays and two mistrials. A Colorado jury found Mark Redwine guilty on Friday, July 16.
Mark appeared in court on Friday, July 16, alongside his lawyers in a black shirt and a gray tie. He awaited the verdict patiently and showed no emotions when it was read out. Mark's lawyers, John Moran and Justin Bogan were not available for a comment on the verdict. Mark will remain in custody until sentencing, which is scheduled for October 8 this year. In similar incidents of child abuse and murder, an Arkansas father was convicted of murdering his six-year-old son by sexually assaulting him with a stick.
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Why was Dylan Redwine killed?
Last seen alive on November 18, 2012, Dylan had arrived in Durango, Colorado for a court-ordered visit with his father, amid a custody battle between Mark and his ex-wife Elaine Redwine. Dylan didn’t want to stay with Mark and asked him if he could sleepover at a friend's place. According to the indictment, his “request that was denied by Mark Redwine". Dylan made plans to meet a friend the next day but he never showed up. Mark reported Dylan missing but the investigators didn't believe him.
“Dylan Redwine’s blood was found in multiple locations of Mark Redwine’s living room, including on the couch, the floor in front of the couch, the corner of the coffee table, on the floor beneath a rug, and a love seat,” the indictment stated. "DNA testing showed that Dylan Redwine was the source of the blood on the love seat, and could not be eliminated as a contributor to the mixture found in the blood found on the couch, floor in front of the couch, the corner of the coffee table, and the blood found beneath the rug."
Dylan’s partial remains were located off an ATV trail less than 10 miles from Mark’s home by a cadaver dog in June 2013. When the police conducted a search of the house, a sniffer dog picked up “the presence of cadaver scent in various locations in the home,” and on the clothes Mark wore the day Dylan vanished, the indictment states. Prosecutors said that Mark Redwine was the only person with a motive to kill Dylan. Mark’s defense team contended that Dylan was likely attacked by a bear or a mountain lion. However, Redwine was seen driving an ATV down the same road where Dylan’s remains would be discovered. A forensic examination found blunt-force trauma to Dylan’s skull, as well as a fracture above the boy’s left eye, injuries inflicted by another human, not an animal.
According to the indictment, Mark had previously “reacted violently” when Dylan’s older brother Cory had a conversation with Redwine about “compromising photos” in early 2012. Cory called for 'justice' in his brother’s death in November 2020, and wrote on Facebook, "Dylan needs strength from more than just us and I can’t begin to explain how much every single person that knows his story is a part of that! Every day a kid is forgotten by the legal system and that is not ok!!"
What sentence is Mark Redwine looking at?
Convicted of second-degree murder, Mark Redwine doesn't stand the risk of getting the death penalty as only first-dree murder convictions result in capital punishment in Colorado. Second-degree murder is a class 2 felony in the state. Redwine is looking at a minimum of 8 years and a maximum of 48 years in prison with five years of parole.