Son who worked as legal assistant at dad's firm allegedly beat luxury realtor stepmom to death with baseball bat in family townhouse

John Daniels Jr., a 30-year-old former legal assistant at his father's law firm, is accused of beating his stepmother Irma Daniels to death with a baseball bat in their Cresskill, New Jersey townhouse. Authorities responded to a 911 call at approximately 6:46 p.m. on Wednesday at the Stonegate Trail residence, where they found 48-year-old Irma Daniels deceased from apparent blunt force trauma. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The victim, Irma Daniels, emigrated from Moscow, Russia over a decade ago and worked as a luxury realtor associate. She married John Daniels Sr. in 2011—the same year the defendant graduated from Bergen Catholic High School. John Daniels Sr., 63, is a prominent lawyer and managing partner at the family firm Daniels & Daniels, established in 1930 and specializing in civil litigation, corporate law, personal injury, and estate law.

John Daniels Jr. holds an undergraduate degree from Seton Hall and an MBA from Boston College. His LinkedIn profile indicates he worked as a legal assistant at Daniels & Daniels from 2018 to 2020. He now faces charges including first-degree murder, hindering apprehension by suppression and false information, and weapons offenses.

Irma Daniels recently celebrated professional achievements, posting on Facebook in March about receiving the "Circle of Excellence" award from the NJ Board of Realtors for her 2022 accomplishments. She described overcoming early career struggles through perseverance and credited her clients' trust for her success in luxury real estate with Sotheby's International Realty.