IONIA, Mich. - After claiming his innocence for 20 years, a Spring Lake man publicly admitted to murdering his business partner. This was the first time he ever confessed publicly. He initially admitted to the crime to his counselor in 2008 and also to his older brother during a prison visit shortly after that.
The open confession came Thursday morning at Ronald Redick's commutation hearing at the Handlon Correctional Facility in Ionia. In 1991 Redick killed his friend and colleague Kenneth Kunkel and then staged a car crash to cover up the crime. He was convicted of the crime and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
In January of 2018, Redick filed a commutation request. These petitions are often filed when a Governor is leaving office. Redick is asking for a shortened sentence.
On Thursday, the now 81-year-old prisoner was questioned for more than two hours by representatives of the Michigan Parole Board and the Attorney General's Office on what happened that February morning back in 1991.
After all that questioning the Assistant Attorney General described Redick's testimony as inconsistent and said the new information Redick revealed was quite convenient.
I mean we're just in shock," Richard Kunkel, the victim's brother told 13 ON YOUR SIDE following the hearing. "We are reliving Ken's death again."
Redick described the murder as a "horrible error" adding that he lost it and the crime was an out of body experience.
"I feel like he should stay in prison because his story was incoherent," Richard added.
Redick's confession to the Parole Board and Attorney General's Office had many inconsistencies to his previous statements to officials. In his commutation application, Redick said he was arguing with Kunkel. Redick claimed the argument was getting personal and heated.
He told those at the hearing, Kunkel brought up Redick's wife's faithfulness and that triggered him. In his application statement he said he grabbed a pipe in a scrap pile at the back of their shared business where the argument was taking place and struck Kunkel once in the head.
But at Thursday's hearing Redick claimed Kunkel was taking 'aggressive steps' toward him before he grabbed the pipe and hit him. He proceeded to say, "don't ask me why I did it but I then hit him again," after Ken's body was already on the ground.
"I think that it's another fabrication and it's not the first obviously," Chris Kunkel, Ken's son told 13 ON YOUR SIDE.
Redick said he then took Ken's lifeless body back to Ken's car and placed in the passenger seat and drove to Polkton Township where he purposely crashed the car to cover-up the crime. That crash was what Redick claimed happened throughout his 10 week trial and for the twenty years that followed.
Assistant Attorney General Scott Rothermel questioned Redick for a great deal of time on the 'aggressive steps' Redick mentioned in which the Assistant AG took as an attempt to claim self defense. Rothermel told Redick his story didn't make sense and would recommend the Governor to deny the commutation because of the holes in his story. Redick was also unable to share why he did it, which Rothermel thought was concerning.
But Redick's family is still fighting for his release. The Redick's would not do any on-camera interviews following the hearing but during it, Redick's daughter stated her father was a changed man. She also said he would have the support of his family as well as his friends to help him if he was released.
Redick eventually apologized to the Kunkel's near the end of Thursday's lengthy hearing. He claims his counseling and spiritual awakening have made him want to tell the truth. He also noted his contributions to the prison system as a tutor for many young prisoners attempting to get GEDs.
In the coming weeks the Michigan Parole Board will vote and give a recommendation to the Governor. The Governor will then make a final decision on this commutation request. The Kunkel's believe if Redick is released they will lose their justice.
"He did a lot of damage to my family and he's been paying the price and we want him to continue to pay the price," Ken Kunkel said.
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