Inset: Alonzo McDaniel. Background: The Missouri home where Alonzo McDaniel was allegedly stabbed to death by his wife Evelyn McDaniel (KSDK/YouTube).
A Missouri man known for his kind nature met a tragic end at the hands of his “abusive” spouse, who allegedly ended his life after years of enduring her threats and mistreatment, according to his family and law enforcement.
Relatives and friends of 65-year-old Alonzo McDaniel claim he suffered prolonged abuse before his wife, Evelyn McDaniel, also 65, fatally attacked him in North St. Louis last month, as detailed in court filings.
“We warned him to leave because we sensed something terrible would happen,” stated his sister, Tina-Marie McDaniel, during a conversation with local NBC station KSDK.
“Her behavior was abusive,” Tina-Marie McDaniel explained. “He endured it for so long. She made threats about what she intended to do, and ultimately, she followed through.”
James Moton, a close friend of Alonzo McDaniel, recalled overhearing a heated exchange between Alonzo and Evelyn while on a phone call shortly before the incident. A probable cause statement reveals that Evelyn McDaniel “confessed to stabbing” Alonzo in the chest on April 23.
“Suddenly, I heard a commotion,” Moton described. “I heard him cry out, ‘Ah, why did you stab me?! You stabbed me!’ Being on the phone, hearing those words, and then silence as he took his last breath—it leaves me devastated. He was like a brother to me.”
Tina-Marie McDaniel told local CBS affiliate KMOV that her brother was 6-foot-3 and Evelyn McDaniel was about 4-foot-7, but he refused to defend himself physically whenever Evelyn McDaniel would allegedly abuse him.
“He would not hit her. He would not fight her,” Tina-Marie McDaniel said. “If he wanted to really stop her, he could have. With physical force. But I believe she took advantage of that and just went for what she knew and just took my brother’s life.”
Tina-Marie McDaniel alleged that Evelyn McDaniel had been “really irate all day” and had been out “drinking.” The couple allegedly began arguing after they got back home.
“At that point, from what I was told, because I wasn’t here, she started trying to stab him,” Tina-Marie McDaniel told KMOV. “And he was like, ‘What are you doing?’ He said stop. And then they heard him scream.”
According to KSDK, neighbors and friends described Alonzo McDaniel as a truck driver who was known in the community for being a protector and provider. He reportedly mowed lawns for free, checked on elderly residents after storms, bought groceries for people in need, and mentored neighborhood teenagers.
“My brother is so gentle,” Tina-Marie McDaniel told KMOV. “The whole block loved him. He was caring. He was supportive. He would come and do anything for anybody.”
Referencing Evelyn McDaniel and the charges she is facing, the grieving sister told KSDK, “I’m depending on the justice system to do what they’re supposed to do. Not let this slide and not let her walk away.”
Evelyn McDaniel is charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action. She is being held without bond, with no court date yet scheduled.
