NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Joe Clyde Daniels’ mother, Krystal – who’s set to stand trial after her husband, Joseph – has been watching our gavel-to-gavel coverage of the case. In an exclusive interview with NewsChannel 5, she commented on some key points we've heard so far in court.
Krystal Daniels, who’s charged with aggravated child neglect, is accused of failing to protect her son, Joe Clyde, from a fatal beating at the hands of his father. Joseph Daniels, charged with murder, is currently standing trial.
Krystal Daniels called us Monday from the jail where she's being held in Dickson County. There, she's been watching the trial and decided to reach out to help explain some of what we've heard in the evidence against her husband.
There’s no video or audio allowed, but we transcribed verbatim what she told us and it's interesting.
Krystal told us she does not believe Joseph killed Joe Clyde and said there are many misconceptions. And she wouldn’t say her son is dead and holds out hope somewhere he is still alive.
Another question many have asked is will she testify against her husband? Krystal said she will not testify.
Prosecutors, at times, have also indicated that the parents might have drugged Joe Clyde.
Krystal said, “They say that my son was acting like he was drugged or something. That was not the case. It was his medication that was making him that way because Vanderbilt had increased it. We did not drug Joe Clyde.”
The district attorney also showed photos of a bedroom with a padlock, leaving some to wonder if the parents locked the little boy in the room.
“No, my in-laws put that on there to keep people out of the room when they weren't home,” she said.
And then there was the question of a padlock high up on the doors that leads outside. Did she think it was possible for Joe Clyde to open it himself? One theory is the boy moved a coffee table to reach the lock.
“There were wheels on the coffee table… you could take a pinky and scoot it,” she said.
Krystal also said, “We've witnessed him climb up in the chair and try to put the key in the lock to unlock it, but we caught him as he was trying to do it.”
A trial date for Krystal Daniels has not yet been set. What happens next may depend on the verdict in her husband's case.
Joseph Daniels trial stories:
Jury finds Joseph Daniels guilty of felony murder in death of Joe Clyde Daniels
Jury begins deliberations, rewatches part of Daniels' recanted confession
State, defense rest their case in Joseph Daniels trial; Closing arguments to start Friday
Day 5 of Joseph Daniels trial: Jurors hear Daniels' recanted confession
Day 4 of Joseph Daniels trial: Joe Clyde's older brother testifies
Day 3 of Joseph Daniels Trial: Jury hears part of interview of Daniels with investigators
