'My husband is not a villain.' Wife of man charged with murder in deadly SF crash speaks out
Wife and father of man charged with murder in sidewalk-dispute crash speak out
Valentino Amil, 31, has been chargd with murder for allegedly running over and killing a 74-year-old pedestrian in San Francisco. The defendants wife and father say he should not be in jail.
SAN FRANCISCO - The wife of a man charged with murder for allegedly running over and killing a 74-year-old pedestrian in San Francisco is speaking out, saying her husband is a family man who should not be in jail.
"My family and I are completely devastated and heartbroken," said the woman, who did not want her name used or face shown because she says she has been harassed over what happened.
She was riding with her husband, Valentino Amil, 31, and their two children when he got into a dispute with Dannielle Spillman after Amil's Mercedes blocked a sidewalk. The encounter quickly turned deadly and has landed Amil in jail without bail on a murder charge.
His wife says she wants him home and doesn't believe the charges are warranted.
Husband not a ‘villain’
What they're saying:
"They’re outrageous and it’s not fair," she said. It’s not fair that the villain that they’re painting of my husband. My husband is not a villain."
Surveillance video obtained by KTVU shows her husband’s Mercedes blocking the sidewalk while leaving a gas station at Mission Street and South Van Ness Avenue on April 13.
Spillman walked around the front of the car, apparently taking issue with the obstacle. Authorities say the driver and pedestrian exchanged profanities — and that Spilllman spilled water from a bottle onto the Mercedes' hood.
And then, according to prosecutors, Amil gunned the Mercedes, which knocked the pedestrian onto the hood. She then fell onto the street, and police say Amil ran over her, killing her.
The defense has said he was protecting his family from a threat. At the time of the incident, the husband and wife were with their 5-month-old son and 11-year-old daughter, whom they call their "miracle children" after the couple suffered six miscarriages.
Along with the murder charge, Amil received a felony enhancement of leaving the scene of a crime with a deadly weapon.
Last week, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said she had seen the surveillance video and believes there's not enough evidence to argue self defense. She said prosecutors believed it was an intentional killing and not an accident.
At the same time, Amil's wife says she feels for Spillman’s family and loved ones.
Remorse over death of pedestrian
What they're saying:
"We carry, very very deep remorse for Dannielle," she said. "It was a life. We understand that in its entirety."
For now, what began as a trip to Disneyland has suddenly turned her family’s life upside down.
"I am not handling this well. I haven’t ate, I haven’t slept, I wake up crying, and I go to sleep crying," she said. "Obviously, I’m being strong for my children, in front of my children. But inside my heart, my heart is truly broken."
She added, "We should all be standing together right now as a community for love and support, because two families were hurt. Two lives are being hurt right now."
The father of the driver agrees.
"This was an accident that’s steered into a direction that it should not be," said the father, who wished only to be identified as Zhivago.
We previously reported those who knew Spillman are mourning.
Derrick Guerra, a case manager at an SF nonprofit that combats isolation among the aging LGBTQ+ population, said Spillman had been his client for nearly a year. He remembered her as a woman who loved to play guitar and could talk endlessly about music.
Matt Stevens from Real Guitars, a South of Market guitar shop, said Spillman frequented the store, not far from the crash site.
"It's just a huge loss for everybody. She was a deep friend of the store. She was a great guitar player. She also loved working on them too," said Stevens. "From the second I met her it was just like a big warm open invitation of like friendship and love. She was supportive of everybody that came into the doors."
On Monday, friends gathered at a vigil for Spillman.
What's next:
Valentino Amil will be back in court on Friday as his attorney argues for bail.
Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan
The Source: KTVU reporting, San Francisco police and DA's office
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