A San Francisco native facing a murder charge in a fatal hit-and-run earlier this week is claiming self-defense, with his lawyer arguing at his arraignment Thursday that he struck a pedestrian out of fear for his own safety.
Valentino Amil, 30, has been charged by the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office with murder and felony leaving the scene of an accident after he allegedly intentionally ran over a woman with his car Monday afternoon.
“What we saw on Monday was truly horrific,” said Police Chief Derrick Lew at a briefing Thursday.
Around 3:20 p.m. Monday in the area of Mission Street and South Van Ness Avenue, the driver of a black sedan fatally struck a woman before fleeing the scene, Lew said. The woman was identified as 74-year-old Dannielle Spillman, according to the city’s Medical Examiner’s Office.
Using a drone, police were able to quickly locate the suspect vehicle being driven on the freeway. Police safely conducted a traffic stop where they arrested Amil and booked him into jail.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said that Spillman “tragically died for absolutely no reason.”
Jenkins referenced video footage showing the alleged hit-and-run, saying that Spillman was walking down a sidewalk when she encountered Amil’s car that was blocking part of the sidewalk when he was trying to exit a gas station.
“Because the vehicle is blocking the sidewalk access, the victim has to walk around and in front of that vehicle, during which time there is some type of verbal exchange that is very short and brief,” Jenkins said.
As Spillman walked in front of the car, she apparently emptied liquid from a water bottle onto the hood of the car. That’s when Amil allegedly accelerated, striking Spillman, who ended up on the hood of the car. Spillman then fell into the roadway as the car allegedly drove off and ran her over, according to Jenkins.
“At this point in time, my office does not believe based on that video evidence and the statements collected thus far, that this victim posed any significant threat that would have warranted the lethal use of self-defense,” Jenkins said.
Defense outlines alternate account of encounter
But Seth Morris, Amil’s defense attorney, gave a different story of what may have happened.
At Amil’s arraignment Thursday afternoon, Morris argued that Amil acted in self-defense out of fear for his and his family’s safety.
“He’s 30 years old, no criminal record at all, and just trying to get out of the gas station when he’s being assaulted by this person,” Morris said.
Amil’s children and wife were in the car as well, and the alleged hit-and-run occurred just after he had filled his car with gas for the family’s trip to Disneyland Park for his daughter’s birthday.
“They were attacked by a homeless person who was belligerent, who was trying to reach into the car, who was trying to hurt them,” Morris said. “He panicked. He tried to get his family to safety, and he drove away.”
Morris called the murder charge “outrageous,” saying that the District Attorney’s Office did not sufficiently review the evidence in the case.
“We need to have a full examination of what happened,” Morris said. “That starts with Mr. Amil’s state of mind, which they are discounting and minimizing and not paying any attention to.”
Morris described Amil as a “family man” and native San Franciscan with strong ties to the city.
Additionally, Morris said that there is video evidence showing that Amil stopped his car briefly shortly after striking Spillman before eventually driving away. His stopping, Morris said, could refute the district attorney’s hit-and-run charge.
“They stopped the car immediately but he was scared because people started coming up to the car,” Morris said.
At the arraignment, Amil did not enter a plea since San Francisco Superior Court Judge Lianne Dumas granted a tentative motion to keep Amil in custody in order to have time to learn more about the case.
Amil waved to his friends and family, who cried as they saw him enter the courtroom.
The District Attorney’s Office asked that Amil be detained without bail because prosecutors believe that “he presents a significant public safety risk,” Jenkins said.
Morris requested Amil be released immediately.
Dumas decided to keep Amil in jail without bond so that more time can be spent gathering evidence. Amil is scheduled to return to court April 24, where Morris will again request his release.
