Valentino Cash Amil has pleaded not guilty after prosecutors accused him of intentionally killing Dannielle Spillman with his car.
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — A judge has kept Valantino Cash Amil in custody as he fights a murder charge tied to the death of 74-year-old Dannielle Spillman, who prosecutors say was struck and run over by his Mercedes-Benz after a sidewalk confrontation.
The court fight now centers on what happened before and after the impact. Prosecutors say Amil intentionally used his car as a weapon and left Spillman dying in the street. The defense says Amil feared for his wife and children, who were inside the vehicle, and panicked during a fast-moving encounter. Amil has pleaded not guilty to murder, felony leaving the scene and a deadly weapon allegation tied to the car.
At an April 24 hearing, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Lianne Dumas denied Amil’s request for release. She said the court could not rely on lesser restrictions to protect the public or ensure he would return for future hearings. Dumas also pointed to what prosecutors described as Amil’s conduct after the collision. City prosecutor Edward Mario said additional footage showed Amil stopped nearby at the gas station after running over Spillman, parked for about a minute and a half, and then fled when sirens could be heard. The judge said the alleged decision to leave after viewing the scene raised concern about whether Amil would follow court orders.
Amil’s first attorney, Seth Morris, argued that his client had strong family ties, no criminal history and understood the seriousness of the case. Morris said Amil had been traveling with his wife and two children, including a baby, when Spillman approached the car. The defense has said Amil believed the family was threatened and feared that liquid poured onto the Mercedes could have been gasoline. Morris also said Amil had stopped briefly after the crash, which he argued could matter to the hit-and-run count. Prosecutors said the defense theory did not fit the evidence. District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said the office filed murder because it saw intention in the video and the alleged sequence of events.
The fatal encounter happened April 13 near Mission Street and South Van Ness Avenue. Prosecutors said Amil had filled a black 2024 Mercedes-Benz E350 at the Chevron station at 1601 Mission St. and was pulling toward the exit with his window down. As he tried to merge onto Mission Street, the car stopped partly in the roadway and partly across the sidewalk. Spillman, walking along the sidewalk, came up to the vehicle and appeared to object to the blocked path. Prosecutors said she walked from the driver’s side to the front of the car as she and Amil exchanged words. They said she then spilled water from a bottle onto the hood.
What followed is the core of the murder allegation. The district attorney’s office said Amil immediately accelerated into Spillman, throwing her onto the hood and windshield. After several feet, the car slowed and Spillman slid from the hood to the pavement in front of the Mercedes. Witnesses told authorities that the car then moved forward, ran over her and kept going. Medics arrived and pronounced her dead less than 10 minutes later. Police later arrested Amil without incident. Authorities have described the liquid as water and have not said Spillman had a weapon. The defense has said Amil was reacting to what he believed was danger, not trying to kill.
Jenkins has made the video evidence central to the prosecution’s public comments. “I expect defense attorneys to say things that are favorable to their clients,” Jenkins said after the defense raised self-defense. She said prosecutors had a different view of the evidence and filed charges based on that view. The district attorney’s office said Amil is charged with murder under Penal Code 187(a), with an allegation that he used an automobile as a deadly weapon. The felony count for leaving the scene is separate. Those charges mean a preliminary hearing will require prosecutors to show enough evidence for the case to continue, not to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case also changed direction when Amil moved to replace Morris. On May 6, the hearing that had been expected to address preliminary evidence instead focused on defense representation. Morris told the court that Amil and his family wanted him relieved. Attorney Robert Waggener appeared as a possible replacement and said the family had asked him to consider taking the case. The court expected to return to the issue May 15 before setting the next steps. Until new counsel is confirmed, the timing of a preliminary hearing remains uncertain. That delay leaves Amil jailed and leaves Spillman’s family waiting for the first full courtroom presentation of the evidence.
Outside court, Amil’s relatives continued to argue that the public picture of him was incomplete. His wife told KTVU that the family was “completely devastated and heartbroken” and said she believed the murder charge was not fair. She also expressed remorse for Spillman’s death. Amil’s father, Zhivago Redon, said prosecutors had turned the case into what he called a “hate train” and questioned whether the evidence supported a murder filing. Spillman’s relatives appeared in court at Amil’s plea hearing and were visibly emotional, according to local reports, but declined to speak publicly. The case has produced grief and anger on both sides of the courtroom.
Spillman’s friends have pushed for attention to her life, not just the killing. They described her as a transgender elder, a longtime San Francisco resident and a familiar visitor at guitar shops. Friends said she loved classic rock, hollowbody guitars, thrift stores and neighborhood walks. At Real Guitars and Guitar Center, she was known for long conversations and small gifts, including sweets and strawberries. Connor McKeon, who worked at Guitar Center, said she knew employees’ names and backstories. Those memories now stand beside the court record, which describes her final moments in the language of charges, evidence and vehicle movement.
The coming proceedings are expected to focus on the surveillance footage, witness accounts, Amil’s stop and departure, and whether prosecutors can carry the murder charge toward trial. Amil remains in county jail while the court sorts out his representation and prepares for the next hearing.
Author note: Last updated May 19, 2026.