The 74-year-old San Francisco pedestrian was killed after a sidewalk dispute outside a Mission Street gas station.
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Friends of Dannielle Spillman are mourning a 74-year-old transgender elder and guitar lover as prosecutors pursue a murder charge against the driver accused of running her over near Mission Street on April 13.
Spillman’s death has become both a criminal case and a community loss. In court, her final moments are described through surveillance video, vehicle movement and charges against Valantino Cash Amil. Among friends, she is remembered through music, long walks, thrift-store visits and small acts of kindness. Amil, 30, has pleaded not guilty and remains jailed while the court works through his defense representation and the next hearing date.
People who knew Spillman said she was a regular at San Francisco guitar shops and carried a distinct sense of style. Friends told local outlets she wore black, liked long coats and hats, and often looked like a rock musician. She loved classic rock, bluegrass, hollowbody guitars, thrift stores, Rainbow Grocery and daily walks. Connor McKeon, a Guitar Center employee, said Spillman never seemed like a stranger when she came in. “Dannielle Spillman was just one of the nicest, most personable people,” McKeon said. “She knew everyone’s name and she knew all of our backstories.” Friends said she brought sweets, cupcakes and fruit, and often stayed to talk about music and people’s lives.
The death that ended that routine happened in a busy stretch of the South of Market area, near Mission Street and South Van Ness Avenue. Prosecutors said Amil had stopped at the Chevron station at 1601 Mission St. in a black 2024 Mercedes-Benz E350. After filling up, he pulled toward the exit with his window down and began merging onto Mission Street. The district attorney’s office said the vehicle stopped partly in the roadway and partly on the sidewalk. Spillman, who was walking there, appeared to take issue with the blocked path. She moved along the driver’s side and then toward the front of the car while she and Amil exchanged words.
According to prosecutors, Spillman spilled liquid from a water bottle onto the hood of the Mercedes while standing in front of it. The district attorney’s office has described the liquid as water. Prosecutors said Amil then accelerated into her, causing her to land on the hood and windshield. After several feet, they said, the car slowed and Spillman slid off the hood, landing in front of the vehicle. Witnesses told authorities that Amil drove forward, ran over her and left. Medics pronounced Spillman dead at the scene less than 10 minutes later. The defense has said Amil believed his wife and two children were in danger and was trying to protect them.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced the murder charge three days after the killing. “We believe that this was an intentional act, an intentional killing,” Jenkins said. She also offered condolences to Spillman’s friends and family, saying Spillman died for no reason. The complaint charges Amil with murder under Penal Code 187(a), felony leaving the scene of an accident and an allegation that he used an automobile as a deadly weapon. Prosecutors asked that he be held without bail because they said he posed a public safety risk. A judge later denied release, citing both safety concerns and the claim that Amil left the area after the fatal impact.
Amil’s first defense attorney, Seth Morris, disputed the prosecution’s account of intent. Morris said Amil had no criminal history, was traveling with his family and reacted in fear when Spillman approached the vehicle. He has said Amil thought the liquid on the hood might have been gasoline and that Amil was trying to get his family away. Prosecutors have rejected self-defense, saying the video does not support it. Jenkins said the district attorney’s office viewed the evidence differently from the defense and believed the charges were warranted. Amil’s wife, who was inside the car, said her husband was being unfairly portrayed. “My husband is not a villain,” she said.
The courtroom process has already included a not guilty plea and a fight over custody. On April 24, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Lianne Dumas kept Amil in jail. She said there was no less restrictive option that would ensure public safety and court attendance at that stage. The judge also noted concern over the allegation that Amil stopped, viewed the scene and still left when there were other choices. The next scheduled step was a preliminary hearing, where prosecutors would begin testing their evidence. That hearing was delayed after Morris told another judge that Amil and his family wanted him removed from the case.
The change in lawyers means the calendar is still unsettled. Attorney Robert Waggener appeared in court as a possible replacement and said the family had asked him to consider taking the case. The court was expected to confirm Amil’s representation before resetting the path toward a preliminary hearing. That hearing will not decide guilt. It will decide whether there is enough evidence for the murder and related charges to proceed. The evidence is expected to include surveillance footage, eyewitness accounts, statements about what happened at the gas station exit and the defense claim that Amil feared for his family.
For Spillman’s friends, the legal process runs beside a separate effort to keep her identity from being flattened by the case. Some said early descriptions of her were wrong or incomplete. They described her as housed, loved and connected to city life. They said she could be funny, calm, elegant, generous and deeply present. Her regular stops at music shops became small neighborhood rituals. The spot where she died, a gas station exit beside a major street, has become part of a larger story about how a blocked sidewalk, a bottle of water and a driver’s decision became a murder case.
For now, Amil remains in custody while the court prepares for the next stage. Spillman’s family and friends are waiting for the preliminary hearing, where prosecutors are expected to lay out the evidence they say proves the killing was intentional.
Author note: Last updated May 19, 2026.