The ex-wife of the man accused of shutting down and then stabbing a bike doctor has denied claims she had been “living in fear” of her ex-husband.
Marla Annette Hart said she and Vanroy Evan Smith, 39, did not have an abusive relationship, although her father told the New York Post that was the case. She said she was “appalled” to hear her ex-husband allegedly killed Dr. Michael Mammone, 58, in the Pacific Coast Highway incident last week.
Speaking to The Post herself, Hart also pushed back on claims that police conducted a wellness check at her home before the murder, saying she only visited her afterwards.
She also said reports that the killing was racially motivated made no sense because she said her ex-husband was more than half white.
Prosecutors allege Smith ran a red light around 3 p.m. and struck Mammone. Then he got out of his white Lexus and went to the doctor, pulled out a knife and stabbed him.
Hart is pictured with her twin daughters. Her father, Vanroy Evan Smith, is charged with murder
Vanroy Smith (left) was charged with murder after Dr. Michael Mammone (right) was knocked off his bike and killed on Wednesday
On Friday, Hart’s father said she was “concerned for her own safety” by her ex-husband’s behavior.
But a day later, Hart categorically denied those claims, saying she and Smith remained close despite divorcing a decade ago.
“There was never physical violence, never domestic violence when we were together,” she told the Post. “We broke up because we were irreconcilable.”
“I’m absolutely horrified by the whole thing, horrified that it was Vanroy and horrified that this man died,” she said. “It doesn’t make sense what happened. This was the death of an innocent. I mourn for the victim’s family, myself and my children.”
Her father had also claimed that she and Smith were in the middle of a bitter custody battle over their twin girls, but Hart said that wasn’t true either.
In fact, she said they got along so well that they sometimes vacationed together as a family.
“There wasn’t a bitter custody battle,” she said. “He always paid his child support. I only switched custody because I was afraid he would move.
Smith appeared in court handcuffed to several deputies, speaking only to confirm his name and date of birth
Marla Annette Hart, who split from Vanroy Evan Smith a decade ago, recently called the police to her home after an altercation with Smith, her father said
Smith is said to have been holding a BB gun as he approached Mammone after the collision, according to ABC7, and shouted racial slurs about “white privilege,” according to ABC7.
Hart said racial motivation made little sense.
“His biological father is white. He actually did a DNA test and found out he’s more white than black. He’s from Jamaica,’ she said.
“He was never concerned with race and racial privilege. The whole thing is shocking as I hear he stabbed him.
She said she had “no idea” what might have motivated the attack.
“I haven’t spoken to him in over a month so honestly what was going on with him I have no idea.”
Aerial photos show where the white Lexus crashed into the cyclist and remained parked a few hundred yards away
The shocking video shows the moment Smith, a trained accountant, crashed into the cyclist, with police claiming the two were complete strangers
Hart’s father retracted his comments while telling his daughter’s side of the story, according to The Post.
“A lot has happened, like a hurricane,” he said.
“She just mentioned that he was becoming unpredictable. She never said anything like he was threatening her life. I would say she was afraid for herself and her children. I can’t say at what level.’
Smith, a Long Beach accountant, was held by bystanders until sheriffs arrived and arrested him at the scene.
Harrowing footage showed the moment he sped through a red light at an intersection, hitting Mammone and sending him flying through the air.
Smith appeared in court Friday and was charged with murder. He remains in custody at the Orange County Intake Release Center.
“An innocent man is dead because he was riding his bike to enjoy a beautiful California day along the beach and was hit by a car and stabbed to death by someone he appears never to have met,” Todd Spitzer said. Orange County District Attorney.
“The murder of a complete stranger in broad daylight for seemingly absolutely no reason is the stuff of nightmares.”
On Facebook, Smith wrote about being mixed race and posted lengthy thoughts on race and religion.
“I was born of black and white, then had the fortunate chance of growing up with my black family for the first 12 years and white for the next 6,” he wrote.
“I’m mixed, and I find race petty.”
Smith railed against “resentment, malice, separation, hatred” that he believed was directed at people because of their race, noting, “It’s really holding you back.”
Hart was concerned about Smith’s behavior before Wednesday’s incident, her father said
The white car Smith was driving when he ran a red light and hit Mammone
He continued, in a misspelled screed, “Why can’t we see this is all temporary? We all wither and die.
“Were you born with what people call ugly or deformed looks? It’s ok, you’re going to build character and then go somewhere else where I don’t think there will be such limitations if you go to the right place.
“Are you also considered beautiful or beautifully formed? Be thankful, not proud. Did you make yourself and how long will you be like that, does that time even appear on some scale of eternity?’
In another post, Smith wrote in October 2020, “Current Thought: Black VS Dark & White VS Light.”
He reflected on the importance attached to the colors white and black and said it affects people’s attitudes.
“By appearance and established standards, I am referred to as a black man,” he wrote.
“Does that mean I deny and reject half my ancestors? How do we tell someone to filter things like that out of their blood?
“All in all, we really need to change our mindset.
Mammone (in the pink shirt) is survived by his wife Julie, a nurse at the same hospital (pictured in a leopard print dress), and two sons, Nick and Jon
Mammone lived in Dana Point (pictured), California, with his wife and two sons
Mammone has been an emergency room physician at Providence Mission Hospital in Laguna Beach since 2011 and graduated from the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine in 1993.
He also occasionally served at Mission Viejo and Orange County Children’s Hospital in Santa Ana.
The hospital said in a statement: “We are stunned by this devastating tragedy. The entire Mission Hospital family mourns the loss of an incredible doctor and friend.
‘We will continue the commitment of Dr. Recognize Mammone for our community and his passion for medicine as we continue to provide exceptional care.’
He is survived by his wife Julie, a nurse at the same hospital, and two sons, Nick and Jon.
Cardiologist Dawn Aatwal said: “That’s the irony of this whole thing. If a patient had been brought in his condition, he would have done everything to save that person.
She added: “He saved so many lives here, and he died very close by where he saved hundreds of lives.”