A man accused of mowing down and stabbing a California doctor who was riding his bike down the Pacific Coast Highway threatened his ex-wife shortly before the fatal incident, relatives said, when friends confirmed the 39-year-old was dead Accountant behaving strangely.
Vanroy Evan Smith, 39, a Long Beach accountant, appeared in court Friday charged with murder following the death of Dr. Michael Mammone, a 58-year-old emergency room physician at Providence Mission Hospital in Laguna Beach.
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.
Smith’s ex-wife Marla Annette Hart, mother of his twin girls, was so stunned by his behavior that she called the police, her father told the New York Post.
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
Vanroy Smith (left) was charged with murder after Dr. Michael Mammone (right) was knocked off his bike and killed on Wednesday
Aerial photos show where the white Lexus crashed into the cyclist and remained parked a few hundred yards away
“Before that, she was worried about her own safety,” Stanley Hart said.
Police were called to her home for a health check because “there was something about Mr. Smith,” he added.
Hart told the newspaper that his former son-in-law – who split from Marla a decade ago – was well brought up but had “issues”.
Smith and his ex-wife were in the middle of a bitter custody battle over their twin girls.
“It wasn’t like I didn’t believe it, but I never could have imagined it,” Hart told The Post.
“He has some problems, that’s all I can say.
“If the authorities do their due diligence, they’ll probably find out what the issues are pretty quickly.”
Hart is pictured with her twin daughters. Her father, Vanroy Evan Smith, is charged with murder
Hart was concerned about Smith’s behavior before Wednesday’s incident, her father said
Other friends and colleagues of Smith alluded to problems, saying he abruptly closed his accounting firm.
Jo A. Gilliam, a former client and friend, said the twins are Smith’s “world” – but she didn’t think he had seen them lately.
She said she repeatedly tried to contact him about her tax returns, as he had for the past seven years, but he told her he wasn’t working.
‘I am devastated. I just spoke to him on the 23rd and he said he’s fine but he’s going through some things,” Gilliam said.
“He’s a good guy. He’s a very nice man.
“Something had to trigger him, because that’s not him. He’s a good guy. He’s never in trouble about anything.”
Alice, a former colleague, said she was shocked by the news.
She said she doesn’t know if he has problems in his personal life, adding that he has never spoken about his family. His office, she said, was adorned with photos of his twins.
“I don’t know his private life, I only know his business side,” Alice said.
“I am very shocked by all of this. The Evan I know is not this Evan.
“He was a sweet, respectable guy. Nothing negative. He’s a person who gave the shirt off his back.’
Smith appeared in court handcuffed to several deputies, speaking only to confirm his name and date of birth
Smith is said to have been holding a BB gun when he approached Mammone, a married father of two, and shouted racial slurs about “white privilege,” according to ABC7.
Smith was held back by passers-by until sheriffs arrived and arrested him.
“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.”
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.”
dr Mammone’s wrecked bike can be seen at the corner of the intersection after being thrown into the air
The shocking video shows the moment Smith, a trained accountant, crashed into the cyclist, with police claiming the two were complete strangers
Although witnesses claimed to have seen a gun, officials have not confirmed whether firearms were found at the scene
Mammone lived in Dana Point (pictured), California, with his wife and two sons
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
Smith, a father of two, remains in custody at the Orange County Intake Release Center.
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.”