Penngrove slaying suspect killed in Arizona ID’d as Novato woman

A 37-year-old Novato woman was identified Tuesday as the suspect killed in a shootout with law enforcement officials in Arizona, following the slaying of an 84-year-old Penngrove woman.

Stephanie Lejean Hill was named in a criminal complaint charging John Bruno Martinez, 26, of Richmond with two counts of being an accessory after the fact to the murder, robbery, burglary and false imprisonment of Olga Dinelli, who was found shot to death in her home Thursday.

A third suspect, Victor Pierre Bento Silva, 27, also of Novato, was being held by Arizona authorities after his arrest over the weekend following a high-speed chase with police that left Hill dead. Authorities said the woman brandished a gun on Interstate 10 and was shot by a Riverside County deputy.

Martinez, who was arrested in the Bay Area, made a first court appearance with his father and friends looking on. Sonoma County prosecutor Brian Staebell told the judge Martinez’s involvement appeared to have come after the slaying. He was not charged with murder.

“We believe these are appropriate charges given the evidence,” Staebell said in court.

A man identifying himself as Martinez’s father said he thought his son rented a car to the main suspects. Staebell would not confirm the statement.

“In my heart I know he’s not guilty,” the man said.

Staebell said Silva faces “serious and significant” charges in La Paz County, Ariz., and will likely have to answer to them before being brought to Sonoma County to face a possible murder charge.

He said a warrant has been issued calling for his extradition, but he did not know when that would happen.

Public records show Hill had a criminal history in Pinellas County, Fla., dating back several years. It included convictions as recently as 2012 for charges such as grand theft, drug possession, food stamp fraud and domestic violence.

Dinelli, a longtime Penngrove resident, was the apparent victim of a burglary and robbery, although investigators have yet to release detailed information about what they believe happened.

She was found in her Rose Avenue home with a gunshot wound to her head. Her younger brother, who lived with her but was not at home at the time, said she was tied to a chair.

The home was ransacked and valuables were taken, the brother, Larry Dinelli said.

A Sonoma County sheriff’s spokesman said Tuesday some items of value have since been recovered. Sgt. Cecile Focha would not say where the items were found or what they were.

However, Focha confirmed the Dinelli family had no relationship to the assailants. There were no additional suspects, she said.

News researcher Janet Balicki contributed to this report. You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 568-5312 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ppayne.