Man who rented car for Penngrove slaying suspects gets 2 years

A Richmond man who provided a getaway car to two people suspected of murdering an elderly Penngrove woman was sentenced Monday to two years in jail.

Prosecutors said John Bruno Martinez, 27, was paid $1,000 and given a stolen handgun to rent a Chevy Tahoe at a rental car agency for suspects Stephanie Hill and Victor Silva, both of Marin County.

He told detectives he was not aware they were suspected in the slaying of Olga Dinelli, 84, whose body was found in her ransacked house on Feb. 26, according to a probation department report.

But he said he knew “something happened” and that they needed a car to skip town and likely head for the East Coast, the report said.

Ultimately, Hill and Silva drove the SUV into the Southern California desert, where they were identified as murder suspects by Riverside County deputies. Hill was shot and killed in a gunfight with lawmen and Silva was captured and held in Arizona, where he awaits trial.

Last month, Martinez pleaded no contest to two counts of being an accessory after the fact to murder, robbery, burglary and false imprisonment.

Judge Robert LaForge questioned how much Martinez knew when he rented the car and said he was troubled by allegations of arms trafficking. But he said it was clear Martinez was not involved in Dinelli’s slaying and was not present at the break-in.

Under his sentence, Martinez will be eligible for release from jail in about eight months, prosecutors said.

Martinez apologized to the victim’s family members at his sentencing hearing in a Santa Rosa courtroom.

Dinelli’s nephew, Michael Dinelli, who was raised by his aunt, said the loss of the family matriarch was devastating. And he said the once-quiet neighborhood has been left in fear.

But he said a long sentence “does not benefit me.” Instead, he urged Martinez to make a better life for himself and his 8-year-old son.

“I hope you take this opportunity to do it,” Dinelli said.

Martinez was arrested Feb. 28 after being identified as the person who rented the getaway car at Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Richmond, the probation report said.

A search of his house turned up a 9mm pistol and a shotgun, both determined to have been stolen earlier this year in a Fairfax burglary tied to Hill, the report said. He also had an AK-47 rifle and another pistol he claimed to have bought from a “crack head,” the report said.

Martinez told officers he met Silva while fishing a few months earlier. On Feb. 25, he said Silva and Hill came to his house in what turned out to be Olga Dinelli’s stolen 2005 Lexus, saying they were “in a jam” and needed his help, the report said.

The Lexus was later found abandoned at a Richmond mall.

Martinez said he felt intimidated by Hill, who carried a gun and mentioned she would not hesitate to kill “someone and their children,” although he was unsure if she was threatening him and his young son, the report said.

Martinez agreed to rent the SUV and let the couple shower at his home before they packed their belongings and drove away, the report said.

Before they did, Hill told Martinez someone had been shot and that Silva didn’t pull the trigger, suggesting Hill did it, the report said.

Two days later, investigators learned through a tip from a confidential informant that Hill and Silva left the state. They were tracked to Interstate 10, where they led officers on a high-speed chase that ended with Hill being shot dead.

Silva, who is in La Paz County jail, was indicted by a grand jury under a law that could hold him accountable for Hill’s death.

Now, Martinez stands as the “sole person” held in Sonoma County, in part for acts committed by others, said his lawyer, Jenny Andrews. She urged the judge not to be swayed by details of Dinelli’s death, saying Martinez had nothing to do with it.

“It was completed and unalterable before he had any role,” she said.

But prosecutor Brian Staebell argued Martinez provided for their escape and asked for a 44-month sentence. His police statements suggest Martinez knew the two were involved in gun violence and that “Stephanie Hill likely pulled the trigger,” Staebell said

You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 568-5312 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com.